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6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. A Rhapsody in Black and Blue remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like vintage jazz or just want to see something truly bizarre from the 1930s, yes. If you need a plot that actually makes sense or follows some kind of logical flow, you should probably skip it. It's essentially a fever dream set to music.
The whole thing starts with a husband who decides he’d rather listen to jazz than mop the floor. Honestly, I get it. But his wife clearly doesn’t, because she swings a mop at his head with enough force to send him straight into another dimension.
It’s violent, but it’s also weirdly funny. The way she just *goes for it* with the mop is a special kind of slapstick.
Suddenly, the guy wakes up in 'Jazzmania.' It’s this land of soap bubbles and performers. I’m not sure what the budget was for this thing, but they spent all of it on Louis Armstrong. And thank god for that.
When Pops starts singing 'I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You', you stop caring about the weird mop-based transition. He’s just magnetic. There’s a joy in his face that feels like it’s breaking through the screen.
Watching this made me think of the surreal energy in You're Darn Tootin'. There’s that same sense that anything could happen, even if it doesn't strictly need to. It doesn't have the grand scope of something like Arizona, but it’s got a heartbeat.
The performance of 'Shine' is the highlight. It feels less like a movie scene and more like a captured moment of lightning. 🎷
I’m still not sure why the husband had to get hit with a mop to find paradise, but maybe that's the point. Sometimes you need a bit of a bump to the head to appreciate the music. Or maybe it’s just a 1930s way of saying 'do your chores.' Who knows.
It’s short. It’s loud. It’s a little bit rough around the edges, like someone just threw a bunch of ideas at a wall to see what stuck. I liked it.