The reflective documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song explores the legacy of revered American folk singer and activist Seeger - written and directed by filmmaker Jim Brown when Seeger was in his late '80s. In lieu of recounting the narrative of Seeger's life note-for-note, however, Brown uses that individual biography as a contextual lens, through which he recounts decades of American social history. To tell his story, the filmmaker interpolates original, exclusive interviews with such
Seeger contemporaries as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, archival footage of Seeger in concert, and extracts from Seeger's private home movies. In the process, Brown unveils the extent to which Seeger continually prompted societal change through his consciousness-raising music and offstage social efforts. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
irector Jim Brown tells the story well even if he refuses to address any of the singer's missteps (such as becoming infuriated when Dylan first plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival).
Fans like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan express unvarnished awe, but it's the well-told arc of Seeger's life that makes the strongest impression, as director Jim Brown takes us from the highs to the lows and back up again.
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song could have been called Pete Seeger: The First Punk. As the film traces the singer's long life, it also, inevitably, tracks the evolution of American countercultures through much of the 20th century.
In a category that is growing in greatness exponentially, the stunning documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song ... brilliantly immortalizes an already living legend
Forget the controversial politics (that's what folk music is all about), this is a fascinating story with great music, despite the tedious last 15 minutes.
You sense that Seeger may feel his greatest legacy is not what he accomplished, but what his presence gave others the courage to accomplish. Even if it was just singing along with a roomful of strangers.
If you've never heard of Pete Seeger or if you've known him all your life, see this film. Walking out, you might just be ready to put the world together.
im certain pete seeger is one of the greatest men of out time. a moralistic and spiritual human being in every since of the word. in the almost 90 years he's been alive he has been completely unwaivering in his drive to bring people together, and to change the world. a true inspiration.
May 10, 2008
Atlas of id
Special in that it goes beyond the music/celebrity and into the simplicity of the man's life. Unfortunately, it doesn't make for such a fascinating portrait.
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