In the early 1970s, during a resurgence of interest in the Delta blues, music documentarian Roviros Manthoulis traveled to the Mississippi Delta to capture on film the remnants of the authentic American blues. Traveling throughout the deep South, Manthoulis filmed candid interviews and intimate performances by such legends B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Mance Lipscomb, Bukka White, and Roosevelt Sykes. His objective was to not only document the music but also penetrate the surface of the blues and explore the emotional and sociopolitical factors that make it such an expressive and haunting musical form.

Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, THE BLUES UNDER THE SKIN dramatizes the tumultuous relationship of a young couple (Onike Lee and Roland Sanchez) as they struggle to overcome the barriers of poverty and prejudice that keep them from finding happiness together. Virtually unseen in the U.S., THE BLUES UNDER THE SKIN is a thrilling rediscovery, an untapped treasury of musical performances that not only captures a vanishing musical form, but offers a priceless glimpse of Black life in the rural South in the 1970s.

THE BLUES UNDER THE SKIN is a thrilling rediscovery, an untapped treasury of musical performances that not only captures a vanishing musical form, but offers a priceless glimpse of Black life in the rural South in the 1970s. THE BLUES UNDER THE SKIN has never been commercially distributed in the United States, and to date has only enjoyed a handful of screenings in the 50 years since its completion. This 2K restoration represents the proper U.S. premiere of the film.

Featuring: Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Furry Lewis, Mance Lipscomb, Brownie McGhee, Amelia Cortez, Jimmy Streeter, Roosevelt Sykes, Sonny Terry, Junior Wells, Bukka White, and Robert Pete Williams.

“Fresh, funny and original." (Variety)

“Roviros Manthoulis' 1973 documentary has long been a lost piece of music history.” (IndieWire)

“A distinctive and formally unique production that deserves this half-a-century-later restoration; it’s a good text on music and sociology, uncovered in two segments against the backdrop of America’s great formative musical tradition.” (The Twin Geeks)

“The Blues Under the Skin has a new chance to impact audiences with its unique structure and powerful messages on music, culture, and truth.” (Loud and Clear)

Sunday, August 25
Doors 4:15 pm | Movie 4:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE BLUES UNDER THE SKIN (Roviros Manthoulis, 1973 / 89 mins / NR) From the simple story of love and misery of a young couple from the Harlem ghetto to meetings with twelve great blues singers (BB King, Mance Lipscomb, Robert Pete Williams, Roosevelt Sykes), filmed in their social milieu.