Say Amen Somebody
by George T. Nierenberg
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Bertha Smith, Billie Barrett Greenbey, Edward O'Neal, Sallie Martin, Willie May Ford SmithDirector: George T. Nierenberg
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Color, NTSC, Original recording reissued
Running Time: 100 minutes
Release Date: 1999-11-16
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Publisher: First Run Features
Studio: First Run Features
VHS Movie Reviews of Say Amen Somebody
Movie Review: Touched and Inspired are the two definitions
Summary: 5 Stars
Touched and Inspired are the two definitions that ultimately sum up the experience and after feeling of watching `Say Amen, Somebody'. A need to be discovered documentary film detailing the rise and cultural embargo of Gospel music. A relative piece of Landmark history in Gospel music. Say Amen, Somebody takes the viewer on a journey of time to witness the great invention of Gospel music at its purest and finest, and be warned its Gospel music not quite as we think we know it today. This journey is led and narrated by Willie May Ford-Smith and Thomas A. Dorson the Two most significant connoisseurs of Gospel Music. Upon this embargo opinion and information of the time is also given by those who were fortunate enough to sideline the movement, of Willie Mae and Thomas, this magnificent duo can only be described as `True Patron Saints'!
If today's young people could only watch this great piece of history and connect with it for just a minute, things would be very different for them as a generation. I am committed to honesty in saying that if today's church were as tenacious and committed as Willie Mae Ford-Smith and Thomas A. Dorsey then the body of Christ and the church of this present day wouldn't be so divided!
The *minute film shows the paths that Gospel music had taken throughout central America starting in Chicago also the hometown of Willie Mae and Thomas, showing how the church of the time would not accept this new type of `blues singing music' called Gospel music, Thomas a spiritual Innovator and Willie Mae an Evangelist have dedicated their lives work to the insemination of Gospel music not only to be accepted into the church but also within main stream culture.
If you do not know Willie Mae Ford or Thomas A. Dorsoy then apparently you do not fully know Gospel music. We all know that you have to know the beginning in order to understand the origins and be able to foresee the future and fully understand a process. A must have for all true Gospel Music fans today
Summary of Say Amen Somebody
Anyone who loves soul music or rhythm & blues probably knows that it all springs from the roots of gospel music. This 1982 documentary by director George T. Nierenberg breaks it all down beautifully as he examines the lives and careers of a handful of since-departed gospel stars, who helped create the genre from which so many other forms of music flowed. Focusing on the aging but still vigorous "Professor" Thomas A. Dorsey and "Mother" Willie Mae Ford, he also offers musical moments by such gospel stalwarts as Sallie Martin and the Barrett Sisters. Live performances are mixed with telling, sometimes touching reminiscences by these pioneers of a musical style, all leading to several striking points: principally, that this energetic music took time to be accepted by the conservatives in the church, and that the music itself has a surprising power to raise spirits and confirm faith. Yet it's all done in a way that is spiritual without being preachy. A truly joyful film. --Marshall FineDocumentary VHS Video
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