The scrappy country cousin to the high-gloss Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
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05/11/03
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Only the Strong Survive (2003)
62
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:28
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Though this documentary could be more informative, the performances themselves are wonderful.
Theatrical Release:May 9, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: Influential documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, perhaps best known for his 1967 Bob Dylan documentary DON'T LOOK BACK, co-directs ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, a fascinating look at some of the most... [More]
Starring: William Bell, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett
Director: Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker
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Reviews for Only the Strong Survive
Invaluable as a record of its subjects (including the late, great Rufus Thomas), but it doesn't cohere as a feature...
05/15/03
Only the Strong Survive is a joyous tribute to soul music with some of the best singers of the 60s and 70s strutting their stuff on stage.
05/09/03
Only the Strong Survive offers a joyous tribute to soul music with some of the best singers of the 60s and 70s strutting their stuff on stage.
05/09/03
...a grotesque showcase for Fox News gossip columnist Roger Friedman to embarrass himself by fawning all over his aging heroes for an hour and a half.
05/07/03
Must be appreciated as an idiosyncratic chronicle as well as a collection of performances, some better than others.
05/08/03
Top CriticWorth the time and money some of the summer's effects-driven spectacles probably won't be.
05/09/03
Top CriticThere's no problem with a little bias, but Friedman's fan-boy perspective puts the subjects of Only the Strong Survive on too high a pedestal.
06/26/03
Top CriticI would have prefered deeper insights... [but] as a concert film, this one’s a blast.
01/31/04
Witnessing these singers' grace is a pleasure.
05/08/03
Top CriticIf you knew nothing about the evolution of American soul going in, you won't be any the wiser coming out.
05/08/03
Dives deep into the soul and rhythm-and-blues genres, spotlighting some first-rate performers who are still making powerful, vibrant music.
03/22/03
These survivors share a timelessness and a universality that remain untouched by the fickle shifts of popular culture.
05/10/03
A vital musical ramble, showing us where some of soul's founders landed after their moment of pop glory.
05/07/03
Top CriticFortunately, the performances themselves are beautifully filmed and recorded.
05/09/03
Top CriticA disorganized sprawl.
07/22/03
Lacks the journalistic hook of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, but there are moments that will induce the susceptible to break into a big foolish grin.
05/06/03
Top CriticThe classic soul that pumps, struts, growls and cries through Only the Strong Survive is so adrenalized that young audiences encountering the music for the first time could easily find themselves converted into old fogies.
05/09/03
Top CriticA film that even with its flaws should be cheered for preserving the later years of these towering musical talents.
05/09/03
Top CriticWinningly revived soul music, reports of whose death have been grossly exaggerated.
01/24/03
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