a 1994 New York Times review described the film as "outstanding" and "a riveting combination of biography and American history." Upon the Sony DVD's release in 2000, Ian Morris of MichaelDVD.com rated the film itself at 4.5/5 stars, calling it "like manna from heaven for a music aficionado like myself," and "an almost essential purchase about one of the true legends of music," while faulting the DVD's video quality and lack of closed captions, for an aggregate score of 4/5 stars. In 2004, author Patricia R. Schroeder analysed the film in depth in Robert Johnson, Mythmaking, and Contemporary American Culture, writing that the film is "a well researched attempt to recover what is knowable about the historical Robert Johnson. It was well received by critics, as Emmy-winner Chris Hunt's documentaries on musical figures usually are." But Schroeder found that the film's documentary goals of objectivity and authenticity were partly undercut, first by the lavish praise heaped upon Johnson early in the film and Hammond's self-acknowledged "quest", and second because Hammond was featured prominently in the film playing long passages of several Johnson songs, and seeming to stand in for Johnson in sessions and in the re-enactment of headcutting. Releases TV: UK Channel 4, 1992. VHS: Sony Music Video 49113. 1992. 72 minutes. DVD: Sony Music. 72 minutes. 31 October 2000 ASIN: B000050IKX UPC: 007464491139 DVD: Digital Classics. 8 May 2006. ASIN: B000EU1LOA References External links British television documentaries 1991 films 1991 documentary films Documentary films about blues music and musicians Robert Johnson 1991 television films 1990s British films