The documentary film Muscle Shoals is a beautifully shot and edited film directed with sensitivity and class by Greg “Freddy” Camalier. Muscle Shoals is a town on the Tennessee River in Alabama where cotton grows and the river, as described by early Native Americans, is said to sing to those who will listen. The film opens with a montage of strong visual imagery of the Muscle Shoals area, the sky, the fields and the Tennessee River in places around the shoals where you might hear it sing.
It’s not surprising that the most amazing thing to come out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama is music. There appears to be something special here that attracted new artists, famous musicians and bands to record in this place. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Picket, Bono, Alicia Keys, Steve Winwood, Gregg Allman, Clarence Carter, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Jimmy Cliff, Percy Sledge, and many others have worked with Rick Hall and/or the Swampers to create great music that’s part of the American music legacy. Muscle Shoals is a must see documentary for anyone interested in hearing some excellent music or just wanting to watch an entertaining and informative nonfiction film.
There are many elements that make any film, fiction or nonfiction special. Cinematography and Editing are two of those elements. Stunning images of the Muscle Shoals area, the interviewees, and the studios interspersed with archival footage and photographs, give Muscle Shoals, the documentary, a unique and special quality that takes the viewer to that sleepy, agrarian, southern town where so much music was somehow created. This is where the story begins.
Muscle Shoals, population today, about 13,000, makes it the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama. Both the city and the Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area are commonly called “The Shoals.” Rick Hall grew up in the area and founded Fame Recording Studio. Without Rick Hall there is no music coming out Muscle Shoals. Rick Hall is responsible for creating the first recording studio in Muscle Shoals; later three musicians, known as the “Swampers,” who worked with Rick at the Fame Recording Studio, left and started Muscle Shoals Sound with the help of Gerry Wexler. This threatened to bury Rick Hall’s dream.
Rick Hall, today, looks and talks like a “good ole boy” from Alabama. If you met him somewhere you might not guess his occupation is Record Producer/Engineer. He grew up dirt poor, with one idea that his Father instilled him. “Be the very best at whatever you do.” Rick said he grew up “wanting to be special, to be somebody.” His life has never been without ups and downs.
A lot of good, talented people have dreams and passions that never come to pass. They get diverted, maybe successful in some other endeavor, never realizing the goal of which they dreamed. This is especially true in the music entertainment business. Rick Hall stayed on course and Muscle Shoals is his story and the story of the music that was created as a result of his passion. What’s been accomplished by Rick and others in Muscle Shoals is not something money can buy. It takes dedication and an uncompromising drive as seen in this film.
An other element that makes a great documentary is the audio, how it’s recorded, edited and mixed with the visual side of the movie. Muscle Shoals succeeds in this area, with great use of the music that was recorded in both recording studios. The interviews in Muscle Shoals were shot in a variety of locations that give an added dimension to the actual interview. They are conversational and keep the pace of the story going. Interviews with scores of artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals and with the musicians and engineers who did the recording are skillfully woven into the documentary.
Muscle Shoals brings the viewer into the spirit and life of the people involved. It’s a journey and exploration into the special role Rick Hall, all the musicians and Muscle Shoals itself played in creating a unique genre of music. In the film Bono says, “that this sound made it through to even Ireland and Britain and we felt the blood in that, we felt the sort of pulse and we wanted some you know.” ” …It’s like it came out of the mud.”
Muscle Shoals is an exceptionally well-made documentary that explores the notion of creating a dream that takes on it’s own life, creating and nurturing the talents of others somehow in a time and place. This documentary is a must see for anyone that’s interested in a good nonfiction story, great music and the portrait of people who make things happen.
Muscle Shoals – 111 minutes – 2013 – Directed by Greg “Freddy” Camalier, Anthony Arendt DP – Editor – Richard Lowe. Distributed by Magnolia Home Entertainment – Available in DVD and BluRay.
Review by J R Martin – Author Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia
Trailer
LINKS
[amazon_image id=”B00H3JHE0K” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Muscle Shoals [Blu-ray][/amazon_image]
[amazon_image id=”0982702329″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Documentary Storytelling Techniques for Film, Video, the Internet and Digital Media Projects.[/amazon_image]