![]() Five singles by Joplin reached the US Billboard Hot 100, including a cover of the Kris Kristofferson song " Me and Bobby McGee", which posthumously reached number one in March 1971. She appeared at the 1969 Woodstock festival and on the Festival Express train tour. After releasing two albums with the band, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. In 1967, Joplin rose to prominence following an appearance at Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. One of the most successful and widely known rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence. It’s pure performance and pure filmmaking.Janis Lyn Joplin (Janu– October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. Who was this woman? How did she display such intensity and then immediately transform into a little girl, skipping offstage? This scene shows us Janis, completely in the moment, channeling her emotions, captivating the audience, taking the viewer into another world, raising questions, and leaving everyone wanting more. The filmmaker beautifully reveals the complicated duality of this woman. A stark contrast with the ferocious blues singer seen just seconds earlier. ![]() The scene ends with Janis skipping offstage like a child, excited and relieved that everything went well. She looks like a different person: younger, prettier, and more at peace. The tense, focused energy has lifted from her body. In some ways, we see Janis here for the first time. And as the song finishes, we see why.Īs she turns to walk offstage, her soft, smiling face passes through the frame in close-up. The moment in time that Pennebaker captures is what most consider to be the arrival of Janis Joplin. This iconic shot of Cass solidifies my emotion-I’m not the only one feeling this way. The film cuts to Mama Cass, mouth agape, staring up in disbelief. The performance is so intense that you almost crave a break. Isn’t that what we want as filmmakers, to discover performances that are absolutely true and present? The pain behind each word comes through on her face as her voice continues to reach new levels. She looks fierce: lips pursed and brow furrowed. Janis is entirely in the moment, gold slip-on shoes kicking the floor unconsciously, every ounce of emotion flowing out of her. She starts to sing, and all it takes is one line: “Sitting down by my window, looking out at the rain.” I was mesmerized. The handheld 16 mm camera scans the all-male band onstage then, suddenly, there is a hard cut to a static shot of a woman in profile, big head of frizzy hair covering most of her face. Pennebaker’s documentary Monterey Pop preserve a moment in time and a performance that has captured my heart and imagination like no other: Janis Joplin singing “Ball and Chain” at the Monterey International Pop Festival.Ī long lead-in by a wailing guitar brings the listener into a trance. Of all the great performances in Criterion Collection films that have shaped my life, one stands out-but it’s not by an actor. Now, capturing a performance is all that matters to me everything else is just there to enhance that moment.Ī great performance occurs when someone disappears into what they are doing and everything that comes out of their body is fluid and true and channeling something subconscious. But the first time I worked with great actors, my interest immediately shifted. With a background in photography, I was initially attracted to the visual elements of cinema.
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