Dingo (1992)

Zen and the Art of Miles Davis

This is a variation on a classic story of a man facing his destiny. He struggles against the odds, and has the help and example of a master to guide him. One of the oldest stories in the world; yet its always new.

Colin Friels' performance was good. he brought a nice element to the story; one that is not normally associated with the world of jazz, yet showed that jazz is not as monolithic as most people would like to think.

Miles Davis, of course, stole every scene he was in. He was, needless to say, not acting. His presence and personality were strong enough to fill the role as himself.

The best thing about Mile's performance is the bits of wisdom he presented. Those pearls of musical "Zen" he gave to his protege who'd come so far and endured so much to receive from him.

All is all, a good movie. November 20, 2008

The Music of Life's Journey

A wonderful exploration on how life goes full-circle, the story surrounds a chance meeting of a young trumpet player and a jazz legend & how they cross paths years later.

Miles Davis portrays Billy Cross, the jazz icon who lives in Paris. Colin Friels is the trumpeter - John Anderson - who meets Cross before his hot chops gains him the slick moniker, Dingo.

And from that encounter, Dingo Anderson is placed on a musical journey, not only to strive for artistic excellence, but to seek out Cross one more time. This is a universal path, but in Dingo, the trek is paved through jazz charts calling out to Anderson & Cross. April 16, 2008

What a letdown

After getting into Miles Davis' music a few years ago, I looked upon this film as one of the holy grails of jazz. Because it is out of print, I rented it so I could decide whether or not to buy a used copy. I was immensely disappointed at how poorly made this film is--and I wasn't hoping for a great film, but a decent little film with a jazz story and soundtrack. The characters weren't likable, and the direction and film editing were clumsy and sophmoric. This film had nothing but the soundtrack going for it, and that I could listen to on a CD. It looks as if Miles was picking up some extra cash and the makers were exploiting one of the greatest names in jazz. I like quirky little films that have some flaws, but this film has just too many.

For a good jazz film, try Round Midnight with Dexter Gordon. That one hit the mark.

January 23, 2007

a good movie featuring a rare view of Miles Davis

The film itself is simple: seemingly low budget and definitely not a Hollywood-directed-produced film. Its nonetheless charming. Colin Friels plays John "Dingo" Anderson, a man supporting his family in the outback of Australia doing odd jobs by day and playing in (what his band-mates call) a "bush-band" in the local halls at night. Although the band has fun, Dingo takes his trumpetting much more seriously; as a child, he had a run-in with famous jazz trumpeter Billy Cross (Miles Davis, in his only staring fictional role). Cross makes a deep impression on the young Dingo, who's lifes passion afterwards is to meet up with Cross in Paris. Despite financial hardship and a love-triangle treatening his marriage, Dingo takes a leap of faith and travels to Paris to meet his hero. The eventual meeting is not only a "milestone" for Dingo, its a type of redemption for Cross.

Although the acting is minimal, Davis is surprizingly convincing as not only a jazz trumpeter (duh), but also a man searching for meaning in his playing and a man discovering another lost soul like himself in Dingo. A slow-moving but nonetheless good film. April 8, 2005

Strage but engaging

I first saw this movie on the movie channel Stars in about
1996. It's the kind of movie that makes you feel like you're
wandering in a hot, unforgiving desert, chasing after a mirage
that never quite comes into focus. It's dreamy quality is what
keeps me coming back. I would recommend this film to anyone who
daydreams or just needs a little magic in their lives. I loved it. January 11, 2002

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