Lambert & Co

What gives the films of D.A. Pennebaker their energy is the underlying desire to make everything dance: he wants to make films that have their own momentum. The spectator is meant to be fetched by this inner, non-verbal thrust, not by what is said. As soon as the images demand explanation, they lose too much of their strength, the director feels. According to him the combination of music, architecture and scenery make up the nucleus of a music film. Pennebaker also applied these principles to his documentary film Lambert & co. In 1964 Dave Lambert was the eldest living bebop singer, and rather a maverick with his big beard and thongs. A portrait.