Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing
By John Sheridan, Blockbuster.co.uk

An award winning documentary that follows the Dixie Chicks after they made that infamous statement expressing their embarrassment that President George W Bush was from Texas; you don’t have to be a fan of the Dixie Chicks to appreciate this movie focusing on the threats to free speech.

Originally intended as yet another run of the mill documentary on yet another band of the moment, filmmakers Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck were trailing the Dixie Chicks at the height of their success on their world tour back in 2003. While in London, lead singer Natalie Maines told the audience that she was ashamed to be from the same state as President George W Bush, tapping in to the general British feeling at a time when the President was outlining his plans for war with Iraq. While this statement went down well with their British audience, this was also picked up by the US news media who started a campaign against the Dixie Chicks and the band’s career went into freefall.

At first the ‘Chicks’ – Maines, Emily Robinson and Martie Maguire believe that the controversy will pass and it’ll all blow over. When the controversy continues to grow, they’re forced to confront it. With the help of their manager, the band heads back to the states to be interviewed by acclaimed journalist and personality Diane Sawyer and pose naked, branded with phrases such as ‘traitors’ and ‘Dixie sluts’ on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Despite these steps, the Dixie Chicks core audience, the American country music fans have turned against them and what was once the most popular country band in the world, find it hard to get their fanbase back.

This documentary follows the girls as they go from 2003 through to 2006 - through all the controversy. It shows the band as they prepare to release a new album in 2006 that attempts to capitalize on the fortunes of George Bush and the Iraq war and their reactions to its limited success. It covers the band’s attempts to calm the media storm that erupted due to one ill-thought out comment made thousands of miles from home.

Although the style of the documentary, which switches from the reaction to the Dixie Chicks statement in 2003 to the recording of their album in 2006 leaves much to be desired; it is nonetheless an absorbing film. I knew nothing about the Dixie Chicks before I put on this DVD however I found that I didn’t need to. This film isn’t really about music – it’s about free speech and how the media reacts to the views that it does not agree with.

A powerful documentary that, despite the structural flaws, is well worth a watch - add to your list now.

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