Joan Baez and David Harris made this stirring documentary in 1969, around the time that Harris was arrested for refusing to be drafted to serve in Vietnam. The documentary mostly follows Baez through the tour she embarked upon immediately following Harris' arrest. 'Carry It On' is a terrific glimpse into the life and career of an American activist and political folksinger.
A Window on the Revolution
In 1969, David Harris was arrested for refusing to be drafted to the military, to serve in the Vietnam War. He was an activist and a thinker, revered for his ideas and speeches; and he happened to be married to Joan Baez. This film opens with Baez and Harris responding to his imminent arrest and the four years he'd come to spend in jail for opposing the draft.
Presented with no narration, simply a series of clips from the lives of Baez and Harris, this film is a simple and straightforward glimpse into the couple's work and ideas. Bent on revolution as a philosophy and way of life, both Baez and Harris spend much of the film explaining to various people and audiences what, exactly, they mean by "revolution." They're frequently met with confusion and misunderstanding, but respond thoughtfully with great resolve.
Music as a Tool of Perseverance
There's a moment in the film where Baez asserts that she is not, and never has been, content to be an entertainer. She instead seeks to inform her audiences. But there seems to be a greater intention in the performances shown here. Each of the excerpts from live shows (there are 13 songs performed in this film |
purchase soundtrack) frame Baez very close up, so that the camera shows only her face. There's a certain urgency in her eyes, even as she sings non-topical traditional folk songs. This urgency seems to convey that, not only is she bent on informing her audiences, but also moving them from their seats.
The music here is a force, not simply a creative message. From Baez's remarkably, famously powerful vocals to the way the songs frame images of people gathering. Performances from the tour that's spotlighted in this film include her stop at Woodstock, although the legendary festival is presented smally, not as the behemoth event it's so often portrayed as. Here, it's simply another stop in Baez's tour; one of many steps in her pursuit of revolution.
The Bottom Line
Fans of Joan Baez, topical and political protest music, the 1960s, and the American movement in general will likely find this film thoughtful and stirring. The fact that Carry It On is so understated is perhaps what makes it so memorable. Indeed, it mirrors the what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach both Baez and Harris had to their respective careers. There's no need for a narrator to develop the story arc, or for any creative tactics outside the scene-to-scene transitions. Carry it On is exactly what it purports to be: a glimpse into the life and work of a pair of devoted activists; and one of them is a singer.
