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Review #326 of 365
Movie Review of Shut Up & Sing (2006) [R] 99 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.00
Where Viewed: Landmark Chez Artiste, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 3 December 2006
Time: 9:35 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Barbara Kopple (Havoc) and Cecilia Peck
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Natalie Maines (Grand Champion) • Emily Robison ("King of the Hill") • Martie Maguire ("King of the Hill") • Rick Rubin (Men Don't Leave) • Simon Renshaw (debut) • Adrian Pasdar ("Heroes")
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Fifteen words, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," rattled spontaneously off the tip of Natalie Maines's tongue during a concert in London on 10 March 2003 just days before President Bush would plummet the USA into what can now be argued successfully based on facts and hindsight one of the most perilous of world conflicts in the history of the nation. Ms Maines never could have predicted that her words would circle the globe stirring controversy and damaging the reputation of her then reigning country western band, the Dixie Chicks, nor could she have been sure that time would prove to support her convictions as she stated in a formal apology to the President on 14 March,…
We are currently in Europe and witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children and American soldiers' lives are lost.—Natalie Maines
Co-Directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck have put together a mostly-entertaining documentary detailing the events leading up to and following this poignant example of patriotism run amok and a striking blow directed at the foundations of our democratic free republic when law-abiding citizens criticize the government and are immediately labeled unpatriotic and targeted for boycotts, career assassination, and even death.
The authors of the Constitution of the United States, who wanted to create a more perfect union, establish justice, and ensure domestic tranquility, guaranteed citizens the right to free speech. Caveats have been added to note that there are limitations most famous of which is, of course, that which every 2nd grader learns, "You may not shout 'fire' in a crowded theatre." Yet, during the past six years, and certainly since the policies of the current administration have been continuously enacted under the perfectly named, but misleading, Patriot Act enacted post 9/11, there has been a groundswell, especially among conservatives / Republicans / right wing reactionaries to work vehemently to connect being anti-Bush with being unpatriotic. They have done this masterfully, but in a way that thumbs its nose at the Constitution and sets fire to the fabric that has held the Union together since the Civil War. Obviously, when the Republican-controlled Congress led the impeachment process for President William Jefferson Clinton, there were millions of people in support of their action, but there were many millions more who were not. And no one on the Democratic nor Liberal side of politics labeled these people unpatriotic for deciding to challenge the President on his ethics. In fact, the right to freely criticize the government in the USA is considered an inalienable right as well as one of the few rights that set and has always set the USA apart from so many other governments the world over. People of my generation grew up learning that people who criticized the government in the USSR or Communist China simply disappeared, for example. True or not, we were taught that one of the things that made the USA great was this very important, fundamental freedom. So, to now hear over and over and over for the past six years that (a) that's wrong, you cannot criticize the President or any of his positions because doing so is un-American, un-patriotic, or worse fails to support the troops, and (b) to have this message delivered on a silver platter, wrapped in pretty paper, and called the Patriot Act, was all the more unsettling and disconcerting. The troop-support part, has been especially divisive, because everybody wants to support the troops. These are the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the interests of the country. So, walking the delicate line between criticizing the President's war policies and still supporting the troops has been a tightrope dance for everyone who's ever had to write or talk about such matters. So, for these conservatives to equate a lack of support for the President with a lack of support for the troops was outlandish at best. Well, nonetheless, this is exactly what happened to the Dixie Chicks. No sooner were her words published in British newspapers then they were picked up in the press of the USA and the Dixie Chicks became the target of a huge smear campaign determined to bring them down, teach them a lesson, and make an example of them.
The authors of the Constitution of the United States, who wanted to create a more perfect union, establish justice, and ensure domestic tranquility, guaranteed citizens the right to free speech. Caveats have been added to note that there are limitations most famous of which is, of course, that which every 2nd grader learns, "You may not shout 'fire' in a crowded theatre." Yet, during the past six years, and certainly since the policies of the current administration have been continuously enacted under the perfectly named, but misleading, Patriot Act enacted post 9/11, there has been a groundswell, especially among conservatives / Republicans / right wing reactionaries to work vehemently to connect being anti-Bush with being unpatriotic. They have done this masterfully, but in a way that thumbs its nose at the Constitution and sets fire to the fabric that has held the Union together since the Civil War. Obviously, when the Republican-controlled Congress led the impeachment process for President William Jefferson Clinton, there were millions of people in support of their action, but there were many millions more who were not. And no one on the Democratic nor Liberal side of politics labeled these people unpatriotic for deciding to challenge the President on his ethics. In fact, the right to freely criticize the government in the USA is considered an inalienable right as well as one of the few rights that set and has always set the USA apart from so many other governments the world over. People of my generation grew up learning that people who criticized the government in the USSR or Communist China simply disappeared, for example. True or not, we were taught that one of the things that made the USA great was this very important, fundamental freedom. So, to now hear over and over and over for the past six years that (a) that's wrong, you cannot criticize the President or any of his positions because doing so is un-American, un-patriotic, or worse fails to support the troops, and (b) to have this message delivered on a silver platter, wrapped in pretty paper, and called the Patriot Act, was all the more unsettling and disconcerting. The troop-support part, has been especially divisive, because everybody wants to support the troops. These are the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the interests of the country. So, walking the delicate line between criticizing the President's war policies and still supporting the troops has been a tightrope dance for everyone who's ever had to write or talk about such matters. So, for these conservatives to equate a lack of support for the President with a lack of support for the troops was outlandish at best. Well, nonetheless, this is exactly what happened to the Dixie Chicks. No sooner were her words published in British newspapers then they were picked up in the press of the USA and the Dixie Chicks became the target of a huge smear campaign determined to bring them down, teach them a lesson, and make an example of them.
"…a stunning look at what can happen when artists take an unpopular position toward war…"
First, there were objections to any apparent criticism of the President on foreign soil by USA citizens. Second, some felt the timing so close to the potential war was bad. Finally, others began running off at the mouth about this comment being anti-troops. Ironically, and again hindsight is always 20-20, but in reading the comment, it is not really a pointed criticism of the President, the timing couldn't have been better, and if someone criticizes the president in a general way, how is that anti-troops? If a person says, "I regret the President's political decisions," this could mean anything. It's pretty clear in watching the film that certain people, conservatives, and the media, were looking for anything even remotely controversial to use to deflect attention away from the impending war. So, the Dixie Chicks controversy became that distraction. While radio stations were so busy boycotting their music and setting up bon fires for people to toss their Dixie Chicks CDs, posters, t-shirts, etc. into, they were not covering the death tolls of Iraqis and US soldiers in what would eventually become a hugely unpopular war leading to the over-throwing of both houses of the Congress from Republican control, control they held for more than a decade. The Dixie Chicks could have folded under the pressure. They could have rolled over, apologized, and taken the Toby Keith route writing songs in support of the troops and the President's war machine ensuring the love. They could have sided with their conservative fan base, admitted a mistake, and won back the support of the people who made them superstars. Instead, they fought. They redefined themselves, they toured, they wrote new songs, and they developed new legions of fans. They took an incredible risk to stand up for their beliefs, beliefs that should never have been questioned in the land of the free in the first place. The documentary illustrates the incredible toll these events took on the threesome and their families. Despite some mild infighting, for the most part, the group supported Natalie's position and her right to say and think what she wanted. They took a no holds-barred approach by posing on the cover of Entertainment Weekly in the nude with slogans they'd been called written on their bodies. They never backed down, and they pressed on despite the death threats and the loss of corporate tour sponsors, and the concern they might be dumped by their record label.
The film points to their strengths and in-your-face attitude. Ironically, at any other time in the nation's history, they might have been proclaimed heroes. Instead, they were mocked and belittled to the point of humiliation. Seeing the film forces one to acknowledge that, for the most part, no one stood up for them politically nor in the media. Far too many people, who didn't even know what they had actually said, jumped on the bandwagon designed to bring them down. Few documentary films have ever gotten the emotional side of the artists in such a realistic and thoughtful way as does Shut Up & Sing. It was fascinating to get this level of access to their lives and to see how the events shaped their music and their future. They took a huge risk in deciding not to kowtow to their previous fan base, a fan base that surely owes them a huge, huge, huge apology not because they turned out to be right but because the truly un-patriotic thing, the truly un-American thing is to lead a smear campaign against people just because you disagree with what they say insofar as what they say is protected free speech. Boycott their products if that's what you wish to do, but for the media and the country radio stations especially, to ban their music and for callers to phone in and threaten them etc. was absolutely unconscionable behavior on the part of USA citizens. This documentary provides a stunning look at what can happen when artists take an unpopular position toward war just as The US vs. John Lennon did. The film could have benefited, perhaps, by tighter editing and less repetition of events and ideas. This would have made the documentary flow a bit better. Otherwise, it is a very good film.
The film points to their strengths and in-your-face attitude. Ironically, at any other time in the nation's history, they might have been proclaimed heroes. Instead, they were mocked and belittled to the point of humiliation. Seeing the film forces one to acknowledge that, for the most part, no one stood up for them politically nor in the media. Far too many people, who didn't even know what they had actually said, jumped on the bandwagon designed to bring them down. Few documentary films have ever gotten the emotional side of the artists in such a realistic and thoughtful way as does Shut Up & Sing. It was fascinating to get this level of access to their lives and to see how the events shaped their music and their future. They took a huge risk in deciding not to kowtow to their previous fan base, a fan base that surely owes them a huge, huge, huge apology not because they turned out to be right but because the truly un-patriotic thing, the truly un-American thing is to lead a smear campaign against people just because you disagree with what they say insofar as what they say is protected free speech. Boycott their products if that's what you wish to do, but for the media and the country radio stations especially, to ban their music and for callers to phone in and threaten them etc. was absolutely unconscionable behavior on the part of USA citizens. This documentary provides a stunning look at what can happen when artists take an unpopular position toward war just as The US vs. John Lennon did. The film could have benefited, perhaps, by tighter editing and less repetition of events and ideas. This would have made the documentary flow a bit better. Otherwise, it is a very good film.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Other Projects Featuring Shut Up & Sing (2006)
Cast Members
Natalie Maines
• Emily Robison
• Martie MaguireRick Rubin
• Simon Renshaw• Adrian PasdarCo-Directors
Barbara Kopple
• Cecilia Peck| DVD | VHS | Related Book |
| Related CD | Related DVD | Related DVD |
Shut Up & Sing (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Natalie Maines never could have predicted that fifteen words rattled spontaneously off the tip of her tongue would circle the globe stirring controversy and damaging the reputation of her then reigning country western band, the Dixie Chicks. Co-Directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck have put together a mostly-entertaining documentary called, Shut Up & Sing, detailing the events leading up to and following this poignant example of patriotism run amok and a striking blow directed at the foundations of the USA when law-abiding citizens criticize the government and are immediately labeled unpatriotic and targeted for boycotts, career assassination, and even death. The Dixie Chicks could have folded under the pressure. Instead, they redefined themselves, toured, wrote songs, and developed new legions of fans, taking an incredible risk to stand up for their beliefs. Few documentary films have gotten the emotional side of the artists in such a realistic way.
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