"Ain't In It For My Health": An intimate documentary about Levon Helm
In the 1970s, when Robbie Robertson approached Levon Helm about his concern over The Band's constant touring and its effect on the group, Helm told his bandmate, "I ain't in it for my health."
"It" -- meaning music, of course.
Helm's passion for music is the premise behind the new documentary, "Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm," which chronicles Helm's career resurgence, his love -- and need -- for performing, and the ups and downs of his throat cancer battle during a span of about two and a half years.
Shot and directed by Jacob Hatley between 2007 and 2009, the film captures the late singer-drummer on the road and inside his Woodstock, N.Y., home, where he hosted his Midnight Ramble concerts, which attracted guest performers from all over the music world.
Helm is seen getting ready for shows, recording and writing music, and even sauntering around in his bathrobe. We watch as he sits in a rocking chair trying to finish lyrics to a Hank Williams song and later as he nails a recording in the studio with just the right tone. But it's those intimate moments when Helm is with his loved ones that really tug at the heartstrings -- singing to his grandchild and learning that he won a Grammy for his 2007 comeback album, "Dirt Farmer" (his first studio album in 25 years) while inside his kitchen with family and friends.
"Ain't In It For My Health" also gives an inside look into some of Helm's doctor visits -- painful moments to watch, as the aging singer tries to find a way to perform the following day without having even a semblance of a voice. But through it all, Helm is often smiling, laughing and sharing funny stories.
One of the most memorable and poignant moments comes when Billy Bob Thorton, one of the many guests who played at the Ramble shows, asks Helm about the critics' reaction to The Band's third album, 1970's "Stage Fright." Silence fills the room -- saying more than anything Helm could probably have mustered at that moment. Then there are the times when Helm so emphatically refuses to take part in the Grammy Awards' lifetime achievement honor dedicated to The Band. There's so much tension in the room, you can almost feel it.
It's all done in a way that doesn't feel overly forced, showing natural interactions inside Helm's beloved home. Longtime Helm collaborator and musical director Larry Campbell said, "Jacob was the perfect fly on the wall for many months as we experienced the ups and downs of a wonderful time in all our lives."
It's a must-see for Helm fans. But beyond that "Aint In It For My Health" is a raw and touching portrait of a man who, despite his declining health, spent the last few years of his life revisiting and doing what he loved the most.
"Ain't In It For My Health" opens at Cinema Village in New York on Friday, April 19 (the one-year anniversary of Helm's death) and will roll out in other cities over the next month.