Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune (2010)
96 min
From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.
- Release date
- January 5, 2011
- Country of origin
- United States
Cast
- Joan Baez as Friend
- Joan Baez as Musician
- Joan Baez as Activist
- Jello Biafra as Friend
- Jello Biafra as Musician
- Billy Bragg as Musician
- Billy Bragg as Activist
- Lola Cohen as Friend
- Lola Cohen as Activist
- François De Menil as Filmmaker
- Bob Dylan as Friend
- Bob Dylan as Musician
- Deni Frand as Friend
- Deni Frand as Political Organizer
Crew
- Salvador Allende · Archive footage
- Erik Andersen · Archive footage
- Harald Edelstam · Archive footage
- Kenneth Bowser · Director
- Kenneth Bowser · Writer
- Kenneth Bowser · Producer
- Michael Cohl · Producer
- Michael Ochs · Producer
- Jarred Alterman · Cinematographer
- Jefferson Miller · Cinematographer
- Pamela Scott Arnold · Editor