February 11, 2024
FILM: GLORIA GAYNOR: I WILL SURVIVE
DIRECTED BY: BETSY SCHECHTER
STARRING: GLORIA GAYNOR
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When I first heard that a documentary had been made about singer Gloria Gaynor I thought, “well she had two big hits but else is there to know?” Those hits were her remake of the Jackson 5 song Never Can Say Goodbye and her signature song I Will Survive. The latter which you no doubt have heard, was the first and only Grammy winner for Best Disco Recording (the category was eliminated the year after Gaynor won thanks in part to Chicago’s Disco Demolition in 1979.) Personally, the song has always had a special place in my heart, as it was my mother’s favorite song. She’d belt it out at karaoke with plenty of passion, having survived the death of three husbands. But what story was there to tell about the artist who brought the originally planned B-side to life?
Filmmaker Betsy Schechter spent some eight years working on this film and following Gaynor around as she began work on her first ever Gospel album. The film starts though with Gaynor’s signature song and then ventures back and forth between the present and her disco past. At first, it seems as if this will be a “making of” documentary concerning this new direction for Gaynor and at times it is just that. When Schechter does dive back into the 1970s, the film really comes alive. We see Gaynor’s early years singing on stage before she has her first big hit with Never Can Say Goodbye. There’s a lot of energy to these moments, no doubt in part due to the catchy up-tempo production of the song. The scenes in the present (which are really 2015-2020) do wear the film down a bit until Gaynor’s story begins to coalesce into something that is truly meaningful.
Schechter doesn’t provide a lot of details as to what exactly Gaynor herself survived in her life. Yes, there was abuse when she was young, a debilitating back problem, and a long marriage that was wrought with issues. Other filmmakers may have spent much of the time focusing on these traumatic periods to neatly underline the survival theme. But what makes the film so enjoyable is that Schechter spends more time with the very engaging Gaynor as she is today. We see her throughout her seventies and her spirit is relaxed, and far from bitter. She’s very easy-going and committed to her work, whether it be touring around Europe or collaborating with Gospel artists on an album.
There is plenty of solid and surprising footage included here of Gaynor at various points in her career. We see the changing outfits and hairstyles but her perseverance remains constant. In essence, the film emphasizes how Gaynor not only survives but also thrives now at the age of eighty.
Yes, the film could have used one more final performance of I Will Survive but then that might have taken away from the larger portrait Schechter paints. This is not just a two-hit wonder. Gaynor has had a fascinating life that goes beyond monster hits. We get to see who she has become much later in life and that one can thrive beyond a professional and public peak. The film offers a comfort and joy in seeing Gaynor as she is today that is most welcome.
Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive will have a special one-night screening in theaters throughout the country on Tuesday, February 13th.
FILM: GLORIA GAYNOR: I WILL SURVIVE
DIRECTED BY: BETSY SCHECHTER
STARRING: GLORIA GAYNOR
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When I first heard that a documentary had been made about singer Gloria Gaynor I thought, “well she had two big hits but else is there to know?” Those hits were her remake of the Jackson 5 song Never Can Say Goodbye and her signature song I Will Survive. The latter which you no doubt have heard, was the first and only Grammy winner for Best Disco Recording (the category was eliminated the year after Gaynor won thanks in part to Chicago’s Disco Demolition in 1979.) Personally, the song has always had a special place in my heart, as it was my mother’s favorite song. She’d belt it out at karaoke with plenty of passion, having survived the death of three husbands. But what story was there to tell about the artist who brought the originally planned B-side to life?
Filmmaker Betsy Schechter spent some eight years working on this film and following Gaynor around as she began work on her first ever Gospel album. The film starts though with Gaynor’s signature song and then ventures back and forth between the present and her disco past. At first, it seems as if this will be a “making of” documentary concerning this new direction for Gaynor and at times it is just that. When Schechter does dive back into the 1970s, the film really comes alive. We see Gaynor’s early years singing on stage before she has her first big hit with Never Can Say Goodbye. There’s a lot of energy to these moments, no doubt in part due to the catchy up-tempo production of the song. The scenes in the present (which are really 2015-2020) do wear the film down a bit until Gaynor’s story begins to coalesce into something that is truly meaningful.
Schechter doesn’t provide a lot of details as to what exactly Gaynor herself survived in her life. Yes, there was abuse when she was young, a debilitating back problem, and a long marriage that was wrought with issues. Other filmmakers may have spent much of the time focusing on these traumatic periods to neatly underline the survival theme. But what makes the film so enjoyable is that Schechter spends more time with the very engaging Gaynor as she is today. We see her throughout her seventies and her spirit is relaxed, and far from bitter. She’s very easy-going and committed to her work, whether it be touring around Europe or collaborating with Gospel artists on an album.
There is plenty of solid and surprising footage included here of Gaynor at various points in her career. We see the changing outfits and hairstyles but her perseverance remains constant. In essence, the film emphasizes how Gaynor not only survives but also thrives now at the age of eighty.
Yes, the film could have used one more final performance of I Will Survive but then that might have taken away from the larger portrait Schechter paints. This is not just a two-hit wonder. Gaynor has had a fascinating life that goes beyond monster hits. We get to see who she has become much later in life and that one can thrive beyond a professional and public peak. The film offers a comfort and joy in seeing Gaynor as she is today that is most welcome.
Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive will have a special one-night screening in theaters throughout the country on Tuesday, February 13th.