Renowned documentarian Robert Mugge showcases the art, the life, and the personality of the great African American poet-singer-songwriter-author Gil Scott-Heron, the man Melody Maker once called “the most dangerous musician alive” and many have dubbed the forefather of rap music. Perhaps the first production to utilize Steadicam from beginning to end, the film was shot entirely on location in Washington, D.C. at the Wax Museum Nightclub and on the streets of the city that Scott-Heron long considered his home.

“There are musicians whose work can’t easily be encapsulated by the documentary film format, and there are others, like Gil Scott-Heron, who make a particularly keen impression. BLACK WAX, which was adroitly directed by Robert Mugge, offers Mr. Scott-Heron a chance to explain his concerns and convictions at length, and he rises to the occasion.” –The New York Times

DIRECTED BY ROBERT MUGGE
UNITED STATES | 1983 | ENGLISH LANGUAGE