Haunting portrait of the influential jazz pianist and composer (1917-1982), laced with performance footage from the '60s. Included are comments from Thelonius Jr., who talks about his father's "fits of depression and euphoria." Monk's music can be sparse, complex and playful, all at once. He was very prolific and many of his tunes became jazz standards. Directed by Charlotte Zwerin. In 2017, this film was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, for films deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.

PG-13, 90 min., 1988. Closed captions (CC) in English.