Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing
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| Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing | |
|---|---|
 Shut Up and Sing original poster. |
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| Directed by | Barbara Kopple Cecilia Peck |
| Produced by | Barbara Kopple Cecilia Peck Claude Davies David Cassidy David Becker (associate producer) Kelly Brennan (associate producer) Craig Hymson (associate producer) Daniel Voll (consulting producer) |
| Starring | Martie Maguire Natalie Maines Emily Robison Adrian Pasdar Rick Rubin George W. Bush (footage) Simon Renshaw Gareth Maguire |
| Music by | Dixie Chicks |
| Cinematography | Chris Burrill Joan Churchill Seth Gordon Gary Griffin Luis Lopez Darrin Roberts |
| Editing by | Michael Culyba Bob Eisenhardt Aaron Kuhn Emma Morris Jean Tsien |
| Distributed by | The Weinstein Company |
| Release date(s) |  September 12, 2006 (Toronto Film Festival) October 27, 2006 (limited release) November 10, 2006 (wide release) |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (also known simply as Shut Up and Sing) is a 2006 documentary film produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.
The film follows the Texas-based country music band the Dixie Chicks over the three years while they were under fire after lead singer Natalie Maines publicly insulted the current President of the United States George W. Bush in a 2003 concert in London.
- Tagline: Freedom of speech is fine, as long as you don't do it in public.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film opens by reviewing the Dixie Chicks' status before the London show. They had sold more albums in the United States than any other female band in history and were at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with their new single "Travelin' Soldier", a sensitive depiction of a soldier's life during the Vietnam War era. The film then shows the London concert in an atmosphere of dramatic opposition to the War in Iraq; earlier that day, approximately 1 million people had collected at a public demonstration in London against the war. During the concert, lead singer Natalie Maines tells the audience the band does not support the war in Iraq and conveys that they are ashamed that President Bush is from Texas. When the media in London publishes the remarks, conservative groups in the U.S. rallied against the Chicks and a firestorm of criticism followed. The film conveys the open hostility directed at the band and their reaction. The band is not sure if they should "shut up and sing" or stand by their convictions and let more sparks fly. They end up standing by their comments but trying to keep the combative comments to a minimum so their legacy will not be politics, but music.[citation needed]
The film also illustrates the day-to-day life of the Chicks. It shows them with their husbands and their children, at home in Texas and in the recording studio in Los Angeles, getting their hair and makeup done before appearances, exchanging ribald remarks with each other, and writing song lyrics and working on musical arrangements. Simon Renshaw, the group's longtime manager, is the focus of many scenes as he attempts to guide the Chicks through the vicissitudes of the music industry.
The title of the film is a lyric from the Dixie Chicks' 2006 post-controversy single "Not Ready to Make Nice" (from the album Taking the Long Way), which in turn referred to the criticism and hate mail received by the band for their political statements. Commentator Laura Ingraham made the same reference in the title of her book Shut Up & Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the U.N. are Subverting America.
The tagline of the film, "freedom of speech is fine as long as you don't do it in public", is a reference to a scene in which an interviewed protester says "freedom of speech is fine but by God you don't do it outside of the country and you don't do it in mass publicly".
[edit] Release dates
September 30 2006 (Aspen Film Festival)
- October 15 2006 (Woodstock Film Festival)
October 17 2006 (Rome Film Fest)
- October 19 2006 (Austin Film Festival)
October 25 2006 (London Film Festival)
- October 27 2006 (limited release)
- November 10 2006 (wide release)
March 16 2007 (Thessaloniki Documentaries Festival)
- March 16 2007 (expected)
March 29 2007 (expected)
[edit] Controversy
In October 2006, the film's distributor, The Weinstein Company, announced that NBC had refused to air the TV advertisements for the film, stating that it was following a "policy of not broadcasting ads that deal with issues of public controversy". NBC publicly acknowledged the decision but claimed that it was willing to work with Weinstein to find an acceptable alternative.[1] At the same time, the distributor also claimed that The CW had refused to air these advertisements, citing "concerns we do not have appropriate programming in which to schedule this spot". That network later said its statement was merely an opinion on whether its target audience would respond to the ad, and that it would have accepted the ads if Weinstein had actually bought commercial time.[2]
At the time, CBS was the only major television network to have agreed to air the ads for the film, according to a Weinstein spokesperson, who said the company was also waiting on responses from ABC and FOX.[3] It is not clear which decision either network ultimately made. However, individual stations affiliated with all five networks, including some owned by NBC, aired the ad during local ad time.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Box office
The film opened in New York City and Los Angeles on October 27 2006 in only 4 theatres. In its first week it grossed an average of US$50,103. In its sixth week (38 days after its original release) the film expanded to its widest release, being shown at 84 theaters.
As of January 17 2007, the film has a total domestic gross of almost $2 million dollars, which makes it the 64th highest-grossing documentary in the United States.
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing has been officially released only in the U.S., with the exception being some film festivals around Europe and North America. However, it has an expected release date of March 16 in the United Kingdom and of March 29 2007 in the Netherlands.
- Total domestic gross: US$1,197,507 (Estimate).[4]
[edit] Reviews
Critical reaction to the film has been positive. At the time of its release, it had a 93% rating at the Rotten Tomatoes. As of February 15, 2007, it had a 91% rating, being "certified fresh."[5] It also has a 91% rating from the "Cream of the Crop" reviewers.
Shut Up and Sing has received positive reviews from major American publications such as Rolling Stone,[6] The New Yorker,[7] Entertainment Weekly,[8] Chicago Tribune,[9] Variety,[10] Time,[11] USA Today,[12] New York Post,[13] The Wall Street Journal,[14] TV Guide,[15] San Francisco Chronicle',[16] Newsweek,[17] LA Weekly[18] and The Washington Post.[19] It was also very well received by Richard Roeper of the television program Ebert & Roeper.[20]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Aspen Film Festival
- Audience Award - Favorite Documentary (won)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
- Best Documentary (won, tied with Deliver Us From Evil)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Documentary Feature (nominated)
- Best Song – "The Neighbor" (nominated)
- Chicago International Film Festival
- Special Jury Prize (won)
- Online Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Documentary (nominated)
- San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Documentary (won)
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
- Wyatt Award for the film that best captures the "spirit of the South" (won)
- Woodstock Film Festival
- Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature (won, tied with Beyond Conviction)
[edit] Poster
The theatrical poster of the film borrowed a picture of the band from a widely-known Entertainment Weekly cover, in which they are featured in the nude, with their privates cleverly hidden. On the U.S. version of the poster, however, the "nudity" was edited out and towels are seen over their nude bodies. The writings, which were originally on their bodies, were transferred to the towels. The Canadian poster used the original photo, with no towels added.
[edit] Rating
The documentary received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for strong language.[21]
[edit] DVD release
The DVD of the film was released on February 20, 2007.[22]
[edit] References
- ^ Dixie Chicks film ad sparks row BBC, October 28, 2006
- ^ Prickly Peacock nixes Chicks, Variety, October 26, 2006
- ^ NBC rejects TV ads for Dixie Chicks film, David Bauder, USA Today, September 28
- ^ Shut Up and Sing at the Box Office Mojo
- ^ Shut Up and Sing at the Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Shut Up and Sing review, Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, October 27 2006
- ^ http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/5E7AAC791A4783A7005B478F
- ^ Shut Up & Sing movie review, Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, October 25
- ^ Movie review: Shut Up & Sing, Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
- ^ Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing, Phil Gallo, Variety, September 5 2006
- ^ The Dixie Chicks and the Good Soldiers, Richard Corliss, Time, September 17 2006
- ^ Dixie Chicks open up in 'Shut Up' , Claudia Puig, USA Today, October 26 2006
- ^ AMID CLUCKING, DIXIE CHICKS RISE UP, Lou Lumenick, New York Post
- ^ Film review, Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal (Members only)
- ^ Full Review - Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing, Angel Cohn, TV Guide
- ^ Defiant Dixie Chicks speak their minds in 'Shut Up and Sing' , Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, November 17 2006
- ^ Movies: With the Chicks, David Ansen, Newsweek, November 6 2006
- ^ Film reviews, Ella Taylor and others, LA Weekly, November 1 2006
- ^ Shut Up & Sing, Stephen Hunter, Washington Post, November 16
- ^ (Sound file), Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
- ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809743756/info
- ^ http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/02/21/015847.php
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official MySpace page
- Live performance by the Dixie Chicks of "Not ready to make nice"
- Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing at the Internet Movie Database
- Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing at the Rotten Tomatoes
- The GATE's Photo Gallery - 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Press Conference
- The fall and rise of the Dixie Chicks
- Watch Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing trailer
- Watch Dixie Chicks: Shut Up And Sing New York Premiere at independentfilm.com
| Dixie Chicks |
|---|
| Natalie Maines | Emily Robison | Martie Maguire |
| Laura Lynch | Robin Lynn Macy |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans | Little Ol' Cowgirl | Shouldn't a Told You That | Wide Open Spaces | Fly | Home | Taking the Long Way |
| Live videos: An Evening with the Dixie Chicks | Top of the World Tour: Live |
| Documentary: Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing |
| Tours: Fly Tour | Top of the World Tour | Vote for Change | Accidents & Accusations Tour |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | American propaganda films | 2006 films | American documentary films | Dixie Chicks | English-language films | Independent films | Music documentary films | Political films | The Weinstein Company films
