Donna Summer documentary examines the pain behind the disco decadence
In the 1970s, Donna Summer was the undisputed Queen of Disco, a powerhouse vocal talent and innovative songwriter whose lusty, chart-topping anthems defined a hedonistic era.
In private, however, Summer was tormented. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a pastor, the singer achieved global fame with the release of the erotically charged single "Love to Love You Baby," which featured her orgasmic moans and was the first in a string of steamy back-to-back hits. But Summer, raised in a devoutly religious household, was ill at ease with her sex goddess image.
"Love to Love You, Donna Summer," a documentary that premiered Saturday on HBO, offers an intimate look at the woman behind the sultry persona and the quiet anguish she endured. Directed by Roger Ross Williams ("Life, Animated") and Brooklyn Sudano — who is also Summer's daughter — the film traces the artist's rise to the top of the charts, beginning in Boston, where she discovered her singing talent at church.
She eventually that resulted in hits like "I Feel Love" and "Bad Girls." She continued to make music and perform into the 2000s, well after the disco heyday, but also found purpose elsewhere: in painting, raising her three daughters and becoming a born-again Christian.
