Last night was an oasis in the middle of all the war, reality tv and assorted junk on tv. (I do get the good doobie award for sitting through The West Wing with Russ, while we taped WOHM. He kept assuring me it was indeed taping, but I was nervous...) So, I saw the last half hour, then rewound the tape and saw the first hour. A weird way to watch it, but oh well...
It was wonderful. Almost too wonderful. I liked the candid footage the best, when she was being Joan, not Joni. I loved seeing the previously unseen photos, the concert clips and all. It was obvious Graham still has tremendous fondness for her. And Croz is still dazzled by her. I thought JT's clip was too short. My favorite part? The description Graham offered of watching her write. I also liked her telling about drawing deer and fire after seeing Bambi. THAT's what I wanted more of. The real process. The nuts and bolts of creation. The whole show offered a real insight into her overall inspiration. But I wanted more. Instead of skipping THOSL entirely, the film could have used the Hissing demos to offer more insight into Joni's unique musical vocabulary. (touched on briefly by Henry Lewey.) I would have liked to see more studio footage (it MUST be out there somewhere) in addition to the concert footage. Well, maybe next documentary... I just wonder. What's the one she didn't want shown like??? lots of love Anne
