Rating: 
Summary: One of the most moving documentaries you'll ever see
Review: A blind bluesman teaches himself harmonic singing after listening to Radio Moscow play music from a region of the world few people have ever heard of. That is how Genghis Blues begins, and as the film goes on, the story gets even stranger and more awe-inspiring.Paul Pena is an American bluesman who has been around for a while and has played with various luminaries including BB King and T-Bone Walker. You may have encountered his name as the songwriter of "Jet Airliner" which was a big hit for the Steve Miller Band. Paul's life was that of your typical(?) blind bluesman until the early 90's when his wife died. He then spent his nights listening to his shortwave radio when he heard Tuvan throat singing for the first time. Remarkably enough, he taught himself to sing in that style which involves producing more than one and up to four notes at once (harmonic singing). He impresses a visiting Tuvan throat singer so much that he is invited to the triennial Tuvan national throat singing competition in Tuva. A few other people including the documentary makers tag along with him to Tuva for the competition. He astounds the Tuvan people with his skill in singing in the Kargyraa style and wins that part of the competition. That's a brief synopsis of the movie, but it doesn't begin to capture the beauty of this story. Paul Pena sturggles everyday with his blindness. He has struggled with his wife's death and has major depressive disorder. As we see in the film, music is his primary way of communicating with the world. Through his music, he becomes brothers with the most renowned of the Tuvan throat singers, Kongor-ol Kondor. He immediately captures the hearts of his Tuvan audience when he flawlessly performs a famous Tuvan melody on stage and follows this up with a Tuvan song that he wrote himself. I can go on and on about touching moments that are captured in this movie, but I can't do them justice. You must see this movie for yourself, and I hope you are as inspired by it as I am.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most moving documentaries you'll ever see
Review: A blind bluesman teaches himself harmonic singing after listening to Radio Moscow play music from a region of the world few people have ever heard of. That is how Genghis Blues begins, and as the film goes on, the story gets even stranger and more awe-inspiring. Paul Pena is an American bluesman who has been around for a while and has played with various luminaries including BB King and T-Bone Walker. You may have encountered his name as the songwriter of "Jet Airliner" which was a big hit for the Steve Miller Band. Paul's life was that of your typical(?) blind bluesman until the early 90's when his wife died. He then spent his nights listening to his shortwave radio when he heard Tuvan throat singing for the first time. Remarkably enough, he taught himself to sing in that style which involves producing more than one and up to four notes at once (harmonic singing). He impresses a visiting Tuvan throat singer so much that he is invited to the triennial Tuvan national throat singing competition in Tuva. A few other people including the documentary makers tag along with him to Tuva for the competition. He astounds the Tuvan people with his skill in singing in the Kargyraa style and wins that part of the competition. That's a brief synopsis of the movie, but it doesn't begin to capture the beauty of this story. Paul Pena sturggles everyday with his blindness. He has struggled with his wife's death and has major depressive disorder. As we see in the film, music is his primary way of communicating with the world. Through his music, he becomes brothers with the most renowned of the Tuvan throat singers, Kongor-ol Kondor. He immediately captures the hearts of his Tuvan audience when he flawlessly performs a famous Tuvan melody on stage and follows this up with a Tuvan song that he wrote himself. I can go on and on about touching moments that are captured in this movie, but I can't do them justice. You must see this movie for yourself, and I hope you are as inspired by it as I am.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone will love this documentary!
Review: A remarkable story, sensitively documented. Delightful and moving, you'll want to share this one with all your friends. The concert "extra" on the DVD alone is well worth the price of the DVD. This concert not only features traditional Tuvan throat singing, but also a remarkable synthesis of this ancient art with modern blues. Most enjoyable!
Rating:
Summary: Don't let this one pass you by!
Review: Being a sometime listener of Tuvan music, I rented this one expecting something like a music video. There is plenty of great music here to be sure, but its just a sideline to the real story, which is a personal and spiritual journey of discovery. There are many threads here: dealing with the limitations of blindness and depression, the arduous journey to the remote outpost of Tuva, and of course, the cultural and linguistic barriers encountered upon arriving. The manner in which Pena faces and overcomes these obstacles is nothing short of inspiring. The filmmakers provided excellent insight into what it's like to be blind, and indeed, into the soul of Paul Pena himself; I truly felt acquainted with the man when the end credits rolled. What also came through was the incredible openness and warmth of the Tuvan people; what else can you say about a people who give a total outsider their highest award despite (or because of) the fact that he took their music and transformed it into something uniquely personal? This could well be the best film I've seen this year, and I recommend it without reservation to absolutely anyone. It's an oasis of pure humanity and hope in the cultural desert, and the perfect antidote to the oh-so-hip cynicism that afflicts most media these days. And after watching it, you may find yourself actually liking some of that weird throat-singing stuff...
Rating:
Summary: Don't let this one pass you by!
Review: Being a sometime listener of Tuvan music, I rented this one expecting something like a music video. There is plenty of great music here to be sure, but its just a sideline to the real story, which is a personal and spiritual journey of discovery. There are many threads here: dealing with the limitations of blindness and depression, the arduous journey to the remote outpost of Tuva, and of course, the cultural and linguistic barriers encountered upon arriving. The manner in which Pena faces and overcomes these obstacles is nothing short of inspiring. The filmmakers provided excellent insight into what it's like to be blind, and indeed, into the soul of Paul Pena himself; I truly felt acquainted with the man when the end credits rolled. What also came through was the incredible openness and warmth of the Tuvan people; what else can you say about a people who give a total outsider their highest award despite (or because of) the fact that he took their music and transformed it into something uniquely personal? This could well be the best film I've seen this year, and I recommend it without reservation to absolutely anyone. It's an oasis of pure humanity and hope in the cultural desert, and the perfect antidote to the oh-so-hip cynicism that afflicts most media these days. And after watching it, you may find yourself actually liking some of that weird throat-singing stuff...
Rating:
Summary: A Story About The Power of Music and Friendship
Review: Filmmakers Roko and Adrian Belec graduated from college with the desire to "Never work a real job in their life". With an extraordinarily low budget, they decided to make a documentary film about the land of Tuva, a country at the north-western border of Mongolia. After reading Ralph Leighton's book "Tuva or Bust!", they contacted the author, who then introduced them to the blind blues guitarist Paul Pena.
Mr. Pena had taught himself to throat sing Tuvan music while listening to the CD "Tuva - Voices from the Centre of Asia". This was around the year 1991, during a period in which Paul was grieving the death of his wife. Alone, in a small apartment in San Francisco, the process of learning Tuvan multiple overtone vocal music provided some much needed distraction from his personal troubles.
Ralph Leighton was also an organizer of the group Friends of Tuva, which he co-founded with Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman. The Friends of Tuva had invited some Tuvan musicians to America to sing as part of a cultural exchange program. During this visit, Mr. Pena formed friendships with the Tuvan vocalists and the idea for "Genghis Blues" was conceived.
Every three years, a throat singing competition is held in Tuva's capital, Kyzyl. Mr. Pena was invited to compete in a contest held there during the year of 1998. This film follows Paul Pena and his new friends on their journey to that remote land, which remains mostly untouched by Western Civilization. The resulting documentary is a story of the hardship of foreign travel, the rewards of cultural exchange, the shared love of music and the creative pursuit of filmmaking.
Though the film is often about experiencing atypical realities, in the closing performance of the blues standard, "You Gotta Move", we can also hear just how talented Paul Pena is in his native tongue. "Genghis Blues" is a film for all who strive to maintain enthusiasm for relating with new people, hearing different points of view, and becoming involved with unique modes of shamanic cultural expression.
Rating:
Summary: Tuva Rocks
Review: I first became acquainted with Tuvan singing by watching a musician perform in front of a train station in Stuttgart. I have been fascinated ever since. I love the work of Hun Huur Tu, and think this story is a great one of achievment and a nice highlight of the culture in Tuva and Paul Pena's musical gift.
If you saw this film and like the music, check out Hun Huur Tu, especially their CD, The Orphan's Lament. It's good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Touching Movie
Review: I first saw the movie "Genghis Blue" on the Sundance channel and it touched me so much. It made me wanting to learn more and more about Kongar-ol and Paul. I bought a VHS and watched it mostly everyday because I was so amaze by the sound they made. This movie is a "must see" movie! If I enjoyed it, so can you!
Rating:
Summary: Best documentary Sundance & Oscar nominee
Review: I saw this documentary a couple of years ago at the chicago to field museum when Roko was out doing the footwork to promote the film. He gave a short lecture to a bunch of aging "primitive arts" enthusiasts (and me) and showed the doc to much jaded response from the rest of them, but I was totally blown away. The story and the circumstances are incredible. The Belic brothers and their comrades put all of their hearts into living and then telling this beautiful story of the chance meeting of two kindred spirits from across the planet. You will also want the soundtrack. Roko if you are reading this, call Maury, I would love to talk to you again!
Rating:
Summary: This is an incredible story!
Review: I saw this documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival a year or two ago. I had no idea at the time where Tuva was, or what throatsinging was, but a friend of mine had been telling me about it, so I thought I would check this out. I was stunned with how incredible this man's story was. I also enjoyed an insight into the culture of a tiny tiny country with its singular vocal styling. Those of us who went to see this that night were treated to the surprise or our lives. Kangor-al Ondar had travelled for several days from Tuva to Seattle to attend the showing of this documentary, and gave a short concert afterwards. It was an experience I will never ever forget. You owe it to yourselves to check this DVD out. I guarantee it will be a story you have never heard before, and because of the remoteness of Tuva, you may never have the opportunity to hear of, ever again!
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