Charles Mingus-Triumph of the Underdog (1998)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio Discography Trailer-4 Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	1998
Running Time	77:53
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Don McGlynn
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Charles Mingus
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	Charles Mingus

    Like most creative geniuses, Charles Mingus was an outsider who struggled for acceptance and a way to express himself throughout his career. This documentary mainly focuses on Mingus' work as a composer rather than as a Bass player, for which he is more widely known. Some of the archival footage used in the film is incredibly obscure (film of Mingus performing with Duke Ellington in the 30's for example), and interviews done on TV programmes from around the world. Like many artists, Mingus had a difficult, sad life but also a triumphal one and this documentary places just the right amount of emphasis on these aspects of the great man's life without being too maudlin. However, it is only 78 minutes in length and does unfortunately leave the viewer with a sense that so much more could have been said.

Video

    Triumph of the Underdog was made for a theatrical release, however it is presented here in 1.33:1 format. Some of the material has been sourced from film, and some from Television appearances, so the source format varies quite a bit.

    As you would expect from a documentary like this, much of the material is of varying quality. Only the newest footage of Mingus from the mid 70's onwards is in colour, as are the newer interviews with his band members and former wives and friends. Much of the archival footage is in good condition and is quite sharp with an acceptable level of graininess. The older black and white television footage lacks shadow detail and sharpness but that is to be expected.

    There is quite a lot of unrepaired damage in the form of film and video artefacts throughout the documentary. These take many forms such as the spots and scratches from 0:50 to 0:58 vertical lines and cracks in the 30's concert footage from 20:39 to20:53 There are mild tape tracking errors during old TV interviews from 28:08 to 29:23 and not so mild ones in the newer colour footage from the Montreux Jazz Festival from 56:47 to 59:29.

    There are no language or subtitle options on the disc, and only one layer due to the length of the program.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    This being a documentary about a musician, a lot more care seems to have been taken with the restoration and mastering of the audio content than has been taken with the video. Triumph of the Underdog features many segments of performances and music makes up a large part of the soundtrack. Even on the oldest musical segments, the audio quality of the sole English Dolby Digital 2.0 224kbps soundtrack is very good.

    Some of the older TV interviews are quite muddy, however the viewer can always understand what is being said. The audio sync is flawless throughout.

    The soundtrack is presented in stereo only so no use is made of your surround speakers or subwoofer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio

    You're drawing a very long bow indeed when you try and call the main menu audio an Extra feature!

Discography

    The discography is not complete but 'selected' in terms of the director's favourite albums. It is a good selection which shows Mingus at his best during all the different periods of his life.

Trailer

    A selection of Umbrella Entertainment promos of other music documentaries.

Credits

    Credits!

    The R1 version is identical to the R4, however the R1 version does not have the local distributor's promos on it, obviously.

    Not a complete documentary on Mingus' life by any means, however it is well worth a look due to the amazing collection of archival footage, including Mingus composing at his piano in the 30's and getting evicted from his studio and arrested during the height of the civil rights movement in the 60's. A must for any fan.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall