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

Greetings again from the darkness. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's directorial debut is a history lesson wrapped in a concert film, and it's just the blended spoonful we need. You might know Questlove best as the bandleader/drummer on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon", and with this documentary, he has proven his skill in balancing the visuals with the message. The Harlem Cultural Festival was held over six weekends in the summer of 1969. Yep, the same summer as (and only 100 miles from) the infamous and celebrated Woodstock festival. A total of 300,000 people attended the free events held in Mt Morris Park in Harlem, and Questlove's film brings back what has been forgotten.

TV director Hal Tulchin filmed each week's concert in hopes that it would have market value. When he was unable to market the footage, all 47 reels remained stashed in his basement for 50 years. Questlove weaves a magic carpet that injects interviews, statements, and news clips over the powerful music being performed on stage. We get interviews with festival attendees, musicians, NY Times reporter Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and historical perspective from news clips of Richard Nixon, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of John Kennedy, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. The festival was organized to commemorate MLK's death the previous year, and at a time when the black community featured much anger and unrest. The Black Panthers were brought in for security as drugs spiraled out of control in Harlem.

It was never just about the music, but what music it was! Gospel, blues, soul, and R&B filled the air, as the crowd cheered, danced, and sang along. We learn Maxwell House coffee served as a sponsor, and there is a segment on NYC Mayor Lindsay, who supported the festival and was well-respected in the Black community. Tony Lawrence, a lounge singer and radio DJ, served as the festival's host and producer. He introduced each of the acts, and did so with quite a sense of fashion.

The performers aren't necessarily shown in the same order as the festival, but that matters little. Stevie Wonder is at a decisive point in his career, and his drum solo (yes, drums) is energizing. We also get to see and hear such acts as BB King, the 5th Dimension, the Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Nina Simone. We also hear an audio recording of Mavis Staples recalling how "unreal" it was for her to sing with Mahalia. Other highlights include David Ruffin hitting and holding a high note on "My Girl", the Edwin Hawkins Singers performing "Oh, Happy Day", Hugh Maskela jolting the crowd with "Grazing in the Grass", and Sly and the Family Stone (and their "white drummer") leading the audience through "Higher". The late Nina Simone comes across as especially regal and powerful in her time on stage. There are clips of comedian Moms Mabley on stage, as well as Jesse Jackson orating. Lin-Manuel Miranda discusses the music of Puerto Rico and Spanish Harlem, and one of the most touching segments finds Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr recalling the backstory of how The 5th Dimension came to record "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in".

Early marketing attempts re-branded the festival as "Black Woodstock", but that didn't change the fact that the market was limited at the time. Festival-attendee Musa Jackson is interviewed as he watches the film, and it's clear that it's an affirmation of the era. It's also fascinating to hear Charlayne Hunter-Gault recount how she fought the NY Times over her preferred description of people as "Black" rather than the previously utilized "Negro". Questlove's film immediately becomes a historical time capsule and one that should be viewed by many.

Available on Hulu.

Beautifully restored lost footage of one of the coolest music festivals ever, which serendipitously took place in 1969, a pivotal year in American history. Questlove brings his music mastery (particularly in his DJ-ing and drumming) to the documentary editing table. It's an impressive amount of cinematic style for a man who's admittedly a novice. Simone's performance of Young, Gifted, and Black perfectly captures the power and pureness of this social musical.

I hope this movie inspires someone to put out a DVD set (or streaming) of performances from this festival. The performance clips we get are generally fantastic (do wonder if that was the only BB King tape surviving because his clip is a bit of a mess). Overall I think the interviews and historical context descriptions give great insight into the period and circumstances of the festival which deepen the film.

I haven't been so moved by a film in a long time.

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.

Terrific music, and the interviews with artists today are often great...BUT the commentary is often intrusive on the music, which speak for itself. With less blab and more music, I would have given it a 10.