I have heard music almost all my life and, at first, would remember either the title of the song I liked or, if not, who the musicians played that song. I don’t recall learning at a young age that the artist who sang a song did not necessarily write it. Later, I also learned that songwriters sometimes sing and record their songs. So, while we of a certain age heard music from the 1960s and early 1970s from artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, and other favorites, we may have yet to hear of the singer/songwriter Judee Sill After viewing the documentary Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, I learned about her and that she was signed on to Asylum Records as well as Linda Ronstadt and others.
I do not profess to be an expert on music from that era, but I do not recall hearing any of Judee Sill’s music. Although she has passed away, her music has not, as is noted in this documentary directed by Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom. Among the featured interviews are David Geffen, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, JD Souther, Shawn Colvin, Weyes Blood, Big Thief, Fleet Foxes, and many more. Some of these individuals interviewed appear more than once in the film, offering so much insight into her personal and professional life.
Judee Sill has shown talent since she was young and is still not in school. She lost her beloved father at a young age, and her mother remarried. It was after the stepfather came into her home life that she began to seek and escape from that home situation. Her escape came in many forms, and her escapades made headlines, as seen on archival newspaper pages. Music was vital in her life, though, and she persisted.
About: The never-before-told story of folk-rock icon Judee Sill, who in just two years went from living in a car to appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone. The documentary charts her troubled adolescence through her meteoric rise in the music world and her early tragic death.
Aside from the great interviews, the documentary also has many drawings, what appear to be notes in journal entries, and excellent animation. This highly informative feature film is one that I recommend to music lovers, as well as historians of music and musicians from that period. Hearing some statements about her music after the second album was released is interesting. I can still feel the piercing of the words about the expectations of what the women were to look like, aside from the fact they have talent. Decades later, I am sure those expectations have not all gone away.
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill will be released theatrically in New York (IFC Center), Los Angeles (Laemmle Noho), and key cities on April 12 with a VOD release on all major platforms in the US and Canada.
Produced by Peter Kenney (Joe’s Violin) and Brian Lindstrom and Executive Produced by Actor/Musician Maya Hawke, Best-selling author Cheryl Strayed, Peter Kenney, and Dan Braun
The film premiered on November 13, 2022, at DOC NYC, then the 2023 Sarasota Film Festival.
Running Time: 91 minutes / Language: English / Not Rated / Documentary Feature (USA) Source: Greenwich Entertainment