Best movie ever!

Blistering performances.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a quote from "Beware of Mr. Baker" which very well describes the character this documentary is about. It's the first directorial effort from Jay Bulger and as he gets beaten with a cane by his protagonist, it certainly wasn't an easy effort. Cream and Ginger Baker's great years were way before my time, so I went into this one knowing almost nothing about it. But it's always nice to know about new things and I wasn't disappointed with the outcome. Ginger Baker, the infamous drummer, is as interesting as it gets and certainly deserves his own documentary tribute, even if he's way into his 70s now that this was made. The crass, almost horror-like animation used in the film nicely emphasized how it's a fine line between genius and insanity, a description that is probably hardly more accurate for anybody than Mr. Baker. Also I wouldn't mind watching a film about his life that is completely animated in the style it was used here. And I didn't need to know much about playing the drums to see this man's incredible talent.However, there's always another approach to this character and the perfect counterpart to his insanity is also something that I liked the way it was depicted here: his love to animals, especially horses. It was very sweet to see his weaker, more vulnerable site and how he truly adored these animals that probably became the center of his life at some point and a bit of a haven for him to compensate for his wild side. Also, I thought the ending was very well done, to see Ginger Baker back from his isolation in South Africa to the stage doing what he always did best, playing the drums and having a great time doing so, especially after saying earlier in the film that his motivation and health when it comes to music are almost completely gone.I had admittedly one big "what-the-hell"-moment when I saw him writing an ad for a newspaper to look for a band. Really can't believe a man with his talent, considered by many as one of the greatest to have ever played the drums, could sink so low that he'd have to take drastic measures like these to do what he loved. It was shocking to see how he basically made not much money at all despite being possibly the great creative force behind Cream as he wasn't the one who wrote the songs. It made me happy to see he reached great commercial and critical success afterward again though. Another thing I quite enjoyed was to see him in Africa during his younger years. He always seemed to have had a special connection to the Black continent (going until today with South Africa and his marriage to a local being possibly the last chapter of this life) and it was great to witness how local tribes and their approach to music clearly inspired him in his work."Beware of Mr. Baker" is a film I'd recommend. It's probably even a must-see for music lovers of the 1960s and 1970s as you see many artists (Clapton, Santana...) telling about how they perceived Baker back in the day and today. And for people like me, it's perfect to broaden their horizons and find out about artists from back in the day that we may not have been familiar with before. Admittedly, Baker is such a colorful character, who accosts and swears like a pirate, but is also sensitive, and I'm a bit surprised I never came across him earlier. I wouldn't say this film was an eye-opener and that I keep listening to his music all the time now, but it was still nice to get to know him and I applaud Bulger for making this documentary.

This documentary, written and directed by Jay Bulger, based on the life and career of Ginger Baker, I thought was rather fascinating and filled with surprises. Baker, whom many consider to be the greatest rock drummer of all time, was living, at the time of the filming in a private gated compound in Tulbagh, South Africa. As one enters the compound a sign clearly states Beware Mr. Baker, perhaps for good reason as Baker is still quite irascible and cantankerous. He's also somewhat debilitated by osteoarthritis, but not slowed enough to stop him from physically attacking the director Bulger at one point with his cane.Apparently, Baker was a prodigy on the drums, able to just sit down one day and start playing. His first taste of fame came when he became the drummer for the Graham Bond Organisation, in the 1960's. However, what brought on instant world wide acclaim was being the founding member of the rock group Cream, bringing on Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, to produce some of the most influential sounds in music history. However, the group only stayed together for about two years, despite their fame. Baker was already showing signs of a violent temper and he apparently was heavily into the drug culture. At one point, he viciously attacked Jack Bruce after an argument.This would be the beginning of a long series of ups and downs for Baker, which were brought to the screen in the film. I'll just note that these included continued drug use, four marriages, earning then blowing through millions of dollars, many career changes and making a lot of enemies and some friends along the way.Some of the documentary is Bulger interviewing Baker, in South Africa, while the rest is clips of his amazing talent on the drums, interviews with family and many people he worked with in his career , as well as even some animated snippets illustrating parts of his life.Although I admittedly knew virtually nothing about Ginger Baker before seeing the film, and despite the fact that Baker is obviously not a likable fellow, I was quite fascinated by it and was absorbed by one surprise after another being revealed.

If you're a fan of the history of rock'n roll music, this film really is a must. I had heard of Ginger Baker of course, but I'm about 5-7 years too young to have remembered his Cream and Blind Faith years. I didn't realize how fantastic a drummer he was, and as said in the movie, really was one of the pioneers of hard rock. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the interviewer (I believe it was Jay Bulger) asks Ginger Baker what he thinks of comparisons to John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of The Who, and he scoffs at the comparison, which wasn't much of a surprise when you see what kind of person Baker is. But then they ask the same question of Eric Clapton, and Clapton thinks it's such a ridiculous comment that he doesn't even let Bulger finish the question! Ginger Baker was a great drummer, but an extremely flawed individual in almost every other regard, which makes him an interesting subject for a film such as this. The critical acclaim has been deservedly high, which is why I had decided to see it in the first place.

I have just seen this film at a BFI screening, with Jay Bulger and the fearsome Mr Baker himself turning up on stage afterwards for a fractious Q&A that ended with shouting, swearing, recriminations all round, and Jay Bulger seemingly storming off stage. The perfect end to a brilliant documentary!The story is fascinating and engaging throughout, with Ginger Baker himself coming across as a complex and contradictory character. While you're appalled at much of his behaviour (he comes across as a pretty damn terrible father/husband/work colleague), you can't help but admire his incredible energy and drive, his prodigious musical talent, and his refusal to ever let life beat him down.The sparing use of beautiful and rather poetic animation works very well, and Jay Bulger himself refrains from including himself too much in the finished film - and when he does take centre stage for a moment, it's an extraordinary (and violent!) moment.By the way - Jay, if you're reading this, I'm sorry people shouted at you after the screening. Perhaps, given the subject matter, it's only appropriate that the whole thing ended in acrimony. And hats off to you for getting a cold, reserved audience of Brits so fired up and vocal. Great work - loved the film.