Product Description

In Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Director Jim Brown documents the life of one of the greatest American singer/songwriters of the last century. Pete Seeger was the architect of the folk revival, writing some of its best known songs including Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Turn, Turn, Turn and If I Had A Hammer. Largely misunderstood and criticized for his strong beliefs he was picketed, protested, blacklisted, and, in spite of his enormous popularity, banned from commercial television for more than 17 years. Musicians including Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Brice Springsteen, Natalie Maines, and Peter, Paul and Mary appear in this intimate portrait and discuss Seeger s lasting influence on the fabric of American music.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2481 in DVD
• Brand: GENIUS PRODUCTS INC
• Released on: 2008-08-05
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com
Pete Seeger reads The Wall Street Journal! That's perhaps the most startling revelation in Jim Brown's (The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time) wonderful documentary that etches an indelible portrait of an American icon and a global treasure. As a solo performer and as a member of the Weavers, Seeger introduced America to its musical heritage and was instrumental in ushering in the folk music revival in the 1960s. Branded as an "evil Commie" for his leftist beliefs, he is hailed here as an "absolute patriot" and "a living testament to the First Amendment." Seeger didn't call out politicians or presidents. He called out backward policies, unjust laws, and divisive attitudes. Songs that he popularized, or were covered by others, such as "We Shall Overcome," "The Hammer Song," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and "Turn, Turn, Turn," became Civil Rights and anti-war anthems. Music, he eloquently states in The Power of Song, should not be used just to forget one's troubles, but to also help to understand and to do something about your troubles. Whether singing work songs at union rallies or Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" to schoolchildren, Seeger used folk music as a uniter. The Power of Song is a profile in courage. In dramatic archival footage, he is seen defying the House Un-American Activities Committee. Seeger, never in it for the money, recalls how he quit the phenomenally popular Weavers when the other members agreed to do a cigarette commercial. Seeger was green before green was cool. At 88, he lives in the log cabin that he built and continues to work the land; chopping wood and hauling water. This film also chronicles his successful campaign to clean up the polluted Hudson River.

The Power of Song" is more than a great life story. It's also a great love story. Toshi, his wife of more than 60 years, emerges as an extraordinary woman who has greatly sacrificed to allow Seeger to take his music and message around the world (at one point she jokes that she wished her husband chased women instead of causes so she could leave him). Seeger says his singing voice is gone, but his spirit is undimmed (one clip captures him standing on the roadside with a handful of war protesters). Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Mary Travers, and family members are among those who pay tribute, but Seeger's own plain-spoken words and the concert footage and performance clips--by turns joyous and profoundly moving--take full measure of the man as a musicologist, iconoclast, and "social artist." One admirer says of Seeger that he stood for justice and had powerful enemies. That makes him sound like a superhero. In his own gentle way, perhaps he was. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Incredible...
This is an incredible, must-see movie that rekindled my love for the music of pete seeger and painted a beautiful portrait of his amazing life and legacy. This movie is about an individual artist, but even more a living example of the power of music generally to evoke change. We need people like Pete Seeger more than ever.

An important and inspiring historical document
I saw this film in a theatre with my sixteen year old daughter, who wrote her high school thesis on the role of folk music in the Civil Rights struggle. I knew she would get a lot out of it, but I was also pleasantly surprised how much the film tied together various strands of history and music of which I was aware previously. It definitely deepened my understanding of that important era of American history, which happened to be when I was growing up.

The music is mostly great stuff. The film is quite moving and inspiring. As usual with leftists, the film's relatively obvious drawback is the degree to which some of the principals are overly earnest and serious - a little more humor would help. (A small complaint in light of the very strong contribution made by Pete Seeger and his friends and family toward social justice and a more fair and inclusive American culture.)

Light and Inspiring
The life of Pete Seeger, as folk musician, McCarthy-era blacklisted performer, Clearwater initiatiator (cleaning up the Hudson River "when they said it couldn't be done"), and patriot ... Left me feeling inspired and joyful, and thinking that all the world needs is a little citizenship, focus, and a passion for fun. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, his integrity shines brightly.