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

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.

You can't not like this. It's authentic, genuine; people gathering to have a good time, great bands, people having fun, more than they expected when they went to this Harlem Festival.

Fantastic that this recording was found and able to be broadcast.

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 did not think time travel was possible, but then I walked into Summer of Soul. I could not have picked a better first post-pandemic theater experience, and I knew it the moment people started applauding at Mavis Staples' appearance. I visited 1969, I visited Harlem, and I had my very own Summer of Soul. Don't miss this one.

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.