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Movies & TV

I Called Him Morgan

DOCS D: Kasper Collin. Sweden/U.S. 91 min. Sep 11, 7 pm, Scotiabank 3 Sep 14, 5:15 pm, Scotiabank 2. Rating: NN


Legendary jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan was 33 years old when he was killed by a gunshot in 1972. The person pulling the trigger was his common-law wife, Helen, ending their nurturing and passionate relationship.

Collins’s doc is an autopsy of Lee and Helen’s time together. But decades later, there isn’t much footage left of the couple, and the narrative takes off from an unearthed 1996 audio cassette interview with Helen made right before she died.

Collins does an exceptional job piecing together what’s available: archival photos, 16mm NYC footage that captures the mood of the era and memories from people who were there. The jazz scene and nightlife feel tangible, but all we get are the bullet points of Lee’s accomplishments and troubled life, which included a hard-hitting bout with addiction for which Helen was the trumpeter’s saviour.

Because she’s present on that antique recording, Helen’s strong will and confused emotions about what took place almost a quarter-century before earn our sympathy. But the unavoidable distance from these people leaves much of the film feeling staid, dull and frustrating.

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