What I saw on Netflix last night was the famous 1979 concert film which was just the tonic needed for the time:
I needed some laughs now-thankfully the film delivered. Now, I had seen this (the first ever stand-up comic movie of its kind) long ago but it was long overdue for a second viewing. No details on why I’m feeling mopey now except that it involves someone I know; further details will only be elaborated upon if the worst case scenario happens. Somewhat to my surprise this concert movie is on Netflix, which is convenient for me.
Personally, it was a magical 78 minutes seeing one of the funniest comics of all time performing tremendous material in front of an amped-up crowd. Pryor discusses everything from his interaction w/ police (boy, does some of his comments about the cops targeting Black people still sting today) and his pets to relationships, Muhammad Ali, spending time in nature, his father and his children. Pryor was so talented that he could mine material out of such subjects as his stepmother passing away, struggles w/ drug addiction and suffering a heart attack. Of course it’s incredibly profane throughout and some material-him talking about Chinese people, especially someone who stutters-hasn’t aged well but overall this was tremendous.
Some of this material is also present on the album Wanted: Live in Concert (which I’ve listened to before), although it’s taken from different dates on the tour and as sometimes in comedy, the visual aspect is an asset. In this case, it is a plus to see Pryor drenched in sweat on stage along with all the facial expressions, the movement around the stage and even some falls to the ground that punctuate a bit. What a legendary 78 minutes this was, something that I’m glad made me feel better even if for a bit. For certain, in the future I’ll watch the other concert films starring Richard Pryor.
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