Film

The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack

2000 · 1h 52m · Music · Documentary

After Woody Guthrie and before Bob Dylan came Ramblin' Jack Elliott.

IMDb

7.8

Rotten Tomatoes

94%

Metacritic

72

With the help of her mother, family, friends, and fellow musicians, Aiyana Elliott reaches for her father, legendary cowboy troubadour, Ramblin' Jack Elliott. She explores who he is and how he got there, working back and forth between archival and contemporary footage. Born in 1932 in Brooklyn, busking through the South and West in the early 50s, a year with Woody Guthrie, six years flatpicking in Europe, a triumphant return to Greenwich Village in the early 60s, mentoring Bob Dylan, then life on the road, from gig to gig, singing and telling stories. A Grammy and the National Medal of Arts await Jack near the end of a long trail. What will Aiyana find for herself?

Jack Elliott

Self

Arlo Guthrie

Self

Kris Kristofferson

Self

Pete Seeger

Self

Odetta

Self

D. A. Pennebaker

Self

Dave Van Ronk

Self

• Aiyana ElliottDirector · Writer · Director of Photography · Producer
• Dicky DahlWriter
• Dan PartlandProducer
• Paul S. MezeyProducer
• Hunter GrayExecutive Producer
• Jesse CrawfordExecutive Producer
• Tyler BrodieExecutive Producer
• David BaumEditor
• Susan LittenbergEditor

Release date

August 16, 2000

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

1h 52m

Genres

Music, Documentary