Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool Review: Told through the people who knew him best, Nelson’s unflinching approach to Miles and his music is a fascinating retelling of the joy and darkness in his life.
Provided by SFF/PR
One of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century is the focus of this entertaining and detailed documentary that seeks to give fans and newcomers alike an insight into the workings of a musical genius.
When you hear people talk about Miles Davis and his music, the same words are often thrown around. Cool. Elegant. Masterful. To this day, he is revered as one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, an innovator who brought jazz into the mainstream, as well as helped ensure its survival as the musical landscape changed over-time.
To tackle the life of Miles Davis, then, makes for an imposing task. How do you offer something new and insightful to his legion of fans who will claim to know everything there is about him, whilst also make a film that will work for those who may not be so aware of his life and career? The answer for Stanley Nelson seems to be quite a simple one; just tell the story of the man through the people who knew him best.
With access to personal archival footage, as well as talking heads with everyone from music historians to Davis collaborators, his son, his nephews, closest friends and ex-wives, Nelson has constructed an account of the man that thrives on insights from the individuals who had a read on him, or at least stake a claim to.
Related: Watch the trailer for Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis film Miles Ahead
This collection of testimonials, matched with the amazing archival footage (and of course the music) paints the picture of a man who is absolutely adored by those he has touched and also hurt. Nelson begins his documentary by painting a more celebrated image of Davis, hero-worshiping his undeniable talent as a musician and bandleader. But as we move away from the stage and begin to grapple with the more personal stories happening behind the scenes, what becomes clear is that this is a look at a very tortured artist who never quite had his soul under control.
While Nelson makes sure to capture some of the joy and liveliness of what it must’ve been like to be at the artistic hub that was post-war Paris or to be walking 52nd Street in New York, he makes sure never to forget to include the less than favourable details of Davis’ life. From his often emotionally abusive relationships with women to his recurring troubles with drug addiction, the joy and the darkness of Davis’s life are on full display.
This unflinching approach makes sure to paint a picture of a man who lived a very complete life in his 65 years on this Earth. Nelson captures one of the most significant contributors to the African-American culture of the 20th Century with both a misty-eyed affection and a sense that we should be cautious with our glorification. Yet, while cautious, this is a documentary very keen to point out how much Davis contributed to the soundscape of the 20th Century, contextualising Davis’s chameleon-like ability to ensure his music was one that was ever-evolving, never one to stagnate on past glories, with an eye always on the future.
One point of contention that feels a little at odds with the otherwise quite straightforward and authentic approach is the decision to have actor Carl Lumbly play Davis through moments of voice-over narration. Lumbly absolutely nails those famous gravelly tones, but the decision to have that element of performance threatens to undermine the integrity and truthfulness of what is otherwise a very finely tuned project that seeks to add layers to the image of Davis beyond the that that is usually presented.
Birth of the Cool is a very well-crafted account of the life, influence, and persona of Miles Davis that should please fanatics and new fans alike. Much like the music itself, it is a film with a great sense of energy and propulsion, that often gives way to moments of darkness, melancholy and sorrow. Davis once said that “the thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas?” If the same can be applied to this film, Nelson certainly delivers.
Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool was reviewed at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival.
