20 Feet From Stardom
Starring: Morgan Neville
Rating: 5/5
20 Feet From Stardom is a documentary that just about everyone has been talking about since it started screening on the festival circuit last year.
The movie was nominated for an Oscar, and now it is coming to the big screen this week. Believe me when I tell you, this is a film that is not to be missed.
What would a pop song be without the riffs, refrains, and harmonies of its backup vocalists? Although these singers are usually relegated to the margins, and few, if any, become household names, their work has defined countless songs that remain in our hearts and collective consciousness.
Twenty Feet from Stardom juxtaposes interviews with industry legends (Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, and others) and the relative unknowns who support them like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, and Judith Hill as they illuminate the art of melding their own distinct voices with lead vocals and reveal their desires for careers as solo artists.
This documentary really does live up to all the hype, as it is a fascinating, insightful, and incredibly rich film.
Morgan Neville's really does put these wonderfully talented background singers well and truly in the spotlight: which is really where they should be.
These larger than life characters have worked with some of music's biggest names and been part of some of the most iconic tracks in history.
For the first time, we are taken into the lives of these singers, the great times and difficulties that they faced: as well as the dreams that they would also have success in their own right on day.
The likes of Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger also speak about the singers that they have worked with over the years; the admiration that they have for these singers really does shine through.
20 Feet From Stardom really is a trip back in history, and really highlights how essential the backing singers have been over the years. The soundtrack to this film is also wonderful.
From start to finish, 20 Feet From Stardom is a movie that will keep you totally and utterly captivated. You will marvel at the talent of these singers, as well as feel frustrated that many of them were not recognised in their own right.
This really is an aspiring film about dreams, and holding on to them no matter what life throws at you.
20 Feet From Stardom is a documentary that you cannot miss, it leaves you with a better understanding of the huge impact that they had on the music industry.
20 Feet From Stardom is out now.