SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME Film Review – Mr. Show Business

Editor’s Note: Picture this Post became aware of this intriguing documentary directed by Samuel Pollard by the highly regarded Et Cultura film festival of St. Petersburg, Florida.

This film was screened as part of EtCultura’s LISTEN UP FILM SERIES, a monthly event that will next occur on September 10, 2018, scheduled to be EtCultura Encore Shorts, presenting some the best short films from the longer 2017 festival.

The next longer Et Cultura festival will held Feb 13-17th 2019—making St. Petersburg certainly a snowbird top spot escape that week..

Sammy Davis, Jr., a diminutive man in stature, passionately sings a penetrating rendition of the song I’ve Gotta Be Me to an audience who minutes before had booed him. When Davis finishes his last high note, the once-hostile audience erupts in cheers. Sam Pollard’s documentary does not start at the beginning of Sammy Davis, Jr.’s life and career. Instead, we are transported to the tumultuous sixties and seventies in America; a time when Davis was most acutely perceived by the black community as a “sellout.” We are hypnotized by images and clips of his “Rat Pack” days with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the fallout from his infamous impromptu hug given to Richard Nixon at a political rally and his attempt for reconciliation with the black community at the Operation Push Black Expo in 1972.

The first eight minutes of I’ve Gotta Be Me encapsulates Davis’ life and career – a non-stop ride of great highs and great lows. As portrayed in this film, Davis is not only the unbelievable performer blessed with overwhelming talent, he is also the vulnerable man riddled with insecurities needing to feed on the approval of his fickle audiences. Davis is a survivor who persevered against prejudice by striving to always be true to himself.

Director Pollard is no stranger to controversial topics, having recently directed Two Trains Runnin which chronicles events during the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. Here, in I’ve Got to be Me, Director Pollard drills down into the many facets and complexities of Davis’ life, engaging us all the way. He chooses to present Davis’ life through a series of thematic segments, breaking away from the typical chronological format. Davis wasn’t just an entertainer, he was a singer, a dancer, an actor, an activist, an impressionist - the list goes on.

In this reviewer’s view, this film succeeds not only because of its fascinating subject matter, but also because of the immediacy of the filmmaking. Pollard and editor, Steven Wechsler, have invited us to a totally dynamic experience. We never feel as if we are being lectured to about Davis’ life. Through interviews, performance clips, pictures and commentary from such luminaries as Jerry Lewis, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, we gain access to the spirit driving Davis. We travel with him through his marriages, his car accident, his conversion to Judaism, and his participation in the Civil Rights movement.

Sammy Davis, I’ve Gotta Be Me is A Celebration of Talent

I’ve Gotta Be Me is an homage to a performer who excelled at innumerable disciplines. Sammy Davis was show business, pure and simple. This film is a celebration of his unparalled talent. We can see that notwithstanding the terrible discrimination he faced in his life and career, his joy at belting out a standard or tap dancing his heart out remains infectious. From his early days with the Will Mastin Trio, to his show stealing tap number at age seven in Rufus Jones for President, to his Rat Pack days, to his last public performance dancing with Gregory Hines the year he died from cancer, it is evident that this man loved what he did. It is also very clear that through his gifts as a performer, he was able to break racial barriers that up until that time were insurmountable.

Director- Samuel D. Pollard
Writer- Laurence Maslon
Producer- Sally Rosenthal
Composer- Christopher Rife
Editor- Steven Wechsler

For more information visit the SAMMY DAVIS JR: I’VE GOT TO BE ME website.

About the Author:

Rachel Errington is a New York-based actor, producer and writer, originally from Los Angeles.  She recently produced and performed in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a short film headed for the festival circuit.   Rachel graduated from Northwestern with a degree in Theatre.  Favorite roles include Beatrice from “A View from the Bridge,” and the title roles in “Medea” and “Miss Julie.”  You can learn more about Rachel at www.rachelerrington.com.