Sing Your Song (2011)
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Critic Reviews: 14
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 1,035
My Rating
Movie Info
Sing Your Song, surveys the life and times of singer/actor/activist Harry Belafonte. From his rise to fame as a singer, inspired by Paul Robeson, and his experiences touring a segregated country, to his provocative crossover into Hollywood, Belafonte's groundbreaking career personifies the American civil rights movement and impacted many other social justice movements. Rostock reveals Belafonte as a tenacious hands on activist, who worked intimately with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., mobilized
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Cast
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Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte -
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier -
Leadbelly
Leadbelly -
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson -
Marge Champion
Marge Champion -
Fran Scott Attaway
Fran Scott Attaway -
Nat 'King' Cole
Nat 'King' Cole -
Julian Bond
Julian Bond -
J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover -
Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan -
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore -
Steve Allen
Steve Allen -
George Schlatter
George Schlatter -
Adrienne Belafonte Biesem...
Adrienne Belafonte Bies... -
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge -
Diahann Carroll
Diahann Carroll -
Mike Merrick
Mike Merrick -
Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine -
Inger Stevens
Inger Stevens -
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando -
Julie Belafonte
Julie Belafonte -
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King -
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. -
Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin -
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy -
Odette
Odette -
Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne -
Robert de Cormier
Robert de Cormier -
J. Richard Kennedy
J. Richard Kennedy -
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt -
Tom Mboya
Tom Mboya -
Les Crane
Les Crane -
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela -
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba -
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy -
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston -
James Baldwin
James Baldwin -
Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch -
Paul Newman
Paul Newman -
David Belafonte
David Belafonte -
Shari Belafonte
Shari Belafonte -
Gina Belafonte
Gina Belafonte -
John Lewis
John Lewis -
Willie Blue
Willie Blue -
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer -
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins -
Nipsey Russell
Nipsey Russell -
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett -
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters -
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. -
Nina Simone
Nina Simone -
Peter Paul And Mary
Peter Paul And Mary -
Joan Baez
Joan Baez -
Leon Bibb
Leon Bibb -
Clarence Jones
Clarence Jones -
Petula Clark
Petula Clark -
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg -
Tom Smothers
Tom Smothers -
Dick Smothers
Dick Smothers -
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie -
Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks -
Russell Means
Russell Means -
William Kunstler
William Kunstler -
Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones -
Ken Kragen
Ken Kragen -
Dr. Lloyd Greig
Dr. Lloyd Greig -
Muppets
Muppets -
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu -
Bo Taylor
Bo Taylor -
Nane Alejandrez
Nane Alejandrez -
Marian Wright Edelman
Marian Wright Edelman -
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee -
Juan Pacheco
Juan Pacheco -
Kwabana Nixonng
Kwabana Nixonng -
Carmen Perez
Carmen Perez -
Andrew Young
Andrew Young -
Adé Bantu
Adé Bantu -
Abd Al Malik
Abd Al Malik -
Pamela Belafonte
Pamela Belafonte -
David Dinkins, Sr.
David Dinkins, Sr.
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All Critics (37) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (1)
Sing Your Song is broad and complete, but like most biographical documentaries of legendary performers that we've seen of late, it is also hagiographic.
Top CriticBy far the best parts are the first two-thirds, with the star taking center stage in history as it unfolds.
Sing Your Song is beautifully directed by Susanne Rostock to be as much about the man as it is about his times.
The portrait of Belafonte that emerges from the film is also the portrait of the times of his life, the times of the nation's life in the past 60 years.
With excerpts of early clips of his first roles, to current interviews with him, the movie details a life of tremendous creativity and courage.
What a man.
With Belafonte narrating his own story, Sing Your Song increasingly feels more like a personal memoir than objective insight.
[Belafonte] emerges at the end as a man of bravery and probity, a formidable contributor and witness to his times.
The snag is his own narration, which gilds the lily - and the closer we get to the present, the more everyone drifts into "yes, we can" soundbites.
An admirable man, and an admirable film about him.
This is a fascinating portrait of a man who has always had the courage of his convictions.
The man has lived an incredible life, and this comprehensive doc conveys that in compelling fashion.
The man's good works are plain to see, but his personality remains an enigma.
A rewarding watch and an inspirational, informative history lesson which begins more strongly than it ends.
There's so much more to Belafonte than the Banana Boat Song and Rostock does a fine job revealing it in a fitting celebration of a mighty talent.
While it's fascinating, it feels a bit heavy-handed.
Belafonte is the real deal, an optimistic and inspiring hero whose life story and career narrative is also a journey of civil and human rights struggles and accomplishments.
Proves an inspiring watch, even if it does rather gloss over how his wives and children fit into the picture.
This timely and thorough account of the extraordinary life of Harry Belafonte finds so much in its subject that it almost suffers by an over-abundance of material.
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