Linda Ronstadt is a legend and the documentary Linda Ronstadt, The Sound of My Voice, does an incredible job telling her story. It begins with her ancestry, plays into her Mexican roots, and explains the tragedy of how she can no longer sing.
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t’s impressive to rub elbows with some of the greats, but Linda does more – she creates them and collaborates with them; i.e. would The Eagles ever have been formed if it was not for her? The documentary style is an interesting choice. The film is released around the same time as another popular singer’s – Judy Garland, whose own life is recreated and dramatized in Judy. The documentary style for Linda allows the audience to get to know the real Linda through her own performance videos and present day narration. The caliber of interviewees is a nod to how respected and admired Linda is.
The film walks through the versatility of Linda, and I wonder if there could be anyone like her again. Linda hit the country charts, the R&B charts, and the pop charts, and that was all before earning a Tony and creating a Mexican album. While many films highlight a wild life of a musician, the documentary acknowledged her lifestyle than moved on, keeping the focus on her talent. Greg says, “I was hooked from the beginning. All of her songs- these are songs I know and grew up with. I really liked Dolly Parton’s interviews, she is hilarious”
Movie times: click here
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Run Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Actors: Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton
Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and drug material
