The History of Rock 'n' Roll: Up from the Underground Synopsis & Summary

This video series profiles success stories of rock and roll artists who have risen from obscurity to popular acclaim. This segment features the work of such pop artists as Madonna, Michael Jackson, N.W.A., and Run-DMC. There is a look at the phenomenal career of Madonna. Her business savy and shrewd assessment of America's sexual mores have made her fabulously wealthy. Poking fun at the vestiges of Puritanic culture in America by singing suggestive lyrics and wearing outlandishly provocative clothes, she has won the admiration of some, the ire of others. Her iconoclastic attitude towards sexual repression has turned her into an icon herself. Michael Jackson, too, is portrayed in the film as a visionary, as well as a great entertainer. His androgynous appearance and forays into the outer limits of plastic surgery tell volumes about American culture and its future. - Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide