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9/10
Good presentation
msrockforever7 August 2010
I disagree with the previous review by ccthemovieman-1

I have viewed this episode at least twice and think it was a good representation of the Man, Robert Johnson, as well as his music and the Delta region during that time period.

Naturally there was much superstition involved since someone started the rumor that Johnson had "sold his soul to the devil". ONLY superstitious people would have spread such a rumor, and the fact that it was largely accepted in the region is proof that there was a lot of superstition about the man himself, as well as about "The Devil", (who was actually created by Christianity.) I believe this sort of superstition is common to the African folktales that were brought to the Delta region by Slaves.

I did not feel the movie was "Anti-Religious" at all, I think it was an honest portrayal of how folks in that area and in that time period were divided. They generally believed that either you were considered "God-Fearing" and went to church, or you didn't go and were considered to be heathen. That, I feel, is a fact.

As far as religion goes, it's always been my experience that those who claim to be Christian are the first ones to be so eager to judge others and give negative comments. I myself am Caucasian, and I like the way Paul narrated those shows!

Since ccthemovieman-1 made such a point to name Paul Winfield. I wonder if he is prejudiced toward Gays and/or African-Americans, like many Self-Proclaimed "Christians", who are anything but "Christlike", so quick to condemn anyone who is "different" from THEM! That, too, is a FACT.

I do hope that the Biography Channel will consider updating the material and sticking more closely to Mr. Johnson's family's interpretations for a newer show on "Biography", so we could get a better sense of Robert Johnson's personality and experiences, though I personally do feel that this episode was presented well.
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4/10
Needed More Crime Investigation & Less Gushing & God-Bashing
ccthemovieman-119 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This episode had no purpose except for narrator Paul Winfield and the City Confidential writers to spew more of their bitterness against those who believe in God. Over and over in this "case," we hear slams against anyone who dared think that maybe church was better to attend on Sunday mornings than staying out all night getting drunk. We get a lot of "white" rhetoric in here, too, about how bad those folks were against blacks back in Greenwood, Miss., in the days of "juke joints" and Robert Johnson.

City Confidential and Winfield are known for their extreme Liberal bias, but this was over-the-top. I love the blues; it's my favorite music genre so I was very interested in hearing this story about Johnson, the king of Delta Blues and the inspiration for my favorite modern-day bluesman Eric Clapton.

However, what I got mostly was this anti-religious agenda throughout the program. Not one person was interviewed giving an opposing side, sticking up for black folks going to church. This whole program was really nothing but a loving tribute to a man who really wasn't a good guy. Yeah, he was a pioneer in blues.....but so what? He had few in any morals, fooling around with any married woman he could find and he flirted with one too many when he carried on with his boss' wife. Allegedly - it's never been proved - Johnson was poisoned to death. This episode was so concerned with its Liberal agendas it really didn't dwell much on the actual crime - if there was one, which is what the program is supposed to be about! Was Johnson poisoned by an spurned lover or by a jealous husband or boyfriend? "Maybe the devil did it," scoffs the sarcastic Winfield.

This would have been a far better presentation of "Biography." That's where it belonged, because City Confidential spent 99 percent of the program on Johnson's personal history and the history of Greenwood, Miss.,where the bluesman died.

Almost nobody ever heard of Robert Johnson until Clapton made him famous in the past decade, yet that only merited one sentence at the very end of this very weak episode, which could have been good with an objective and more detailed look at the possible murder.
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