Friday, September 3, 2021

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

IMDb plot summary: Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.
Directed by Questlove.

These are big names in the musical world, from Stevie Wonder to Nina Simone to Mahalia Jackson, and it's truly delightful to see so many full musical performances from them. The film does a really great job of showing how these artists fit into the culture as well. One day of the festival focused solely on gospel music, and we learn about the culture of the Black church in America alongside the music. We get commentary on the distinction between Black and white music in the 60s as we feature The Fifth Dimension, a band of Black singers who were sometimes critiqued for sounding "too white" and weren't sure they'd be welcome. We learn about the way Black Americans felt distant from their country as we see them react (or rather not react) to the moon landing, which happened during this time. It's a fascinating literal time capsule and worth a watch for sure.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Summer of Soul > Dark and Stormy Night
Summer of Soul < Kuroneko
Summer of Soul < Fantasia 2000
Summer of Soul < Ice Age
Summer of Soul > The Matrix Reloaded
Summer of Soul < Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical
Summer of Soul < How to Marry a Millionaire
Summer of Soul > Kiss the Girls
Summer of Soul > The Firm
Summer of Soul > Gold Diggers of 1933
Summer of Soul > Swingers
Summer of Soul > Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Final spot: #1579 out of 3424, or 54%.

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