Documentary of the remarkable story of Berry Gordy.

Berry was the musical genius behind the formative years of Motown, he provides on screen narration with large contributions from Smokey Robinson.

As a child Berry was always interested in making money and started selling newspapers to white-folk, he did well and pulled in help from his brother to increase sales. But this backfired, you see because 1 black youth was cute but 2 started to look like a threat.

Berry briefly worked at Ford and so we see how car assembly techniques influenced his music production. Berry's skill was song writing and taking talented artists and bringing out the best from them to become superstars. We also see how Smokey Robinson was a special part of the Motown story, he had the idea of producing their own records instead of taking a tiny commission from other companies.

The 'Hitsville USA' studio looked like an ordinary house, this was where they started recording. Motown sounded different and there was a reason, the secret was recording in their echoey bathroom. The film includes historic film footage, including photos and audio clips of meetings where the music making machine 'family' would decide which singles to release.

Don't think of this as a film about black music, more about the sound of America. Deserves an Oscar in the documentary category.

Co-writers/directors Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner have delivered the definitive documentary about the musical phenomenon of Motown from its quiet birth by Berry Gordy in 1958 Detroit through its growth in global importance to its relocation to Los Angeles in the 1970s.

But the film is so much more than an overview of some of the most important singers and performers whose careers blossomed under the aegis of Berry Gordy (who narrates the film with Smokey Robinson!): it is a tribute to the impact that 'record company' had on the rise of black performers on the global stage. The script is witty, insightful, sensitive, and eloquent. The film shares films clips of performances by such stars as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Little Richard, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, the Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Marvin Gaye - and on and on.

The manner in which Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson open the survey of the history of civil rights is distinguished and is one of the most accessible demonstrations of that deeply needed transition in cultural equality that has been created. Very highly recommended on many levels.

"Hitsville: The Making of Motown" (2019 release; 112 min.) is a documentary about the legendary record label and its music and artists. As the movie opens, we are eavesdropping onto a "Motown Quality Control Meeting", where Berry Gordy is urging his staff "we gotta maintain the highest quality!". We then go back in time, as Gordy talks about his upbringing: "I was a hustler, I wanted to make money!". When his "Berry Gordy's Record Store" closes, he finds work at the Ford assembly line: "I perfected my songwriting skills there", and where he also got the idea of making music "like an assembly line"... At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from documentary makes Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner, who previously brought us "I Am Bolt". Here they are bringing the beginnings and rise of the Motown sound. Motown of course is irreversibly linked to its founder Berry Gordy. Gordy, along with singer/songwriter/producer/best friend Smokey Robinson, do a lot of the talking, and what is striking is how much laughter fills the interviews. These guys were enjoying themselves then, and still are now. Along the way we get a tour of the original building that house Motown and where all the magic took place, and the building like amazingly small (note to self: next time I'm in Detroit, I just have to visit the Motown Museum). Songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland get plenty of screen time, as do the Funk Brothers (a/k/a the Motown house band). Another striking thing is how so very young all of them were when the label rose in the early 60s: typically in their late teens or early 20s! One surprise talking head is none other than Neil Young, who was in a band called Mynah Birds that was signed for a while to Motown.

This documentary, which premiered on Showtime a few weeks ago, flew by in no time. There isn't really anything revelatory in it, but it's great hearing these stories again, and hearing and seeing these wonderful artists (check out the 1968 footage of Michael Jackson's original audition!). I saw "Motown The Musical" some years back in New York, and thought that was well done too. More amazingly, I saw the Funk Brothers in concert in 2003 in Oakland, CA, opening up for... the Dead! I'm not kidding. Bottom line: if you love Motown, or are curious about this slice of American music history, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.