Little Richard : I Am Everything

[Machine Translation] The Beatles, the Stones, Elvis. It all started with him! Little Richard, the founder and contributor to rock and roll. Learn from his tumultuous life and the trajectory of his indomitable and sensitive soul. A great artist who led the birth of modern rock 'n' roll and faced all kinds of hardships. What are the unknown facts and true face of this great artist? --Little Richard. Little Richard, whose real name is Richard Wayne Penniman, emerged on the music scene like a comet in the mid-1950s and became a legendary black artist who had a profound influence on future generations of rock musicians. Mick Jagger said, "Little Richard started rock 'n' roll," and Elvis Presley said, "He's the real king of rock 'n' roll. John Lennon said, "When I first met him, I was so in awe that I was frozen in place," and Paul McCartney gleefully said, "Richard's the reason I scream in my songs. How did he come to be the man he is today, and how did he make his mark on the world? This moving documentary reveals the story through a wealth of archival footage and testimonials from the man himself, his relatives and friends, and well-informed people, as well as from famous musicians such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, and David Bowie. In 1955, the band's debut single "Tutti Frutti" became a huge hit and led to a rock 'n' roll boom, winning the hearts of anti-authority-minded youth. After a five-year return to the church, he returned in 1962. Through his tours in England, he had a decisive stimulus and influence on the Beatles and Rolling Stones when they were still unknown. He played the piano while standing still and sang as if he were shouting against a background of intense rhythms, or else he stood on the piano, took off his clothes, and ran around the stage in all directions. The excitement and emotion of seeing these performances, which have become so commonplace nowadays, is tremendous as one reconfirms the fact that they were created by a black musician some 70 years ago, and the archival footage of Richard's songs and performances is simply overwhelming. In recent years, Richard has also been attracting attention again as a "pioneer of LGBTQ+ (queer)", and this film is very unique and contemporary in its reanalysis of Richard from this queer perspective. Richard's life was a life of hesitation and pain, but he moved forward and was rewarded in the end. This is the story of one indomitable and sensitive soul. --In those days, racial discrimination was still very strong in the United States, especially in the South. The desire to be "accepted" in the music business was also unfulfilled for a long time. He was also an openly gay minority, and despite his cheerful manner, he was a man with a fragile and sensitive heart. This is the "trajectory of one man's soul" depicted in the form of a documentary. Discrimination and prejudice, time and power, faith and music. This is a requiem and a hymn to a man who was lost and suffered at various crossroads in his life, but in the end, he broke down all barriers and freed himself. It all started with him! Without him, the doors leading to the present day would not have been opened!

Special Feature / Bonus Track: original trailer(s)

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ビートルズもストーンズもエルヴィスも。すべては彼から始まった! ロックンロールの創始者にして功労者、リトル・リチャード。波乱万丈な生き様から学ぶ、不屈で繊細な魂の軌跡。■現代ロックの誕生を導き、あらゆる苦難に立ち向かった偉大なアーティスト。その知られざる史実と素顔とは? ――リトル・リチャード。本名リチャード・ウェイン・ペニマン。1950年代半ばに彗星のごとく音楽シーンに現れ、後進のロック・ミュージシャンに多大な影響を与えたレジェンド黒人アーティスト。ミック・ジャガーは「ロックンロールはリトル・リチャードが始めた」と語り、エルヴィス・プレスリーは「彼こそロックンロールの真のキングだ」と称賛。ジョン・レノンは「初めて会ったとき、畏敬のあまり、硬直してしまった」と言い、ポール・マッカートニーは「歌で叫ぶのはリチャードの影響さ」と嬉しそうに語る。彼はいったいどのような生い立ちを経て、その名を世界に刻んでいったのか? 豊富なアーカイヴ映像、本人およびその親族や関係者、識者に加え、ミック・ジャガー、キース・リチャーズ、ポール・マッカートニー、デイヴィッド・ボウイら著名ミュージシャンによる証言映像とともに明らかにする感動ヒューマンドキュメンタリー! 1955年、デビュー・シングル「トゥッティ・フルッティ」の大ヒットで世に出ると、ヒット曲を連発してロックンロールの一大ブームを巻き起こし、反権力志向の若者の心をつかんで、まさにイナズマのような活躍をみせるが、わずか2年で突如引退を宣言。約5年の教会への回帰を経て、62年に復帰。渡英ツアーを通じて無名時代のビートルズやローリング・ストーンズに決定的な刺激と影響を与えていく。立ったままピアノを弾き、激しいリズムを背景に、叫ぶように歌ったかと思えば、ピアノの上に立ち、衣服を脱ぎ捨てステージを縦横無尽に駆けめぐる。今ではすっかり当たり前になっているこれらのパフォーマンスの数々が約70年前にひとりの黒人ミュージシャンによって創始された事実を再確認する興奮と感動はとてつもなく大きく、アーカイヴ映像に残されたリチャードの歌と演奏にはただひたすら圧倒される。近年では「LGBTQ+ (クイア)の先駆者」としても再注目されており、本作はこのクイアの視点からリチャードを再分析しているところが非常にユニークであり現代的。■迷い、苦しみながらも前へ進み、最後に報われた人生。これは不屈で繊細なひとりの人間の魂の軌跡。――当時のアメリカでは南部を中心に人種差別がまだまだ激しかった。音楽活動における"認められたい"という欲求も長い間満たされずにいた。また、ゲイを公言する性的マイノリティーであった彼は、陽気な言動とは裏腹に、あまりに壊れやすい繊細な心を持った人物だった。これはドキュメンタリーの形を借りて描かれた、ひとりの人間の「魂の軌跡」。差別や偏見、時代や権力、そして信仰と音楽。様々な人生の岐路で迷い、苦しみながらも、最後にはあらゆる壁を壊し、自分自身を解放した男の鎮魂歌にして讃歌。すべては彼から始まった! 彼がいなければ、現代に繋がる扉は開かれなかったのだ!!

映像特典: オリジナル予告編