20 Feet from Stardom
{{Short description|2013 American documentary film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = 20 Feet from Stardom
| image = Twenty Feet From Stardom poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Morgan Neville
| producer = Gil Friesen
Caitrin Rogers
Michael Ross
Steve Jacobs
| starring = Darlene Love
Merry Clayton
Lisa Fischer
Judith Hill
Jo Lawry
Claudia Lennear
Tata Vega
| cinematography = Nicola Marsh
Graham Willoughby
| editing = Kevin Klauber
Jason Zeldes
| music = Various Artists
| studio = Tremolo Productions
Gil Friesen Productions
| distributor = RADiUS-TWC
| released = {{Film date|2013|01|17|Sundance|2013|06|14|United States}}
| runtime = 90 minutes{{cite web|title=20 FEET FROM STARDOM (12A)|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/twenty-feet-stardom-film|work=Altitude Film Distribution|publisher=British Board of Film Classification|date=January 28, 2014|access-date=January 28, 2014|archive-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227034503/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/twenty-feet-stardom-film|url-status=live}}
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $1 million
}}
20 Feet from Stardom is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Morgan Neville{{cite news|last=Caplan|first=B.|title=Twenty Feet From Stardom Director Morgan Neville on His Own 'Cinderella Moment'|url=http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/cultist/2013/03/director_morgan_neville_on_pos.php|newspaper=Miami New Times|date=March 13, 2013|access-date=May 1, 2013|archive-date=December 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224115439/http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/cultist/2013/03/director_morgan_neville_on_pos.php|url-status=dead}} and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film.{{cite news|last=Van Syckle|first=Katie|title=Backup Singer Documentary 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Set for Summer Release|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/backup-singer-documentary-twenty-feet-from-stardom-set-for-summer-release-20130128|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=January 28, 2013|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-date=December 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205042149/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/backup-singer-documentary-twenty-feet-from-stardom-set-for-summer-release-20130128|url-status=live}} Using archival footage and new interviews, it details the behind-the-scenes experiences of such backup singers as Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Jo Lawry, Claudia Lennear, and Tata Vega. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards, 23 years after In the Shadow of the Stars (1991), a similar documentary that focused on the members of an opera chorus, won the same award.
Lisa Fischer has said of backup singing: "I reject the notion that the job you excel at is somehow not enough to aspire to, that there has to be something more. I love supporting other artists." She added: "Some people will do anything to be famous. I just wanted to sing."{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|title=The Voice Behind Mick (and Others)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/movies/the-voice-behind-mick-and-others.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 7, 2013|access-date=February 26, 2017|archive-date=March 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327075855/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/movies/the-voice-behind-mick-and-others.html|url-status=live}}
In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It is the eighth film designated in its first year of eligibility, as well as the second most recently released film in the Registry.{{Cite web |last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |date=2023-12-13 |title=National Film Registry: 'Apollo 13', 'Home Alone', 'Terminator 2', '12 Years A Slave' Among 25 Titles Added This Year |url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/national-film-registry-2023-list-apollo-13-home-alone-terminator-2-12-years-a-slave-1235665956/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Cast
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
- Lou Adler
- Stevvi Alexander
- Patti Austin
- Chris Botti
- Merry Clayton
- Sheryl Crow
- Lisa Fischer
- Susaye Greene
- Judith Hill
- Mick Jagger
- Mable John
- Gloria Jones
- David Lasley
- Jo Lawry
- Claudia Lennear
- Darlene Love
- Lynn Mabry
- Bette Midler
- Cindy Mizelle
- Janice Pendarvis
- Nicki Richards
- Bruce Springsteen
- Sting
- Rose Stone (née Stewart)
- Tata Vega
- Martha Wash
- The Waters (Oren, Julia, and Maxine Waters)
- Stevie Wonder
{{div col end}}
;Archival footage
{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}
- David Bowie
- Ray Charles
- Ava Cherry
- Michael Jackson
- Elton John
- Tom Jones
- David Letterman
- Kylie Minogue
- Ike & Tina Turner
- Luther Vandross
{{div col end}}
Release
On January 17, 2013, 20 Feet from Stardom premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was acquired by Radius-The Weinstein Company at the festival and was released nationwide in the United States on June 14, 2013.{{cite magazine|last=Lee|first=Stephan|title=MOVIE PREVIEW Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20693475,00.html|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 28, 2013|archive-date=May 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507083935/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20693475,00.html|url-status=dead}} The film was acquired for international distribution by Elle Driver / Wild Bunch.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=Elle Driver Buys Foreign On 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'|url=https://deadline.com/2013/01/elle-driver-buys-foreign-on-twenty-feet-from-stardom-408839/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=June 20, 2013|archive-date=August 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821051955/http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/elle-driver-buys-foreign-on-twenty-feet-from-stardom/|url-status=live}} Some of the many other film festivals that screened the film in 2013 include South by Southwest Film Festival, True/False Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Philadelphia Music Film Festival, RiverRun Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Montclair Film Festival.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twenty-feet-from-stardom |title=20 Feet from Stardom |website=Metacritic |date=June 14, 2013 |access-date=August 27, 2013 |archive-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907195357/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/twenty-feet-from-stardom |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/twenty-feet-stardom-sundance-review-413598 |first=Justin |last=Lowe |title=Twenty Feet From Stardom |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 18, 2013 |access-date=August 27, 2013 |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330045054/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/twenty-feet-stardom-sundance-review-413598 |url-status=live }}{{IMDb title|2396566|20 Feet from Stardom}}{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/twenty-feet-from-stardom-1117949005 |first=Peter |last=Debruge |title=Twenty Feet from Stardom |work=Variety |date=January 18, 2013 |access-date=August 27, 2013 |archive-date=July 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720080614/http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/twenty-feet-from-stardom-1117949005/ |url-status=live }}
Reception
=Box office=
=Critical reception=
20 Feet from Stardom received critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 99% approval rating based on 129 reviews, with an average score of 8.0/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Rich, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking, 20 Feet From Stardom is an energetic tribute to the passion, talent, and hard work of backup singers."{{cite web
|title=20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/20_feet_from_stardom/
|website=Rotten Tomatoes
|access-date=April 15, 2014
|archive-date=April 14, 2014
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414184021/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/20_feet_from_stardom/
|url-status=live
}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |title=20 Feet from Stardom Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twenty-feet-from-stardom |website=Metacritic |access-date=December 20, 2013 |archive-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907195357/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/twenty-feet-from-stardom |url-status=live }}
The Ithaca Times compared the film to the 2012 book The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret, which focuses on uncredited studio musicians from the same era as the one that features most prominently in the film.{{cite news |title=Review: 20 Feet From Stardom |date=January 30, 2014 |first=Bryan |last=VanCampen |work=Ithaca Times |url=http://www.ithaca.com/arts_and_entertainment/review-feet-from-stardom/article_2e238c8e-89b6-11e3-ad72-001a4bcf887a.html |access-date=December 18, 2014 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915174155/https://www.ithaca.com/arts_and_entertainment/review-feet-from-stardom/article_2e238c8e-89b6-11e3-ad72-001a4bcf887a.html |url-status=live }}
=Accolades=
At the 86th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 2, 2014, the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/10667839/Oscars-2014-live.html|title=Oscars 2014: live|date=March 2, 2014|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=March 3, 2014|archive-date=March 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303015858/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/10667839/Oscars-2014-live.html|url-status=live}} It also won the award for Best Documentary Film at the 19th Critics' Choice Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/17/gravity-critics-choice-movie-awards |title=Gravity tops Critics' Choice Movie Awards with seven wins |date=March 17, 2013 |work=The Guardian |access-date=March 3, 2014 |archive-date=March 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303194036/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/17/gravity-critics-choice-movie-awards |url-status=live }} At the 57th Grammy Awards, the film won the award for Best Music Film.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20140222214507/http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com/}}
- {{IMDb title|2396566}}
- {{mojo title|20feetfromstardom|20 Feet from Stardom}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|20_feet_from_stardom|20 Feet from Stardom}}
- {{Metacritic film|title=20 Feet from Stardom}}
{{Morgan Neville}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for 20 Feet from Stardom
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestDocumentaryFeature 2001–2020}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Documentary}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Music Film}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:20 Feet From Stardom}}
Category:2013 documentary films
Category:American documentary films
Category:American independent films
Category:Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
Category:Documentary films about singers
Category:Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
Category:Films directed by Morgan Neville
Category:2013 independent films
Category:Documentary films about the music industry
Category:2010s English-language films
Category:Grammy Award for Best Music Film winners
Category:English-language documentary films