Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

Director:

Paul Justman

Writers:

Walter Dallas (Narration)
Ntozake Shange (Narration)

Release Date:

30 January 2003 (Australia)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

The best kept secret in the history of pop music.

Plot:

Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.

Plot Keywords:

Motown | Musician | Song | Music History | Pop Music

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Richard 'Pistol' Allen	...	Himself
Jack Ashford	...	Himself
Bob Babbitt	...	Himself
Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eddie 'Bongo' Brown	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bootsy Collins	...	Himself
Johnny Griffith	...	Himself
Ben Harper	...	Himself
Joe Hunter	...	Himself
James Jamerson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Uriel Jones	...	Himself
Montell Jordan	...	Himself
Chaka Khan	...	Herself
Gerald Levert	...	Himself
Joe Messina	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Story of the Funk Brothers (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

116 min | Canada:108 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:E (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Denmark:A | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #39008)

Filming Locations:

Baker's Keyboard Lounge - 20510 Livernois Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Rimshot LLC

Quotes:

Montell Jordan, Chaka Khan: [singing] Baby, there ain't no mountain high enough / Ain't no valley low enough / Ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Pride And Joy

Finally the "Funk Brothers" get their overdue recognition.

Having purchased, listened to and loved Motown's records in the 60's and 70's, I often wondered who were the masterful (and usually uncredited) musicians responsible for so many top 10 hits. With "Standing In The Shadows of Motown", I was able to finally put some faces with the riffs that I admired.

Although many of the "Funk Brothers" are no longer with us, their legacies live on with those disks by the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves and so many other great artists. The Funk Brothers defined soul and R & B music in its golden era. These guys played on records that sold in the millions and were being paid "scale" - sometimes as little as $25.00 per song at the time! Amazingly, most recordings were done in one or two takes; a testament to the talent portrayed in this movie.

If you love soul music, especially Motown's releases, this film is a must see. The recreations of the original songs by the remaining Funk Brothers and their guest performers are awesome!