Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (2007)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Jim Brown

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Interviews, archival footage and home movies are used to illustrate a social history of folk artists Pete Seeger. |

Plot Keywords:

Sloop | Blacklist | Singer | House Unamerican Activities Committee | Union

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joan Baez	...	Herself
Johnny Cash	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (as President)
Bob Dylan	...	Himself
Ronnie Gilbert	...	Herself
Arlo Guthrie	...	Himself
Lee Hays	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fred Hellerman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Martin Luther King	...	Himself (archive footage)
Leadbelly	...	Himself (archive footage)
Natalie Maines	...	Herself
Roger McGuinn	...	Himself
George Pataki	...	Himself
Tom Paxton	...	Himself (Interviewee)
Paul Robeson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tao Rodriguez-Seeger	...	Himself
Daniel Seeger	...	Himself
Mika Seeger	...	Herself
Pete Seeger	...	Himself
Tinya Seeger	...	Herself
Toshi Seeger	...	Herself
Dick Smothers	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tom Smothers	...	Himself
Bruce Springsteen	...	Himself
N. Paul Stookey	...	Himself
Mary Travers	...	Herself

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild thematic material.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG

Movie Connections:

Features "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967)

A True Life Affirming Movie

Even if you consider yourself not the greatest maven of (sic)"folk music", Pete Seeger:The Power Of Song' is a must see. We find the multi layered Mr. Seeger the perfect subject of this, or any other documentary of it's kind. We delve into the young Seeger, and what turned him onto the wide world of American roots music,and how he's become one of the last great folk troubadours (after Woody Guthrie,whom he lived & worked with in the late 1930's). Jim Brown's film features a treasure trove of concert footage, including some rarely seen footage with his most famed group, The Weavers (the only group to have been blacklisted under the H.U.A.C.). The screening I attended had some audience members who had seen Seeger several times, and was familiar with the songs (I heard some of the audience singing along with the songs in the film,and wasn't even inclined to silence them). This is a film that is well worth seeking out by fans of old school folk music, political activists & environmentalists. See this movie!