Pete Seeger: The Power of Song

Now 89 years old, Pete Seeger has been many things in the course of his long life: a pioneer of the 1950s-60s folk music boom who popularized tunes that are now a part of the fabric of America (“Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “We Shall Overcome”), a virtuoso banjo player, a civil rights leader, a war protester, and an environmentalist. But one of the most apt descriptions comes from Seeger's own son, who calls him “a misunderstood patriot.” As director Jim Brown's documentary profile makes clear, political controversy has dogged Seeger throughout his career (not that he didn't invite it). Seeger joined the Young Communist League at the age of 17, and was a member of an early group called the Almanac Singers—”a singing labor movement” whose run was interrupted by WWII (in which Seeger served). Seeger was shadowed by the FBI during the Cold War, and his best-known band, the Weavers (who had a huge hit with Leadbelly's “Goodnight Irene”), were brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee, while his pro-civil rights and anti-Vietnam War stances didn't earn him many friends in government either. But Seeger's belief in the inherent goodness of the United States never wavered. Pete Seeger: The Power of Song combines archival stills and film (some shot by Seeger and his family), interviews (with Seeger, Bob Dylan, and dozens more), and extensive concert footage to create a portrait that is both beautifully crafted and inspiring. DVD extras include additional scenes and five short films made by the Seeger family. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Graham)