Beware of Mr. Baker
2012 film by Jay Bulger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beware of Mr. Baker is a 2012 American documentary film by Jay Bulger about the jazz and rock drummer Ginger Baker.
- Jay Bulger
- Andrew S. Karsch
- Fisher Stevens
- Erik H. Gordon
| Beware of Mr. Baker | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jay Bulger |
| Written by | Jay Bulger |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Ginger Baker |
| Cinematography | Eric Robbins |
| Edited by | Abhay Sofsky |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | SnagFilms |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Background
For Bulger's article "The Devil and Ginger Baker" in Rolling Stone magazine, Bulger lived with Baker in South Africa where Baker had spent the previous decade living in seclusion.[1] The article and the numerous hours of interviews Bulger captured on film became the premise for the film, and in the spring of 2010, Bulger returned to South Africa with a small film crew to finish making the film.[2] It premiered at the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.[3] The title is a reference to a sign outside his South African compound, and also indicative of Baker's combative personality displayed in the film.
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gave the documentary film an approval rating of 98% based on 48 reviews; the average rating is 7.8/10.[4] The consensus reads, "Free of the hagiographic overtones that dog many documentary profiles, Beware of Mr. Baker presents a clear-eyed, thoroughly gripping look at one of rock's greatest – and most personally problematic – musicians."[4] The film won several awards and was nominated for the 'Grierson Award' at the 2012 London Film Festival.[5]
Baker said of the film himself, "Some of it is very good and some of it is very annoying."[6] He elaborated that he was frustrated with the inclusion of some of the people on the film but was pleased to see Eric Clapton and Charlie Watts had taken part.[6]
