Only the Strong Survive

Old bluesmen, unlike old soldiers, do not fade away. They keep on performing, as long as anyone wants to listen, and even afterwards. D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus meet up with veteran Motown musicians, talk with them, and record some of their performances.

Sometimes I can't comment usefully on a movie because it is so alien to me. Since I was going through adolescence at Motown's peak, it's just the opposite; I can't comment usefully because these are the songs and performers at a time when I was figuring out who I was, and so I am hopelessly biased in favor of them. Their performances seem just as strong as they ever did, and their time in the spotlight seems even more joyous than ever before.

But how grey and old they've gotten!

Taken from R&B pioneer Jerry Butler's most enduring hit, the title of this upbeat, soulful documentary provides an evolution of R&B in the cities across the nation where soul music flourished between 1960 and 1975.

Opening with 82 year old Rufus Thomas, referred to as Memphis' "Other King," he was still broadcasting his popular weekly program in Memphis, credited with giving soul music and R&B its start, moving on to Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and Detroit. A legend in his own right, as a disc jockey, Rufus was the first to play Elvis Presley records for black audiences.

Loaded with incredible concert footage, the performers prove that they can still enthrall audiences in an undiminished capacity years after their peak of popularity. The ageless Wilson Pickett is mesmerizing as ever on stage, while Jerry Butler croons a smooth love song. Sam Moore is truly electrifying, especially when he performs "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby." Isaac Hayes is honored, calling attention to his major role at Stax Records, where he wrote or co-wrote many of its major hits. Most touching is Rufus Thomas, who recently died at 84, in a duet with daughter Carla on "Night Time Is the Right Time." Sam Moore recalls his dark days as a drug pusher, and despite his age (and a triple bypass) Rufus Thomas delivers a dynamic performance (sadly, he died in December 2001, just as "Only the Strong Survive" was being completed for its premiere at Sundance).

This graceful film also showcases soul music legends Mary Wilson, the Chi-Lites, Carla Thomas and Ann Peebles, exuding a lack of bitterness and gratefulness for the good things and a relentless energy to continue on with their talents as the true artists that they are.

Seeing all these familiar faces and hearing all of those familiar tunes was a trip back to an exciting time in American music. The most difficult part of watching this movie was to control the urge to sing along and to keep my fingers from snapping and my hands from applauding. Several others in the audience couldn't fight those urges!

Directors Chris Hegedes and D.A. Pennebaker's documentary, while not clarifying more about the musicians, evoke a bygone era and the glorious music these artists we see in the film gave us.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to the talented performers showcased in the film. They gave the American public, and the world at large, some of the best songs of the 20th century. Their stories are presented for their fans to cherish. We remember how great these artists were. These performers take us back to many hours of pure entertainment they gave to their adoring fans and how generous they were with their enormous talent.

We see in the movie giants of the popular music such as William Bell, Jerry Butler, The Chi-Lites, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Ann Peebles, Wilson Pickett, Mary Wilson, Carla Thomas. among others.

Their stories and recollections are captured in the documentary. This is a film to cherish by all popular music lovers.

Fans of soul music of the sixties and seventies will thank Miramax Films for bringing this work to the screen. Mogul Harvey Weinstein, who amasses a number of Oscars each year, including Chicago for 2002 Best Picture, could have made a lot more money with other films. I suspect he loves this music as much as I do, and he appears briefly in the movie.

Legends Jerry Butler, Wilson Pickett, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Isaac Hayes, the Chilites (all original members) and Carla Thomas are seen as they are now in their early sixties. This picture was made in 1999, and Rufus Thomas, who appears in the film, passed away in 2001 at 84. They perform their vintage hit songs, are interviewed, and reminisce about their early days with Stax Records, Motown's competitor. All are doing well, although they've gained weight. Jerry Butler, the Iceman, sings his classics: the title song and For Your Precious Love. We learn he returned to college in his fifties, and is now a Commissioner in Chicago. Hayes (Shaft) and Butler retain their strong, rich voices. We're also treated to a cameo archive of Otis Redding.

This film reminds me of its close relative, Standing in the Shadow of Motown. That work is richer in exploring the lives of cast members, and elicits from them more heartfelt emotions of what it was like socially, politically and musically to grow up in Detroit in the 1960s. The locale here is Memphis. That movie, however, focuses less on the hit singers, but on the outstanding back-up band, the Funk Brothers. This show features more songs by original artists, but shorter versions of each, whereas Standing includes younger performers doing the complete soundtrack of just a few Motown classics like Heat Wave. Each picture powerfully recreates that wonderful era of soul music in our own salad days.

If there's a film maker who wants to complete the trilogy, he could focus next on the Philadelphia sound of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Billy Paul, Archie Bell and the Drells, MFSB, the O'Jays, Stylistics, Three Degrees, Lou Rawls, etc. I'm waiting eagerly.