By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Barbara Kopple | Cecila Peck
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 99
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811136/
Michael says: “I’m a sucker for a good music documentary. Barbara Kopple and Cecila Peck were given a gift three years ago, and they have weaved that gift into a smart, compelling, entertaining documentary about the biggest-selling female band of all time. Three years ago, while preliminary shooting was going on around the possibility of a Dixie Chicks documentary, lead singer Natalie Maines made an off-the-cuff remark at a concert in London on the eve of the Iraq War, about being ashamed
that the President was from Texas. Suddenly, the film coalesced into reality, with a political twist that fed the narrative and thus, SHUT UP & SING was born.
“Kopple and Peck waste no time in jumping into the political controversy. Within the first five minutes of the film, Maines has uttered her now legendary statement, and their career comes crashing down from its lofty rule as their base, country-western market turned on them. Radio stations refused to play their music; long-time fans trashed their CDs. Suddenly freedom of speech was a dirty phrase. As the Dixie Chicks, Maines, Emil Robison and Martie Maguire, along with their manager Simon Rensahw, begin to deal with this sudden and ferocious backlash, the film jumps forward to 2005 where the band is regrouping to make their next album. Kopple and Peck do an amazing job of blending the political story with a personal look at country/western/pop superstars, an unfiltered look at the workings of the music industry, and a fascinating portrait of the evolution of a band. One of the things that fascinated me the most was watching the Chicks grow from a hugely successful, country act that performed songs written by others, to a cohesive band that blends country, rock and pop on a new album where they wrote all of the songs.
“SHUT UP & SING jumps back and forth in time, allowing both stories, the fallout from Maines remark and the regrouping and recording of their latest album, to unfold in a way that builds suspense and drama. While working on their album in 2005, Emily gives birth to twins, and the film digs into their personalities and relationships giving us a look at the Dixie Chicks as people. Jumping back to 2003, the film reaches its tensest moment when Maines receives a death threat saying she will be shot at a concert in Dallas. Through it all, the women maintain their sense of humor as well as their sense of outrage, although each expresses it in their own way. What is perhaps the most amazing thing about this story is the way they were so united through this potentially relationship-destroying series of events. This is where Kopple and Peck show their smarts as filmmakers. There isn’t a whole lot of talk about sisterhood, or the way they stick together despite the fact that it was Maines’ comment that put them in their position. Instead the bond these women share is shown to us in their actions and through casual conversation.
“SHUT UP & SING is one of those entertaining films where afterwards you gather around with your fellow viewers and say thins like, ‘Didn’t you love it when…’ and ‘Wasn’t that part great?’ The filmmakers make a rather interesting pair themselves. Barbara Kopple is a veteran director of docs, features, and TV. Her directorial debut was the classic doc, HARLAN COUNTY, U.S.A. for which she won the first of two Academy Awards (the second was for the documentary AMERICAN DREAMS). She also directed WILD MAN BLUES, a documentary peering into the life of Woody Allen. Cecilia Peck comes from an acting background whose most well-known film was probably the Eric Stolz/Julie Delpy thriller KILLING ZOE. SHUT UP & SING marks Peck’s directorial debut. In another year with a pack of strong documentaries, I highly recommend that you check this one out. I suspect that it’s going to be right up there with THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED at the top of my films of the year. 5 cats.”