Robert Mugge's Gospel According to Al Green begins simply but powerfully, with its subject in his studio, playing his guitar and singing in that pure, perfect voice. It is one of the great voices of modern music; Mugge's documentary is about how that voice's owner struggled so greatly with what, exactly, to do with it.

Originally released in 1984, a few years after Green abandoned R&B and pop music to sing gospel and minister in his own church, Gospel According to Al Green hits DVD in a "25th anniversary edition," presumably also taking advantage of the publicity surrounding Green's most recent return to secular music (notably with last year's critically praised Lay It Down album).

Mugge intercuts Green's in-studio interview, chronicling (mostly chronologically) his rise to fame and subsequent conversion to gospel, with then-recent performances of his old hits and new gospel sound. He mostly lets Green tell his own story, and their interviews are fascinating; Green is funny, charismatic, and remarkably candid in his remembrances.

And yet, the man remains a bit of an enigma. He tells, in detail, the story of the now-notorious "grits incident" from 1974, when a girlfriend whom he refused to marry doused and burned him with a pan of boiling grits, burning him badly, before shooting herself with his gun. His telling of the story is strange; he recalls it in great detail, but then asks Mugge if it actually happened, and seems to really want an answer. What's he up to? And was this the turning point that made him turn his back on the "devil's music" and its lifestyle (as has been widely reported), or was it the less sensational, middle-of-the-night "calling" he describes earlier in the film?

So he's open, yes, but still closed-off; either way, Gospel According to Al Green is an important document, not only for his reminisces but for the energetic, soulful performances of his soul classics and gospel standards. It does falter somewhat in its final half-hour, when Mugge goes to Green's church and records him at the pulpit. Much of this material is celebratory and enjoyable; some of it is just plain electrifying. But Mugge puts too much of it in; Reverend Al sings, he preaches, he dances, he speaks in tongues, but a little of that goes a long way--at least for this secular viewer.

Video:

The full-frame image is in pretty rough shape. Most documentaries from the pre-video age were shot on 16mm, and those materials can be difficult to preserve; the source materials here don't appear to have been very well-maintained, with grain and dirt a-plenty and frequent exposure issues. The historical value of the footage certainly trumps the spotty quality, but it is still far from easy on the eyes.

The film's 2.0 stereo mix is fairly robust, with clear, audible sound on the interviews and full, energetic recordings of the live performances and sermons.

A pretty thorough collection of extras here, mostly thanks to the careful safekeeping of the original audio elements. First, however, we have the "Director Reflections" (11:00) featurette, featuring a new interview with director Robert Mugge. He provides a detailed, concise walk-through of the making of the doc (with remarkable clarity, considering how long ago it was shot), even taking time at the end to comment (briefly) on Green's recent return to secular sounds.

We're next given access to Green's "Complete Interview" (93:00)--that's right, the full, unedited audio of the interview used in the film. It is an audio-only extra, presented as an alternate audio track throughout most of the film. Likewise, we have an "Extended Church Service Excerpt" (65:00), this one presented on a third audio track during the film. I didn't listen to these in their entirety, especially since it appears that the most relevant and interesting pieces made it into the film proper, but these are still nice extras to have, and kudos to the filmmakers for hanging on to them for so long.

More audio follows in the form of brief Concert Excerpts: "I Don't Have To Go To Your Church" (1:33), "Free At Last" (5:34), and "Saved/Precious Lord" (3:20). These are good (if brief) slices of solid gospel, mixing Green's melodious voice with rave-up preaching; one only wishes a "play all" option were available.

Next is an "Extended Song" (4:52), which is basically a longer version of one of the gospel songs performed in the film's church service. We also get the film's original Trailer (2:07), an admirably simple teaser that features one of Green's lovely solo in-studio performances, covered by rave reviews on a black screen. The final extra is the very brief "Answering Machine Message" (:20), another audio-only clip, where we hear the outgoing message Green recorded for Mugge's answering machine. It's kind of goofy, but a fun addition nonetheless.

Gospel According to Al Green is far from perfect, but it is an absorbing document of a captivating performer. The interviews are note-worthy and the performances are often electrifying, and the disc's technical flaws are nearly offset by the surplus of bonus features. Recommended.

Jason lives in New York. He holds an MA in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from NYU.