A Musical Group Lost to Time

Read Time:2 Minute, 35 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Fanny: The Right to Rock
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Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 2021 (Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival), 2022 (Wider release)
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director(s): Bobbi Jo Hart
Writer(s): Bobbi Jo Hart
Interviews: FANNY (June Millington, Jean Millington, Alice de Buhr, Brie Darling, Patti Quatro), Joe Elliott, Bonnie Raitt, Kathy Valentine, Todd Rundgren, Cherie Currie, John Sebastian, Kate Pierson, Charles Neville, Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey
Where To Watch: premieres on PBS on May 22, with streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app

You’d be excused if you hadn’t heard of this powerful ground-shaking group that deserves all the credit in the world and more. A legendary band, but maybe not legendary enough, all because of the time they reached their peak. This band that you may not have heard of had five albums over five years and toured with some of the biggest acts of the day. Unfortunately, they came out when the world just wasn’t ready to rock due to race, gender, and sexuality issues that the music industry just wasn’t prepared for.

In the early 60s, sisters June and Jean Millington started a band (FANNY) that would eventually inspire countless others (even if those that were inspired didn’t know where their inspiration was coming from.) Unfortunately, this story had been lost to time; thankfully, this film should at least partially change that, giving the band the long-overdue credit they deserve.

Fanny was one of the first all-female rock groups to succeed on a large scale, including two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 singles. The band broke barrier after barrier yet has largely been ignored in the accolades of music history. The film mainly consists of interviews with members (past and present) of the band and a long list of others that were both inspired by or want to shine a light on the importance of this group.

June Millington said, “We knew we had to prove we could play and deliver live. Otherwise, no one would believe it.” This was the standard perception at the time, and it was assumed women could play rock music (let alone sing and play at the same time.) Both the Runaways and the Bangles have pointed to Fanny as their inspiration.

Hopefully, this film will shine a light on an underrepresented part of Rock ‘n’ Roll history and get them enshrined in the Hall of Fame! I have seen bands and individuals with far less impact on rock history make their way in!

“They were extraordinary: they wrote everything, they played like motherf*ckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody’s ever mentioned them. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time.” — David Bowie.

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