DVD Swedish subtitle Dolby Digital (Music documentary of The Motown Sound from Detroit)

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In 1959, Berry Gordy gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on My Girl, Bernadette, I Was Made to Love Her, and every other hit from Motown's Detroit era with artists like THE FOUR TOPS, THE SUPREMES, MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS,  MARVIN GAYE, THE TEMPTATIONS, STEVIE WONDER, SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES and others.

By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers.

Forty-one years after they played their first note an a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story in STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN.

With the tumultuous sixties as a backdrop, Motown's unsung heroes take the viewer on a compelling journey in time as they trace the evolution of The Motown Sound from its origins in Detroit to its demise in Los Angeles during the seventies. Through the eyes of the riveting characters who ruled Hitsville's studio by day and the club scene of Detroit by night, we enter a world of unparalleled soul and emotion as the Funk Brothers revisit the sites of their musical roots, triumphs, and eventual heartbreak.

For more than four decades, from the dance floors of the world, to the Detroit riots of 1967, to the war in Vietnam, the music the Funk Brothers created has played a major role in the cultural fabric of all of our lives. STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN finally puts some faces on that music and introduces these heroic musical figures to the world. 

Fourteen years in the making, this film is based upon a book of the same title that won the 1989 Rolling Stone / BMl Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN was shot in 35mm film, on location in Detroit and elsewhere. This one hour and forty-eight minute documentary and performance film tells the Funk Brothers' saga through archival footage and still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Funk Brothers backing up Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Montell Jordan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, and Gerald Levert.

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LEGENDARY MOTOWN HOUSE BAND THE FUNK BROTHERS REUNITE FOR STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN PERFORMING NEW LIVE VERSIONS OF CLASSIC HITS FEATURING TODAY'S SINGERS

They are Motown's unsung heroes, known as The Funk Brothers, but no one knew their names. More than 40 years after their first note for Motown, the surviving Funk Brothers reunited in Detroit to tell their story and, one last time, play their music.

Joining The Funk Brothers at Detroit's Royal Oak Music Theater in 2000 to reprise eleven classics for the film's concert sequences were contemporary vocalists Ben Harper (Ain't Too Proud To Beg,and I Heard It Through The Grapevine), Joan Osborne ((Love Is Like A) Heat Wave, and What Becomes Of  The Brokenhearted) and Meshell Ndegeocello (Cloud Nine), and R&B greats Chaka Khan (What's Going On and Ain't No Mountain High Enough) with Montell Jordan), Gerald Levert (Reach Out I'll Be There and Shotgun with Tom Scott) and Bootsy Collins (Do You Love Me, and Cool Jerk). Additionally, the Funk Brothers and Meshell Ndegeocello returned to the original Hitsville basement studio to record the Miracles' Youâve Really Got A Hold On Me.

The reunited Funk Brothers, many of whom hadn't seen each other in 20-plus years, were Joe Hunter and Johnny Griffith on keyboards, Joe Messina and Eddie Willis on guitar, Bob Babbitt on bass, Jack Ashford on percussion and vibraphone, and Pistol Allen (who has recently passed since the filming) and Uriel Jones on drums. They were joined in spirit by those who had passed away: Van Dyke, Jamerson (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 2000), guitarist Robert White, percussionist Eddie "Bongo" Brown and drummer Benny Benjamin. Backed by horn and string sections, and a posse of backing vocalists, The Funk Brothers once more laid down the groove.

The film, which includes new interviews and rare archival footage, was inspired by Allan Slutsky's award-winning 1989 book Standing In The Shadows Of Motown: The Life And Music Of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson.  Motown authority Slutsky co-produced and music supervised, and transcribed and arranged the music. Directing was Paul Justman, whose videos were a staple of early MTV and who has since directed documentaries on The Doors, James Brown, The Neville Brothers and, most recently, the music of New Orleans. With Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, The Funk Brothers finally step into the spotlight.

Tracks in the movie: Starring The Funk Brothers on all tracks

Heat Wave - Joan Osborne
You've Really Got A Hold On Me - Meshell Ndegeocello
Do You Love Me - Bootsy Collins
Reach Out I'll Be There - Gerald Levert
Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Ben Harper
Shotgun - Gerald Levert featuring Tom Scott
What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - Joan Osborne
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Ben Harper
Cool Jerk - Bootsy Collins
Cloud Nine - Meshell Ndegeocello
What's Going On - Chaka Kahn
Band Introduction / Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Chaka Kahn & Montell Jordan

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THE FUNK BROTHERS

Jack Ashford (Vibes and Percussion) 
Eddie Willis (Guitar) 
Joe Messina (Guitar) 
Bob Babbitt (Bass) 
Uriel Jones (Drums) 
Richard "Pistol" Allen (Drums) 
Johnny Griffith (Keyboards) 
Joe Hunter (Keyboards) 

DECEASED FUNK BROTHERS FEATURED IN THE FILM

Earl Van Dyke (Keyboards) 
James Jamerson (Bass) 
Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin (Drums) 
Eddie "Bongo" Brown (Congas) 
Robert White (Guitar 
Richard "Pistol" Allen (Drums) 
Johnny Griffith (Keyboards)

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THE FUNK BROTHERS WINNER OF 2 GRAMMY AWARDS

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media.
Standing In The Shadows OF Motown 

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance 
What's Going On - Chaka Khan & The Funk Brothers

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-The Funk Brothers seem to have hardly missed a beat.
-- Scott Von Doviak, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM

-If anything, the film is doing something of a public service -- shedding light on a group of extremely talented musicians who might otherwise go unnoticed and underappreciated by music fans.
-- Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

-As a belated nod to some neglected all-stars, Standing in the Shadows of Motown is cultural history of the best kind: informative, revealing and richly entertaining.
-- Dave Tianen, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

-If you love Motown music, you'll love this documentary.
-- Jane Stevenson, JAM! MOVIES

-The documentary makes no waves and tries to be as upbeat as the musicians it tells about.
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS

-I couldn't recommend this film more.
-- Paul Salfen, SUPERCALA.COM

-Unsung heroes of some of pop music's finest moments get to stand up and be counted in this documentary/concert/tribute.
-- James Rocchi, NETFLIX

-If you love the music, and I do, its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary ...
-- David Poland, HOT BUTTON

-A film that deserves to be seen regardless of the misgivings.
-- David Perry, CINEMA-SCENE.COM

...guaranteed to turn Motown neophytes into fans.
-- David Nusair, REEL FILM REVIEWS

-Standing in the Shadows of Motown is the best kind of documentary, one that makes a depleted yesterday feel very much like a brand-new tomorrow.
-- Robert Wilonsky, DALLAS OBSERVER

-The film makes a strong case for the importance of the musicians in creating the Motown sound.
-- Bill White, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

-You may leave the theater with more questions than answers, but darned if your toes won't still be tapping.
-- Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

-Scenes in which the band grooves with modern musicians Montell Jordan and Joan Osborne singing covers are spectacular.
-- Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

-It may seem long at 110 minutes if you're not a fan, because it includes segments of 12 songs at a reunion concert.
-- Lawrence Toppman, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

-Quite simply, a joy to watch and--especially--to listen to.
-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION

-Fans of all types of popular music will find it irreplaceable.
-- Eric D. Snider, ERICDSNIDER.COM

-The film has just enough of everything -- re-enactments, archival footage, talking-head interviews -- and the music is simply sublime.
-- Steve Schneider, ORLANDO WEEKLY

-The real star of this movie is the music. It makes you want to get up and dance in the aisles.
-- Robert Roten, LARAMIE MOVIE SCOPE

-Marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary.
-- Steve Rhodes, STEVE RHODES' INTERNET REVIEWS

-Sheds light on a subject few are familiar with, and makes you care about music you may not have heard before.
-- Michael Phillips, CITYSEARCH

-An immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music.
-- Mark Palermo, COAST (HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA)

-Totally overwrought, deeply biased, and wholly designed to make you feel guilty about ignoring what the filmmakers clearly believe are The Greatest Musicians of All Time.
-- Christopher Null, FILMCRITIC.COM

-Guaranteed to move anyone who ever shook, rattled, or rolled.
-- Gabriel Shanks, MIXED REVIEWS
 
-The sheer joy and pride they took in their work -- and in each other -- shines through every frame.
-- Matt Weitz, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

-It's a glorious groove that leaves you wanting more.
-- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

-Gives credit where credit's due.
-- Desson Thomson, WASHINGTON POST

-Told in scattered fashion, the movie only intermittently lives up to the stories and faces and music of the men who are its subject.
-- Charles Taylor, SALON.COM

-After watching it, you can only love the players it brings to the fore for the gifted but no-nonsense human beings they are and for the still-inestimable contribution they have made to our shared history.
-- Susan Stark, DETROIT NEWS

-The movie lets us realize this Sound, still so alive and vibrant today, was created by flesh-and-blood people, each of whom has a compelling story to tell.
-- Steven Rosen, DENVER POST

-It's a blast!
-- Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER

-Ain't no mountain high enough to keep the Funk Brothers from getting to you.
-- Carrie Rickey, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

-Try as you might to resist, if you've got a place in your heart for Smokey Robinson, this movie will worm its way there.
-- Geoff Pevere, TORONTO STAR

-This salute to the literally unsung and underrecognized studio heroes of Motown is so good because it is one of those rare documentaries that combine information with smashing entertainment.
-- Elvis Mitchell, NEW YORK TIMES

-I know that I'll never listen to Marvin Gaye or the Supremes the same way again.
-- John A. Nesbit, CULTUREDOSE.NET

Enjoy!