I'm done writing the year spans on these. It indicates finality I don't like with regard to the influence of people. That just like, my opinion, man.

What I love most about Les Blank's document-essay-aries is that they stand out so cleanly from the vast sea that is now the documentary field. Not just his subject matter, but his clean, hourlong-ish length of focus on those subjects leaves you with not too much, not too little to work with in your head. From the New York Times obit:

Mr. Blank trolled for subject matter on the American periphery, in cultural pockets where the tradition is long but the exposure limited. His films often have a geographic as well as cultural specificity, and food and music are often the featured elements. His musical subjects included norteño bands of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Cajun fiddlers of Louisiana and polka enthusiasts from across the country.

He made anthropological movies. He made two of the best things ever made that have to do with Werner Herzog that were not actually made by Herzog: the short and sweet Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe and the classic Burden of Dreams, which follows the making of Fitzcarraldo, one of the most chaotic shoots this side of Apocalypse Now. There really haven't been many even remotely like him until now, and it isn't too likely there will be any hence.