'Honeydripper' and the roots of rock 'n' roll

The birth of rock ’n’ roll is not only a weighty subject for a film, but one in which myth takes precedence over fact.

John Sayles’ latest film, “Honeydripper,” looks at the moment when the electric guitar became the dominating instrument in music, and does so by humanizing legendary personas. Set in a small town in 1950s Alabama, “Honeydripper,” Sayles' 16^th film as a writer/director, shows how rock ’n’ roll can captivate a community.

From its opening moments, the audience knows “Honeydripper” is building to a grand-finale concert. Yet Sayles is careful not to over-romanticize, as rock ’n’ roll doesn’t offer an out from the business and social concerns of the time. There’s rent, there’s racism and there’s little chance of escaping the life one is born into.

The music of “Honeydripper,” some of it original, written by Sayles and longtime composer Mason Daring, is a high point. But so is the way in which Sayles cuts between a rock club and a religious revival tent, and jerks the audience from the film’s searing Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry-inspired music to the more practical concerns of the times.

Speaking on the phone to promote the film, which is now in limited run and will open wider Jan. 18, Sayles was asked if “Honeydripper” was largely about the ways in which rock ’n’ roll can provide an escape, however fleeting it may be.