The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins

1968 0h 31m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 23

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A musical portrait of Texas bluesman 'Lightnin' Hopkins. The film includes interviews and a performance by Hopkins. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Lightnin' Hopkins
Self
Billy Bizor
Self
Mance Lipscomb
Self
Ruth Ames
Self (as Ruth 'Blues' Ames)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Les Blank
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 31-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Les Blank: Always for Pleasure" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Les Blank, shot by Les Blank. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lightnin' Hopkins and Billy Bizor and Mance Lipscomb carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0064099 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Les Blank directs. Les Blank behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 31-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Les Blank: Always for Pleasure" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Les Blank, shot by Les Blank. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Lightnin' Hopkins and Billy Bizor and Mance Lipscomb carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0064099 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Les Blank
Runtime: 31 min · 0h 31m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1968)

Part of

Les Blank: Always for Pleasure

An uncompromisingly independent filmmaker, Les Blank made documentaries for nearly fifty years, elegantly disappearing with his camera into cultural spots rarely seen on-screen—mostly on the peripheries of the United States, but also occasionally abroad. Seemingly off-the-cuff yet poetically constructed, these films are humane, sometimes wry, always engaging tributes to music, food, and all sorts of regionally specific delights. This collector’s set provides a diverse survey of Les Blank’s vast output, including fourteen of his best-known works and eight related short films.