DORY PREVIN: ON MY WAY TO WHERE
A Review by Kathy Michelle Chacón
In the 1970s she gained a cult following as a singer-songwriter in California’s storied Laurel Canyon music scene. That same decade, her confessional poetry and folky melodies filled the rooms of legendary venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Troubadour. From ‘70 to ‘76, she released a whopping seven LPs, including a live album recorded at a show in New York City. If I asked you to guess the artist, whose name would come to mind first? Joni Mitchell? Carole King? Carly Simon? What about Dory Previn?
Dory Previn is a three-time Academy Award–nominated lyricist whose work on some of Hollywood’s most beloved scores preceded an even more prodigious folk/pop solo career. Despite her early songwriting accolades and extensive body of work, Previn’s name has largely faded from the popular memory of 1960s and ‘70s culture. DORY PREVIN: ON MY WAY TO WHERE wants to change that. The new documentary by filmmakers Julia Greenberg and Dianna Dilworth chronicles the compelling personal and professional lives of this mostly forgotten songsmith.
The film details Previn’s fascinating journey from working as a showgirl in NYC to joining legendary musical producer Arthur Freed (SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, GIGI) at MGM to becoming composer André Previn’s regular collaborator—and second wife—before finding her unique voice and style as a solo musician. Spanning the years 1945 to 2012, ON MY WAY TO WHERE structures itself around Previn’s career milestones, while always keeping its fingers on the pulse of her heart and mind. Because when she wasn’t experiencing the highs of writing for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, Previn struggled immensely with her mental health. This is a topic that is central to the film and one that Greenberg and Dilworth explore with great openness and affection.
Like a gorgeous patchwork, the film is stitched together with an expansive collection of archival footage, interviews, music, lyrics, illustrations (by Emily Hubley), and narration (voiced by J. Smith-Cameron from Succession) from Previn’s journals and memoirs. Through these materials, we hear of the songstress’ hardships, such as her devastating divorce from André and schizophrenia diagnosis, directly from the source. Allowing Previn to be the most prominent voice in the story of her own life, albeit posthumously, is significant as she often felt eclipsed by her second husband and underappreciated as a lyricist in her early career. Similarly, Hubley’s lighthearted sketches featuring the ‘voices’ the musician carried with her attempt to destigmatize the fear and misunderstandings around her mental condition, which Previn spoke openly about in her lifetime. In this film, the artist’s schizophrenia isn’t romanticised, nor is it vilified. It’s simply accepted as one of the puzzle pieces that made her who she was.
There’s a lot to be gained from watching this documentary: a potential new favourite artist, a potential new favourite song in ‘Beware of Young Girls’ or ‘The Lady With the Braid’, insight into classical Hollywood history, insight into California’s 1970s music scene, the list goes on. Most importantly, though, DORY PREVIN: ON MY WAY TO WHERE gives us the chance to acknowledge and honour a gifted, soul-bearing artist who’s name and works have been forgotten in the great obscurity of time.
Let’s play her music. Let’s hear her story. Let’s remember Dory Previn.