-
Just watched this. Is a touching story. I thought the interview in the middle was a bit meh - I couldn't imagine him giving the answers the interviewer seemed to want, but otherwise not bad at all.
Good points raised by tommmmmmm thoughI watched Searching for Sugar Man last night. I really enjoyed it, everyone in it (bar Clarence Avant) came across really well, especially Rodriguez himself, and it was a great story, with a pretty good soundtrack.
I found out afterwards that while he knew nothing about his success in South Africa until the moment the film described, he was relatively popular in Australia, and had in the mean time toured there, and also released LPs there which referenced the rumours of his on-stage suicide. The film sort of makes out that it was the South Africans who 'rediscovered' him, and plucked him from relative obscurity.
It was also noticeable, although perhaps not so surprising given the circumstances in both countries, that there were no black people whatsoever in the film, bar Clarence Avant, who is portrayed as a thief. Rodriguez' music was described as having helped soundtrack the anti-Apartheid movement, but this doesn't seem to have extended to actual interaction with the black community there. The worst excesses of Apartheid which are described by the film are the censorship and cultural isolation.
I would definitely recommend it though.
You are reading a single comment by @tbc and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
branwen
@tbc
I watched Searching for Sugar Man last night. I really enjoyed it, everyone in it (bar Clarence Avant) came across really well, especially Rodriguez himself, and it was a great story, with a pretty good soundtrack.
I found out afterwards that while he knew nothing about his success in South Africa until the moment the film described, he was relatively popular in Australia, and had in the mean time toured there, and also released LPs there which referenced the rumours of his on-stage suicide. The film sort of makes out that it was the South Africans who 'rediscovered' him, and plucked him from relative obscurity.
It was also noticeable, although perhaps not so surprising given the circumstances in both countries, that there were no black people whatsoever in the film, bar Clarence Avant, who is portrayed as a thief. Rodriguez' music was described as having helped soundtrack the anti-Apartheid movement, but this doesn't seem to have extended to actual interaction with the black community there. The worst excesses of Apartheid which are described by the film are the censorship and cultural isolation.
I would definitely recommend it though.