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Phil Ochs. Do you recognize the name? You may not unless you are a devoted folk music fan or are familiar with the protest movements of the 1960s. Almost 35 years since his suicide, the documentary Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune seeks to open eyes to one of the most influential singer/songwriters of a generation that challenged the status quo in America.

A native of Texas, Ochs, who loved Elvis Presley and John Wayne, was studying journalism at Ohio State University when he was introduced to folk music. He dropped out his senior year and moved to New York City where he became involved in the Greenwich Village folk scene. With a warm, melodic voice and sarcastic yet straight-to-the-point lyrics, Ochs quickly made a name for himself within folk circles.

Although he never attained the Bob Dylan-like commercial success he had hoped for, Ochs still became a prominent figure within the anti-war and civil rights movements. During the 1960s he recorded eight albums with “There But For Fortune” being his most successful song, although it only reached #50 on the Billboard charts.

Through interviews with family members, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, Abbie Hoffman, and inexplicably Sean Penn, we learn how influential he was on them and ultimately how sad his decline was. The assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., and RFK; the 1968 riots in Chicago and Nixon’s election all served to disillusion him. He was further traumatized after being strangled in Africa, an attack which permanently damaged his vocal chords.

During the 1970s, Ochs' raging alcoholism and bipolar disorder, combined with a lack of causes to fight for, led to his suicide in 1976 at the young age of thirty-five.

Phil Ochs is an insightful documentary with plenty of good sound bites from his contemporaries. However, why Penn is included is a mystery. He’s like a square in a round hole and the forum only serves to be a grandstand for his ego. What’s a shame is that there’s not more interview material with Ochs’ wife and his daughter. Sure, we get some personal information from them both and some from his siblings, but it’s window dressing as it barely scratches the surface. A solid, well-rounded biographical documentary should thoroughly examine everything in the subject’s life, warts and all. (Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould is an excellent example.) To a certain degree, Ochs the man is still a mystery at the end. A personal disconnect remains. On the flip side, Ochs the musician and activist is thoroughly fleshed out, giving those familiar and unfamiliar with him a newfound respect for a man who sought fame, but instead brought about change.

On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune receives a B.

Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune is not rated and has a running time of 97 minutes.

Now showing through March 31 @
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.