Product Details

• Actors: Joan Baez, Ronnie Gilbert, Tom Paxton, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Smothers
• Directors: Jim Brown
• Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Genius Products (Ingram)
• DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0018PH3OC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,212 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

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

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible..., October 21, 2007

By	Wild Rose (iowa) - See all my reviews

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and inspiring historical document, January 24, 2008

By	Nicholas Gill (metro Boston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light and Inspiring, February 16, 2008

By	Pam McDonald (Simsbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.