Watch 50 Years with Peter Paul and Mary
- 2016
- 1 hr 17 min
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7.5 (23)
This movie is a powerful documentary that takes us on a journey through the iconic band Peter, Paul, and Mary's 50-year career in music. Fans of folk music will be enchanted by this comprehensive and detailed documentary that showcases the band's timeless music, political activism, and personal lives. The movie begins by introducing us to the band's early days in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s. We get to see how Mary Travers, Peter Yarrow, and Noel Paul Stookey met, formed the trio, and began their climb to stardom. The movie features interviews with many of the band's contemporaries, including Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who help paint a picture of what the scene was like during those early days.
From there, the movie takes us through the band's many highs and lows throughout their career. We get to see some of their most memorable moments, including their legendary performance at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where they sang "Blowin' in the Wind" and "If I Had a Hammer" in front of a crowd of more than 200,000 people.
The movie also delves into the band's personal lives, with in-depth interviews with Travers, Yarrow, and Stookey themselves, as well as their friends and family. The movie explores how the band's politics were formed both by the social movements of the 1960s and by their own individual backgrounds and beliefs. Travers, for example, was the daughter of an pacifist activist, which helped shape her own anti-war stance.
Throughout the movie, we get to hear some of the band's most beloved hits, including "Puff, the Magic Dragon," "Leaving on a Jet Plane," and "If I Had a Hammer." These songs have become such an integral part of American culture that it's hard to listen to them and not feel a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time.
The movie also covers some of the band's more difficult moments, such as their decision to break up in 1970, and their eventual reunification in 1978. We get a sense of the personal struggles the band members went through during these times, as well as the musical and political influences that shaped their reunion.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the movie is how it shows the band's legacy continuing years after their prime. We get to see how their music has been continually covered by newer generations of folk musicians, as well as how their activism continues to inspire new movements for social change.
Overall, 50 Years with Peter Paul and Mary is a heartwarming and insightful documentary that perfectly captures the music, politics, and spirit of a true American institution. Whether you're a lifelong fan of the band, or just discovering their music for the first time, this movie is a must-watch for anyone interested in the history of folk music, and the impact it has had on our country's cultural landscape.
50 Years with Peter Paul and Mary is a 2016 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 17 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.5.