The title is something of a misnomer: not only is this not the story of rock & roll, it's not even the story of Jerry Lee Lewis, at least not the complete one. But this film is still a captivating glance at one of rock's seminal figures. It's partly the work of D.A. Pennebaker, who was also responsible for Bob Dylan's Don't Look Back, but you won't find the kind of trenchant revelation contained in that film. The Story of Rock & Roll balances 1969 concert footage (when Lewis appeared at a rock revival show in Toronto) with clips from his breakthrough '50s years. The '69 show finds Lewis performing not only his own tunes (including, of course, "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On") but also several songs much more closely associated with Elvis Presley ("Don't Be Cruel," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock"). It's entertaining, but it lacks the pure outrage of the early days when "the Killer" made his name with both those classic hits and his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin (apparently while he was still married to someone else). The latter is amusingly chronicled here by way of accounts of his late-'50s trip to England, when reports of his alleged bigamy and cradle-robbing led to much booing and the early cancellation of the tour; Lewis then appears on screen with his gum-chewing child bride, innocently enthusing about the "very nice time" they had abroad. Those clips, along with the sheer, unbridled energy of both Lewis and his audience during his early TV appearances, are themselves worth the price of admission. --Sam Graham
