Summer of Soul

I'm not generally a fan of concert films, and "Summer of Soul" did go on a bit longer than I had patience for, but of films like it it's a great example of the genre.

The film makes a point of comparing the Harlem music festival to Woodstock, which took place in the same year. We remember Woodstock well -- it was even the subject of a documentary that won the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award in 1970 -- but who's ever heard of this black music festival? And it's even more jaw dropping because of the talent on the stage: Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Fifth Dimension, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone. The difference is that Woodstock was a celebration of music while this festival turned into a cry of rage, hope, anger, and action within the black community. It's like the people singing at this festival were literally singing for their lives and for the lives of all black people.

The galvanized energy that people in the crowd were feeling at the time and that they talk about all these years later comes through in the rescued footage. You can feel the electricity and chemistry between the performers and the crowd. A highlight of the film is the performance of Nina Simone, who is absolutely captivating. A person who was there says that watching her come onstage was like watching an African princess, and you can see what she's talking about.

Grade: A.