Only the Strong Survive

Starring: Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars

2003 Documentary

A musical document with soul It gets to you, watching R&B legends such as Sam Moore, Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites, Carla Thomas and the names above dig deeper into the music they made in the Sixties and Seventies.

Journalist Roger Friedman conducts the trenchant interviews -- Sam Moore recalls his dark days as a drug pusher, then performs a killer "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby." Most touching is Rufus Thomas, who recently died at eighty-four, duetting with daughter Carla on "Night Time Is the Right Time." Documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (Startup.com) blend insights with rare concert footage, creating one for the time capsule.

PETER TRAVERS
(May 2, 2003)