The life and career of the renowned singer are highlighted in this documentary.
The footage is amazing in this film. It not only includes many excerpts of Ronstadt performing at her best (what an amazing voice!) but there is also footage of her years as a young child with her very musical family. While her well-known hits are performed (and enjoyed), there are a couple of pleasant surprises: she has a superb opera voice that was used in a production of "The Pirates of Penzance"; and her take on traditional Mexican music (reflecting part of her heritage) also made great use of her very powerful vocal talents.
Much of the footage, like in most documentaries, includes praise from Ronstadt's contemporaries. While the praise is certainly worthy, it sometimes feels like there is too much of it and not enough of the downside that is inevitable in a life of constant success. To be fair, Ronstadt did rather well compared to others who rose to fame in the 60s and was a superstar in the 70s. Her drug use was minimal and she successfully avoided traps that snagged many others. Also, there is no coverage of a time during the Iraq War when she expressed her political views onstage and was banned at the Las Vegas venue where she was performing at the time. Inclusion of this part of her history would have added more variety to the film.
But something even more important is missing through much of the film. Ronstadt's voice is rarely heard during the many interviews. Most of the time, her face is never seen. The final segment of the movie makes up for the imbalances and gaps of the majority of the film but it would have been a richer experience if the film had dwelt more on what was revealed at the end regarding her current life situation.
Nevertheless, the film is a fine tribute to a great artist.
The footage is amazing in this film. It not only includes many excerpts of Ronstadt performing at her best (what an amazing voice!) but there is also footage of her years as a young child with her very musical family. While her well-known hits are performed (and enjoyed), there are a couple of pleasant surprises: she has a superb opera voice that was used in a production of "The Pirates of Penzance"; and her take on traditional Mexican music (reflecting part of her heritage) also made great use of her very powerful vocal talents.
Much of the footage, like in most documentaries, includes praise from Ronstadt's contemporaries. While the praise is certainly worthy, it sometimes feels like there is too much of it and not enough of the downside that is inevitable in a life of constant success. To be fair, Ronstadt did rather well compared to others who rose to fame in the 60s and was a superstar in the 70s. Her drug use was minimal and she successfully avoided traps that snagged many others. Also, there is no coverage of a time during the Iraq War when she expressed her political views onstage and was banned at the Las Vegas venue where she was performing at the time. Inclusion of this part of her history would have added more variety to the film.
But something even more important is missing through much of the film. Ronstadt's voice is rarely heard during the many interviews. Most of the time, her face is never seen. The final segment of the movie makes up for the imbalances and gaps of the majority of the film but it would have been a richer experience if the film had dwelt more on what was revealed at the end regarding her current life situation.
Nevertheless, the film is a fine tribute to a great artist.