Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

The story told by Mr. Bowser’s film is complicated and tragic. Once the songs stopped coming, Ochs’s bipolar illness, worsened by alcoholism, led to acute paranoia and eventually to suicide. - NyTimes

In this latest addition to his impressive filmography, award-winning documentary, television, and feature film director Kenneth Bowser turns a biography of the prolific political musician Phil Ochs into a powerful political depiction of 1960s America. 

Phil Ochs had something to say about everything.  From the Kennedy assassination to the war in Vietnam to Nixon’s resignation, Ochs was a passionate spokesman for the politically-charged generation in which he lived. He was also a contradiction, both a renegade and a lover of the limelight, attaining fame through his politics but always struggling for recognition as a musician.

The bulk of the documentary’s soundtrack is made up of Ochs’ own songs, making him the true narrator of this story.  Bowser’s careful craftsmanship uses Ochs' family, friends and celebrity admirers (including Oscar-winning Sean Penn and singer Joan Baez) to help immortalize the life of a fascinating folksinger and man.

Print Source: First Run Features, Paul Marchant, paul@firstrunfeatures.com