A soft light on Belafonte
The singer and activist is an intriguing subject, but ‘Sing Your Song’ falls flat.
“Sing Your Song,” a look at Harry Belafonte’s life both as star and activist, is really more of an effusive autobiography of the 84-yearold singer-actor than a traditional documentary, so be prepared for something close to sainthood in its tone. (Indeed, production notes say a book by Belafonte carrying the same title is in the works.)
The idea for this autobio-doc grew out of conversations Belafonte had with family and friends about preserving his memories and his legacy, with he and daughter Gina among “Sing Your Song’s” producers. That makes for a film that while quite personal in its storytelling comes without the rigor or the power of an independent filmmaking voice.
It’s a missed opportunity. Belafonte is an intriguing subject who seems like he would have actually benefited from the objective over the subjective. Born in Harlem, raised in Jamaica, then returning to New York as racial strife was stirring, his life was inextricably intertwined with many of the seminal moments of the civil rights movement in this country.
His influence in shifting racial attitudes was significant, particularly the way in which he made his star-power count — dancing with a white woman on national TV when that was still an incendiary act, going to the front lines when Mississippi was burning, lending tangible support to leaders from Martin Luther King Jr. to the Kennedys. Belafonte’s imprint was made possible by his sheer boundary-crossing, chart-topping popularity as a singer.
Veteran editor Susanne Rostock (Michael Apted’s “Moving the Mountain” among others), making her directing debut, has made smart use of a rich and extensive archive of news and Hollywood footage as well as long reflective interviews with Belafonte, his family and others.
But the narrative soon develops a pattern — a conflict or need arises, Belafonte steps in to help save the day.
Any criticism comes in looking at the toll the twin passions of performance and protest took on his family.
But the three marriages and the children who felt his absences deeply take a back seat in the film as it seems they did in his life.
Although “Sing Your Song” succeeds in engaging you with its subject, ultimately its soft-focus handling of Belafonte has left the film less riveting and captivating than the man.
betsy.sharkey@latimes.com