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Filmmaker Robert Townsend's inspiring journey to make a beloved classic film.
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Why watch the movie Making the Five Heartbeats?
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Hint: In a race across the US heartland, a red car discovers the true meaning of friendship.
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Making The Five Heartbeats documentary is a love letter to the millions and millions of fans that love The Five Heartbeats film, about a fictitious R&B singing group like the Temptations, that tells the classic rags to riches story while pulling at your heart. The doc is an inspiring journey of filmmaker, Robert Townsend, in search of a classic. His quest to get the film made with all of the ups and downs, relying on his faith, street smarts and tenacity to not give up. The documentary provides the audience with an intimate glimpse behind the scenes of the making of this beloved classic. It’s also the ultimate master class with filmmaker, Robert Townsend, sharing his unique creative process.
"In the world of film, actor, director and producer Robert Townsend is best known for having worked with talents like Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, and Eddie Murphy (among others). One of his first films as a director, the independent ‘The Five Heartbeats’, has gained a certain cult following despite having flopped at the box office in its time, thanks to the fresh vision it brought to its story of artistic success that not only dealt with the stardom of its protagonists (inspired by the R&B band The Temptations, among many others), but also explored the consequences of such success within a specifically African American context, with the racial tensions that come with it. The documentary ‘Making The Five Heartbeats’, directed by Townsend himself, brings together the cast and production crew decades later, who through interviews recount the shooting and legacy of the movie."