Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker

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Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker

2013

1h 30m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Rare concert footage, photographs and interviews illustrate a portrait of late pianist James Booker, whose great talent masked personal struggles with substance abuse and isolation.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Bayou Maharajah is worth watching for the performance footage alone.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 10, 2016

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

[A] richly enjoyable documentary tribute.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 7, 2016

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Tom Huddleston

Time Out

A sympathetic portrait of a genuinely idiosyncratic, outrageous individual.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 4, 2016

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Mike McCahill

MovieMail

Overall, though, Keber's film feels like an honourable attempt to tidy up after and make order of its subject's spiralling chaos.

Aug 31, 2016

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Michael Bonner

Uncut Magazine [UK]

[Booker] backed a huge number of musicians.. But his solo work -- shown here in rollocking, flamboyant archive performances -- allowed him to give full flight to his infectious and innovative mix of jazz, blues and classical.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 14, 2016

Full Review

Kevin Jagernauth

The Playlist

...despite the title of the doc, which conjures up a madcap, heartbreaking tale, the film is a mostly workmanlike biopic that unfortunately can never match the energy of the subject it's trying to capture

Rated: C+

Jul 30, 2013

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david w

there is nobody else who could play that much new orleans piano or much else of what he played, in spite of his drug issues, which were like other handicaps but nothing stops or messes up his piano playing. he was a most amazing person, and THE most amazing pianist

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Saw the rough cuts 5 years ago. Great material - fantastic music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

Between being hit by an ambulance at 9 and dying tragically young at 43, James Carroll Booker III rode music life's wildest roller coaster. A brilliant pianist who could swing with ease across the spectrum from blues to classical, a gay black man who never found his perfect place, and a proud New Orleanian born and deceased in Charity Hospital, Booker gets as good a treatment as likely possible from director Keber.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Lily Keber

Director

Lily Keber

Screenwriter

Aimée Toledano

Screenwriter

Tim Watson

Screenwriter

Mark Sperling

Producer

Lily Keber

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Synopsis

Rare concert footage, photographs and interviews illustrate a portrait of late pianist James Booker, whose great talent masked personal struggles with substance abuse and isolation.

Director: Lily Keber
Producer: Mark Sperling, Lily Keber, Nate Kohn, Stephen Rose
Screenwriter: Lily Keber, Aimée Toledano, Tim Watson
Production Co: Mairzy Doats Productions
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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