Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5535 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Synopsis
In 2003, female country group the Dixie Chicks ignited a maelstrom of controversy when, on the eve of the Iraq war, lead singer Natalie Maines publicly decried President George W. Bush, stating that she was ashamed he was from her home state of Texas. This was seen by many as an incendiary statement and caused a swift right-wing backlash. The band suddenly found themselves at the centre of a row over patriotism, freedom of speech, feminism, and the split between pro and anti-war Americans. It also raised concerns over politically-minded singers and actors who use their celebrity status as a platform for propaganda. SHUT UP AND SING (a tongue-in-cheek swipe at their detractors) is the next chapter in the Dixie Chicks saga; a fly-on-the-wall account of the band’s fall from grace and subsequent rise. Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple (AMERICAN DREAM, HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.) captures Maines and her bandmate-sisters as they tour the U.S. and London between 2003 and 2006. It’s interesting to see how, despite their defiant liberal stance, the Chicks succeed in turning a PR disaster into a commercial triumph. The film is interspersed with footage of the band performing live on stage and in the studio, proving perhaps that the girls should stick to their day jobs and leave politics to the politicians.

Customer Reviews

The american way?
First off I have to say that I am a massive Dixie Chicks fan. I have all their albums and I honestly think that they have some of the greatest songs ever written.

This is a documentary about how things went wrong for them after the lead singer spoke her mind on the American President.
The biggest selling female group of all time. Then their music was banned from many stations in the US. Things were looking bad and I guess that things will never be the same for them, but you have to respect them for not backing down.

You get a great insight into how the dixies make music, what they went through when there was a death threat hanging over them............................... Its just a great doc about a band going through hard times and trying to find a way out without going back on what they believe in.

This is not a movie, this is real life. This proves that there is no such thing as free speech.

Free speech and the Land of the Free - Not!
I already knew the story of Natalie Maines comment about George W. Bush in the UK in March 2003. If a UK artist on tour in the US or anywhere else for that matter had made a similar comment about Tony Blair - I cannot imagine more than passing discussion in the UK.
I am a Dixie Chicks fan - I love all their albums and particularly 'Taking the Long Way' and I understood the sentiments behind 'Not Ready To Make Nice', what I had failed to understand is the significance of some of the lyrics in the rest of the album.
This film highlights the furore which followed the reporting of the comment, the bigoted, small-minded actions of a few (I would like to think) Americans, but when you witness the sheer scale of the protests, including the trashing and steam-rollering of their CDs, by their 'fans', and the boycotting of country radio, it suddenly becomes more than a documentary, more like a social commentary and harkens back to the book burnings of Nazi Germany. Free speech - not even close, it cost them a great deal.
Ask yourself the question, what would you do if you were the subject of protests, pilloried as a traitor to your country, had your livelihood and your actual lives threatened?
See the film, I only hope if I was ever in this position, I could be as brave and resolute as the Dixie Chicks, who I hope will forgive the non-country reference because they truly rock!

Land of the free?
I initially wanted to see this documentary because I'm a fan of the band and couldnt quite believe what happened to them after the lead singer made an off-hand comment in 2003 criticising George W. Bush.

After watching it what worried me more than what happened to the band was the sheer numbers of people willing to denounce them and their music in the name of blind, unquestioning patriotism.

In the so called land of the free it appears you still cant criticise the president without the right wing wackos threatening your life.

The mentality of those involved in attacking the band is portrayed vividly here, from mothers teaching their young children anti-Chicks chants using swear words to death threats to the genius who actually wrote "shut up and sing."

That said I think the band members dont get off scot-free here; there are moments when they are stubborn and naive and court controversy.

As for the film making; the mixed up chronology used to build to a climax is ultimately effective but quite distracting and there are moments where it gets off topic but all in all it is a good document of events.

Rather than being a straight up music documentary this is more an addition to the debate on free-speech and patriotism in a time of a war that has been questioned like none other in history. The band come out in a mostly positive light and appear to be carving their own path through a mine-field of controversy that they claim not to have wanted but certainly do nothing to avoid.

Even if you dont like country music this is still a worth-while watch, worth it alone for the final words from the band, a sentiment I'm sure many will share.