Standing in the Shadows of Motown

2002
PG
1h 48m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

Play trailer2:07

2 Videos

24 Photos

Documentary Music

Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 8 wins & 14 nominations

Videos2

Trailer 2:07

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Trailer 0:31

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Trailer 0:31

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Photos24

+ 18

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra got the last credit in the film. The orchestra provided strings and other instrumentation for Motown recording sessions. According to The Funk Brothers member Dennis Coffey in his book, "Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars", this included sessions recorded with a Stradivarius violin played by the orchestra's violin concertmaster, Gordon Staples.

Quotes
Uriel Jones: People would always say everything but the musicians. They would say it was the artists, the producers, the way the building was constructed, the wood in the floor, or maybe even food. But I'd like to see them take some barbecue ribs or hamburgers, anything, and throw down in that studio, shut the door and count off '1,2,3,4' and get a hit out of there. The formula was the musicians!

Crazy credits
After all of the credits roll, we see a few of the Funk Brothers leaving the Snake Pit and turning off the lights.

Connections
Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtracks
Reach Out, I'll Be There
by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (as Edward Holland Jr.)
Performed by Gerald Levert and The Funk Brothers
Gerald Levert appears courtesy of Elektra Records
Used by permission of Jobete Music Co., Inc.
All Rights Reserved

User reviews79

Review

Featured review

9/10

Just beautiful....

At 35, I'm too young too have been around when all this great music first appeared. But I truly feel the Motown music in my soul, always have. I still get goosebumps, to this day, when I hear certain Motown songs.

Therefore, I spent half this film sobbing, for the beauty & genius of the music, the happiness I felt that that Funk Brothers were finally getting their due, and lamenting, as always, that they simply do not make music like this any more, and never will again.

Beautifully filmed, fascinating....if it doesn't move you, or get you moving, you must be comatose.