Product Details

• Directors: Don McGlynn
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: RCA
• DVD Release Date: November 4, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000DJZ81
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,657 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Sony Music Release Date: 11/04/2003

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Howl! Wolf Lives!, October 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Howlin' Wolf Story - The Secret History of Rock & Roll (DVD)

In a time when we are bombarded with rapid-fire cutting and frustratingly brief snippets of footage it is refreshing to see a documentary that allows us to spend some time with it's subject matter-- in this case Chester Burnett AKA Howlin'Wolf. I have never seen this much footage on this legendary performer in any one place. If you're a fan of Wolf or the blues, I cannot recommend this film more highly. This DVD is like a Howlin' Wolf performance- you get your money's worth!

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Vendetta Of McGlynn And Lauro?, December 11, 2004

By 

J. K. Rost (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Howlin' Wolf Story - The Secret History of Rock & Roll (DVD)

I watched this Documentary right after finishing the Howlin' Wolf biography "Moanin' At Midnight" written by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman, so I have to start by saying that the book is a masterpiece in Blues literature. It reads like a biography should, and not just the compilation of random facts and educated guesses that most Blues biographies are. It ranges from comical to moving (a rarity in Blues Bio's)and tells a great story in the process. This DVD was a real letdown in comparison. There were some high spots. Sam's Lay's silent home movies were cool (seeing the Wolf and Sumlin on stage with Sonny Boy and Little Watler in the audience), as well as parts of the documentary throughout, but I was confused as to why they relied so heavily on the footage from the makeshift juke joint at the Newport Festival. There's a lot of better Wolf performance footage out there, like the remainder of the European tour footage that wasn't used here. I've never seen footage where Wolf's own performance wasn't top notch, but the other players were out of tune and at their sloppiest here. Besides that, way too much effort was put into showing how badly Son House had deteriorated. They came back to the subject several times and I thought it was cruelly unnecessary. We all know he was a pitiful drunk at the end, and a disappointment to Wolf who had idolized him, but this point could have been made in one short statement. Did they bother to showcase how great he was in his prime (or could still be when sober)? No, because this movie wasn't about Son House (although I wondered at one point and had to check the title on the box). The juke footage was shot within a few years of the Son House footage that Yazoo Records released in their "Masters Of The Country Blues" series. It's a wonderful performance. Even though he was old and things weren't working the way they had 30 years earlier, there was still a lot of power and passion in the performances and a quiet dignity in the man. It's just too bad that the producer (Joe Lauro) and director (Don McGlynn) of the Wolf documentary seemed determined not to leave him any. Aside from that, it was an ok film. Hubert Sumlin's spots were entertaining as well as the interviews with Hubert's ex and Wolf's stepdaughters. I would like to rate this DVD higher, but if you want a great story, read the book. As a biography this movie only touches on spots and leaves so much out. If you want to see the best Wolf footage, you'll only see some of it here.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wolf Lives!, October 30, 2003

By 

eugene j. casey (Sag Harbor, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Howlin' Wolf Story - The Secret History of Rock & Roll (DVD)

This is a concise, affectionate and well-researched documentary on one of the true giants of the blues. It includes contemporary interviews with Wolf's family and friends and bandmates (including the great Hubert Sumlin) and rare footage of Wolf in his element (including some great full color shots of south side Chicago night clubs, as well as the famous Shindig show, introduced by the Rolling Stones.) It's too bad Wolf didn't live long enough to reap the rewards his rival Muddy Waters did. Still this film goes a long ways to putting Wolf's career in perpective, i.e., among the greats.