Product Details

• Actors: Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn
• Directors: Kenneth Bowser
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: First Run Features
• DVD Release Date: July 19, 2011
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004VN7RN0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,157 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Filled with passion, humor, idealism, intelligence and perfect songs. --L.A. Weekly

A terrific documentary. --The Hollywood Reporter

Essential.. A must-see! --Entertainment Weekly

Product Description

As our country continues to embroil itself in foreign wars, Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune is a timely and relevant tribute to an unlikely American hero. Over the course of a meteoric music career that spanned two turbulent decades, Phil Ochs sought the bright lights of fame and social justice in equal measure - a contradiction that eventually tore him apart.

From youthful idealism to rage to pessimism, the arch of Ochs' life paralleled that of the times, and the anger, satire and righteous indignation that drove his music also drove him to dark despair. In this brilliantly constructed film, interview and performance footage of Ochs is illuminated by the ruminations of Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Peter Yarrow, Christopher Hitchens and others.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong And Moving Documentary About A Musical And Political Pioneer--With A Great Soundtrack! June 30, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

I'm ashamed to confess that, despite name recognition, I knew little about Phil Ochs before watching Kenneth Bowser's surprisingly comprehensive new documentary "Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune." Considering that Ochs died in 1975, there are still plenty of people around to readily share his story as well as his legacy. And the documentary does an excellent job of balancing the story of the man with the story of his music--giving one of the most well rounded biographies that you might hope for. A contemporary of Baez and Dylan, Ochs was decidedly more pointed and politicized in his lyrics and defied categorization as a typical folk singer. From idealism, to a pursuit of fame, to an anger at the status quo, to utter despondency--Ochs' personal struggles often ran parallel to the times in which he lived. His remarkable journey is highlighted in vivid, and uncompromising, detail and the film showcases a true artist whose impact and relevancy are still felt.

Ochs truly saw song as a form of revolution and was inspired to write about contemporary news stories encompassing subjects as important as the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. The film interviews family members, music scene contemporaries, political activists, and many more in detailing how important Ochs was to the emerging and changing musical scene of the sixties. These interviews are informative and enlightening and juxtaposed with plenty of archival footage that brings Ochs to the forefront. And through it all, the soundtrack is filled with recordings and concert performances that show Ochs' talent to maximum affect. In addition to the music and the contemporary interviews, Ochs' own words (through past interviews, etc) really make you understand the man--in all his glory and with all his foibles. Seriously, this is a very intimate portrait--remarkable in that it is more than 35 years after his death.

The film follows the real arc of Ochs' life, and consequently, it is not always a pleasant experience. But it is a strong, powerful, and unexpectedly moving look at one man's pursuit of meaning in a confused world. And despite Ochs' personal contradictions and demons, he did make a difference and influence a generation to social awareness. It's a noteworthy story told well in a very solidly constructed film! The film ends with a quote from Ochs' daughter which really encapsulates the surprising impact that this film had on me. It's a pitch perfect note to cap off the legacy of a musical pioneer. If you have any interest in Ochs, folk music, activism, the sixties, or just great documentaries--this is a strong and easy recommendation. KGHarris, 6/11.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST SEE and loving documentary on Phil Ochs - a singer/songwriter before that word was coined. July 17, 2011

By Steven I. Ramm TOP 100 REVIEWER

I can only wonder what kinds of songs singer/songwriter (before that label was ever used) Phil Ochs would be writing today - or for the last 35 years - if he had not taken his own life, at age 35, in 1976. He was in Greenwich Village writing both protest songs and ballads BEFORE Bob Dylan arrived. For a short period they were "competitors" (at least in Ochs' eyes). I had the true please of seeing Ochs perform live twice in a small coffee house in Philadelphia and I was at Philly's Electric Factory when Ochs repeated his "gold lame'" show the night after what became known as the "The Gunfight at Carnegie Hall", an interesting even released by A&M on Lp. Ochs was a passionate and thoughtful man and yet he had to fight his own demons. But he wrote songs that are still sung today - "Changes", for instance - and many of the things Ochs wrote about - war, corrupt politics - are still with us.

Years ago there was talk about a film bio of Ochs which was to star Sean Penn (who I think would be perfect). This project never got off the ground but - in 2010 - documentary filmmaker Kenneth Bowser crafted this documentary about Ochs' life and it received limited National distribution. Now that it is out on home video DVD, it should reach a wider audience. While I know Ochs fans - who followed his career - will want to see the film (and it's GREAT!), I hope a younger generation - those born since Ochs' death - will seek it out.

There is really not a lot of performance footage of Ochs out there and I'm surprised that Bowser could dig up this much. (It might help that Phil's younger brother Michael, who became his manager, runs Michael Ochs Archive - one of the largest licensed image collections in the world. Bowser got a lot of cooperation from those in the folk music community like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and there are interview with the non-singing activists of the period like Tom Hayden and Paul Krassner. There are interviews with siblings Michael and Sunny; Ochs' widow Alice and only daughter Meegan.

I see this film as a "living scrapbook" It ends with ultra rare - and very sad - final footage of Ochs by a New York filmmaker. The film runs 98 minutes and you'll wish there were more. There are excerpts of Ochs performing over 40 of his own songs. Sadly the DVD's only extras are the two-minute "trailer". It's wishful thinking, but I'd loved to see the outtakes of the interviews.

Watch this film and share it with your children. They need to know who Phil Ochs was, and what he stood for. And thank you Ken Bowser, for keeping his name alive and to First Run Features for making it available fist in theaters and now on home DVD.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let us never forget December 29, 2011

By Seeker

Others have already spoken more eloquently than I. The "What Ifs" are heart breaking. But I'm glad this film was made and I will cherish it and the memory of the man I consider to be the true spokesman of our generation.