Sing Your Song

Released Jan 13, 2012

1h 43m

Documentary

Biography

Music

List

95%

40 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Harry Belafonte rises to fame, becoming an acclaimed singer and actor, and working tenaciously throughout his career as a social activist.

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Critics Consensus

Sing Your Song takes an absorbing -- if decidedly non-critical -- look at an incredible show business career and admirable public life.

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Audience Member

Before watching Sing Your Song, I thought I was going to see the story of a legendary entertainer. What I saw was the story of a passionate social and political activist who just so happens to be a great entertainer. I love Harry Belafonte and I wanna be him when I grow up!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I would like to see the earlier versions of Carmen! let's do it again is my favorite of all time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Watched this because I grew up with Belafonte's music-- and his music is still great. But his life as a civil rights leader is just as, if not more, remarkable. Definitely worth watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

walter m

"Sing Your Song" is an illuminating documentary about the life, times and career of Harry Belafonte. Whereas some people like Bill Clinton only think of him as a very talented singer, there is much more to him, like his selfless activism which the movie focuses on that began with an eye-opening visit to the South and his first experiences with Jim Crow laws. So, he went to work to end desegregation in the civil rights movement, plus in his musical acts.(For example, there is a clip of him singing Hava Nagila.) But his experiences do not end there, as he has lately been expressing interest in the high number of minorities in prison in this country. All of which has not been without setbacks, as Belafonte also had to battle network censors in less enlightened days and before cable television but "The Smothers Brothers" having him singing Calypso in front of scenes of police riots just looked like they wanted to get fired at that point.(Although, if you have to go, that's the way to go.) So, whereas it is fair to assume the FBI was watching Belafonte like all other civil rights activists, the evidence the documentary has against one possible informer is spurious to say the least. And your grandparents are right: Tony Bennett is cool.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting for the fact that it focuses on the political force that has personally driven Harry Belafonte throughout his career rather than the career itself.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

My grandmother loves Harry Belafonte and now I know why. He is an amazing man with sturdy beliefs.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Susanne Rostock

Director

Harry Belafonte

Actor

Sidney Poitier

Actor

Marge Champion

Actor

Julian Bond

Actor

George Schlatter

Actor

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Hank Stuever

Washington Post

Sing Your Song is broad and complete, but like most biographical documentaries of legendary performers that we've seen of late, it is also hagiographic.

Aug 30, 2012

Full Review

Verne Gay

Newsday

By far the best parts are the first two-thirds, with the star taking center stage in history as it unfolds.

Rated: B

Aug 30, 2012

Full Review

Ed Bark

Uncle Barky

Abundant archival footage is in part a saving grace.

Rated: B

Aug 30, 2012

Full Review

Sophia Satchell Baeza

CineVue

This is a fabulous documentary about a man and the times that were, and hopefully still are, a-changin'.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 8, 2019

Full Review

Graham Young

Birmingham Mail

With Belafonte narrating his own story, Sing Your Song increasingly feels more like a personal memoir than objective insight.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 29, 2012

Full Review

Philip French

Observer (UK)

[Belafonte] emerges at the end as a man of bravery and probity, a formidable contributor and witness to his times.

Jun 10, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

Harry Belafonte rises to fame, becoming an acclaimed singer and actor, and working tenaciously throughout his career as a social activist.

Director: Susanne Rostock
Distributor: S2BN Films
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $47.7K
Runtime: 1h 43m

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