Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) was made by Charlotte Zwerin with some executive producing help from Clint Eastwood. Astonishing black-and-white footage, shot by Christian Blackwood in 1967-68, was incorporated into a newer film after Monk's death in 1982. Performances and rehearsals (top still) amply document Monk's legacy and personality. Zwerin emphasizes the innovation and triumph of Monk's music over his personal problems, rightly so. The film also shows the two women in Monk's life: his wife Nellie (middle still) and his friend the Baroness Pannonica Rothschild de Koenigswarter (bottom).
