Excellent, a Must See

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ginger Baker illustrates how artistic greatness can be fed by a loathsome character that we see close-up and personal, thanks to brave filmmaker Jay Bulger. Just how brave you will see in the film.It's not hard to see how Ginger Baker was formed. He was a child in one of those horrible, dreary, violent British working-class neighborhoods. He started out life by losing his father (killed in war), then getting his face slashed with razors for not joining a local gang. Then, he gets a posthumous letter, the only input he every got from his "hero" father, advising him that "your fists are your best friend". So, partly for survival, partly out of values, Baker became a young tough.The watershed occurred when Baker was introduced, at the same time, to African drums and heroin. Drums fed into his violent nature, and heroin, he claims, gave him insight into "time," which Baker considers the key to drumming and which very few have.Deserted his wife and kids for a bimbo who left him, introduced his 15- year-old son to cocaine to do a gig, then kept the proceeds, sending the son home on a bus. Chronically unpleasant to be around, except to the four drummers he worships. Calls dogs and horses the only creatures he can depend on, while at the same time being utterly undependable to his family. Complains about his poverty, after blowing millions on drugs and polo ponies.The plus side of the ledger is that Ginger Baker is arguably the greatest drummer -- rock or jazz -- in modern history. His long-suffering son, whom he finally kissed-off, says that Baker should never have had a family, that he is only about the drums.It's not ironic that the only person in the film who seems to adulate Baker is Johnny Rotten. Even the colleagues who prize him as a talent can't stand him as a person, except perhaps, Jack Bruce, of Cream, who says he "loves" Ginger, but goes on to say that living on a different continent from Baker is still "a bit too close".

This is a quote from "Beware of Mr. Baker" which very well describes the character this documentary is about. It's the first directorial effort from Jay Bulger and as he gets beaten with a cane by his protagonist, it certainly wasn't an easy effort. Cream and Ginger Baker's great years were way before my time, so I went into this one knowing almost nothing about it. But it's always nice to know about new things and I wasn't disappointed with the outcome. Ginger Baker, the infamous drummer, is as interesting as it gets and certainly deserves his own documentary tribute, even if he's way into his 70s now that this was made. The crass, almost horror-like animation used in the film nicely emphasized how it's a fine line between genius and insanity, a description that is probably hardly more accurate for anybody than Mr. Baker. Also I wouldn't mind watching a film about his life that is completely animated in the style it was used here. And I didn't need to know much about playing the drums to see this man's incredible talent.However, there's always another approach to this character and the perfect counterpart to his insanity is also something that I liked the way it was depicted here: his love to animals, especially horses. It was very sweet to see his weaker, more vulnerable site and how he truly adored these animals that probably became the center of his life at some point and a bit of a haven for him to compensate for his wild side. Also, I thought the ending was very well done, to see Ginger Baker back from his isolation in South Africa to the stage doing what he always did best, playing the drums and having a great time doing so, especially after saying earlier in the film that his motivation and health when it comes to music are almost completely gone.I had admittedly one big "what-the-hell"-moment when I saw him writing an ad for a newspaper to look for a band. Really can't believe a man with his talent, considered by many as one of the greatest to have ever played the drums, could sink so low that he'd have to take drastic measures like these to do what he loved. It was shocking to see how he basically made not much money at all despite being possibly the great creative force behind Cream as he wasn't the one who wrote the songs. It made me happy to see he reached great commercial and critical success afterward again though. Another thing I quite enjoyed was to see him in Africa during his younger years. He always seemed to have had a special connection to the Black continent (going until today with South Africa and his marriage to a local being possibly the last chapter of this life) and it was great to witness how local tribes and their approach to music clearly inspired him in his work."Beware of Mr. Baker" is a film I'd recommend. It's probably even a must-see for music lovers of the 1960s and 1970s as you see many artists (Clapton, Santana...) telling about how they perceived Baker back in the day and today. And for people like me, it's perfect to broaden their horizons and find out about artists from back in the day that we may not have been familiar with before. Admittedly, Baker is such a colorful character, who accosts and swears like a pirate, but is also sensitive, and I'm a bit surprised I never came across him earlier. I wouldn't say this film was an eye-opener and that I keep listening to his music all the time now, but it was still nice to get to know him and I applaud Bulger for making this documentary.

Ginger Baker is not only one of the greatest drummers ever but also a character who waits for a movie to be made about him. One day maybe a fiction movie will be made, until them we have 'Beware of Mr. Baker' - the documentary made by Jay Bulger. Rock documentaries are now quite 'en vogue' and there is a good reason for this. The big rock stars of the 60s and 70s, well, the ones who survived are now at the age of writing or telling on screen their memories. The younger generations may have heard little about 'Cream' or 'Blind Faith' but they do have an opportunity not only to watch part of their concerts (luckily filmed concerts technology developed just in time to catch much of their sounds, moves and the atmosphere of their live shows) but also to hear fist hand their version of the history of rock. And fans like me are definitely delighted.'Beware of Mr. Baker' is centered around the interview reluctantly given by Baker at his ranch in South-Africa. He is one of those anti-social partners of discussion that you sometimes pity the interviewers about. He certainly loves to complain about his family, other musicians, life and fate in general - one of these guys who seem to love themselves much less than the world lives and admires them. We learn much more about his life from interviews with members of his family (his first wife seems still to have a crush on him, his son's best memory is having made music with his father) and with other musicians. It's the story of a life damaged by drugs abuse and a pattern of behavior that preempted Baker from establishing good working relations with any of his colleague musicians and eventually led to the early breaking of all bands he played in. Yet, it is also doubtful if in the absence of this temper and even of the use of drugs his music would have been the same. And music is what is left at the end from such personalities. Great music in the case of Mr. Baker.

This doc is about and features the somewhat eccentric but amazing drummer Ginger Baker, of Cream and Blind Faith fame. The film goes through his life chronologically, with some interesting commentary from his family (3 of his wives), a few of his kids, but especially artists from the time, like Clapton, Jack Bruce and a host of admiring drummers who give their insights on his legacy. Throughout the film, the chain smoking Baker appears sometimes to be put off by having to recollect various times in his life, but that would be true of just about anyone. Just watching some of the great clips over the times you realize that he just had the profound ability to play. If you're a fan of his work, this is essential. Otherwise, this is a worthy rock doc from a unique talent who has survived long enough to be able to tell it as he saw it. Very watchable.