Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) on Netflix
PG-1319881h 30mBiographyDocumentaryMusic
A documentary about Thelonious Monk, the bebop pianist and composer. Live performances by him and his group sit alongside interviews with his friends and his family.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb7.5/101,494 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Trailer
Plot summary
For six months in 1967, filmmakers followed Thelonious Monk through New York, Atlanta and Europe, filming his group in performance on a commission from West German public television for a one-hour special. His band plays in the concert footage, with close shots of his hands at the piano, and thirteen hours of outtakes were left over, among them the only footage of Monk away from the stage. The special aired once, in Germany, and the reels sat in storage for nearly two decades until they were found again in the 1980s. The finished documentary joins that material to later interviews with Monk's son, other relatives and friends.
Cast
- Jimmy Clevelandas Himself (trombonist, Thelonious Monk Octet)
- Nellie Monkas Herself
- Harry Colombyas Himself (personal manager)
- Nica De Koenigswarteras Herself
- Ray Copelandas Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet: trumpet) (archive footage)
- Larry Galesas Himself (Thelonius Monk Quartet / Thelonious Monk Octet, bass player)
- Johnny Griffinas Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet, tenor sax)
- Barry Harrisas Himself (duo, piano performance)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The documentary is built from thirteen hours of outtakes, live performances plus the only footage of Thelonious Monk offstage, left over from a one-hour television special that was broadcast only in Germany and then stored for almost two decades.
- Monk died without a will, and because New York did not recognize common law marriages his children faced a lengthy process to become executors of the estate; before Charlotte Zwerin and Bruce Ricker could make a deal, the rights to Monk's life story went to "two young men, with a substantial chunk of money and no prior film experience".
- The filmmakers originally planned to enlist Thelonious Monk for the film, but he was not well enough to approach and his failing health led to his death from a stroke on 17 February 1982; Christian Blackwood filmed the funeral while Charlotte Zwerin and Bruce Ricker planned a deal with the Monk estate.
- Charlotte Zwerin and Bruce Ricker could raise only enough money for a one-hour television programme with limited distribution potential, until Ricker met Clint Eastwood, found he appreciated jazz and bebop, and Eastwood agreed to have his studio Malpaso produce the film and gave them the budget to finish it.
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