Dan Sturman Movies
- 2009
Soundtrack for a Revolution takes a look at the American civil rights movement, focusing on the role that music--spiritiuals and protest songs--played, as the backdrop and the inspiration for the pickets, sit-ins and demonstrations of the turbulent era. Directors Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, whose previous documentary looked at Japanese Army's atrocities against the Chinese people in Nanking, here blend images from the time and interviews with participants with new footage of contemporary artists performing the inspirational songs. Interviewees include Harry Belafonte, John Lewis, Andrew Young, and Julian Bond, and the documentary includes performances by John Legend, Joss Stone, and Angie Stone. The film examines such pivotal moments as the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington, and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Through old footage and interviews, spirituals like "Wade in the Water" and "We Shall Not Be Moved," and folk songs like Phil Ochs's "Here's to the State of Mississippi" are each connected to specific aspects or moments of the movement. Danny Glover was the executive producer of the film. Soundtrack for a Revolution had its World Premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Filmmaker Bill Guttentag takes a closer look at the atrocities committed by the Japanese after Nanking fell to the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937 with this documentary that was inspired by Iris Chang's novel The Rape of Nanking. Compiled from over 700 hours of footage including news-reel footage, interviews with survivors and soldiers, and staged readings, Nanking was financed in large by millionaire Ted Leonsis, who had read Chang's obituary and subsequently been prompted to read the author's best-selling account of the massacre. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugo Armstrong, Rosalind Chao, (more)
