Mavis!

“Gospel music great, rhythm-and-blues icon, civil rights activist and all-around living legend Mavis Staples is celebrated with infectiously joyful enthusiasm in “Mavis!,” a spirited and captivating bio-doc that richly deserves the exclamation point in its title. Director Jessica Edwards adroitly entwines archival material, newly filmed interviews and live performances to create a cinematic portrait quite capable of converting the uninitiated into acolytes, and elevating casual interest to flood-tide levels of respect and affection.

“Of course, there’s more to the story of Mavis Staples than just Mavis Staples. “Mavis!” tracks back to the singer’s childhood in Chicago’s South Side — where her neighbors included Sam Cooke and Curtis Mayfield — and gives due props to Roebuck “Pops” Staples, her musically inclined father. Drawing on his background in blues and gospel, Pops joined forces with Mavis and her siblings (brother Pervis, sister Cleotha) to form the Staple Singers, the legendary group that sustained a slow, steady climb during the 1960s and ’70s from gospel performances at local churches to chart-topping hits.

“Edwards hits all the high points of the Staple Singers’ crossover heyday, covering everything from their string of hits for Stax Records to their appearances at such diverse venues as the Newport Folk Festival and Wattstax, and providing a generous sampling of their contribution to Martin Scorsese’s all-star tribute to The Band, “The Last Waltz.” The movie is every bit as engrossing as it charts the peaks and valleys of the solo career Mavis has pursued followed Pops’ death in 2000. “Mavis!” finds her continuing to tour and perform — and winning new fans — as she remains a formidable force of nature well into her 70s.

“Bob Dylan, Julian Bond, Bonnie Raitt, and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco are prominent among the friends, fellow musicians and veterans of the civil rights movement who offer appreciative testimonials to the documentary’s star. But Mavis Staples is the one who speaks and sings most eloquently and compellingly.” - Variety