I watched this last night. Wow! It brought the 1960s and everything from then back home. The days of youth for many of us here. A few of the musical performances are something wonderful to behold. If you stream Hulu, go for it. You can also find it on torrent sites. Here's some background links regarding it.

[en.wikipedia.org]

[www.mfa.org]

[www.msn.com]

great film

I watched this today at the Michigan Theater Screening Room in Ann Arbor. I'd have to give it a decidedly mixed review. While the cinematography and audio recording are top notch, near state-of-the-art by 1969 standards, I feel like the producers throughly botched the way in which this material is presented. Instead of letting the performances stand on their own merits, and just having it be a straight up concert film on a par with Woodstock or Monterey Pop, every performance by every artist is horribly truncated. That doesn't mean you don't get the entire song, you do, but what happens is that after about the first minute, the volume gets turned way, way down, and you, as the viewer, get lectured to, as if you need to have everything explained to you, while all the while the live concert performance continues playing quietly in the background! The overall effect is similar to being at the greatest Soul concert of all time, and you just want to hear all this great music, but the person sitting next to you keeps talking to you about how great it is.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-07-26 00:25 by tatters.

Regarding tatters comment, I lean the same way. I don't mind the commentary, but I would love to hear the full performances and the full show as there are hours of tape that weren't used. It would make one helluva binge watch and listen.

I just saw the trailer, and this looks incredible. I can't sign up to Hulu ('we can't verify your email at the moment' - maybe because I'm in Greece). How else can I watch this?

FYI: For those who can't see/get this through streaming, it is available as a torrent download from hither and yon.

It's also a great slice of uncovered history. Akin to when we learned they had found the then mythical Rock and Roll Circus.

It truly is on par with Woodstock in many ways. Man, I loved the performances, but it was frustrating at times with the songs being interrupted by commentary. As great as it is, it could have been better. It was a beautiful, peaceful event, so I wasn’t crazy about Nina Simone screaming, “Are you willing to burn buildings down?”, and a few other calls to violence. Her music, though, was brilliant. But, it is a must-see for music lovers.
Some thoughts:

Stevie Wonder was off the charts!
Gladys Knight looked like a teenager.
Loved seeing Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. watching their performance for the first time.

All that being said, I’ll watch it again . . . and again.

It was an amazing treasure. They were all so young. I would have preferred the entire performaces rather then chopping off performances but really happy the film was found and shared with the world..Sly and the family Stone were great.

I loved it
Maybe we’ll get a blu ray with unedited songs and extra performances??

....on Hulu....see it.

"The Black Woodstock"....officially known as: The Harlem Cultural Festival - 1969

sorry if this has been posted before.....

Hendrix should've played it.

[iorr.org]

Happened to see it on a plane, but it’s on Hulu. Guessing many of you here have heard of this….filmed in Harlem in 1969, and then all this incredible footage just sat there all these years. ‘Until now.’
Naturally the big stars deliver - Stevie Wonder (I didn’t know he’s also a great drummer!), Sly and the Family Stone of course mow the crowd down….but it’s acts you might not expect that are also fantastic: The Fifth Dimension, The Staples Singers, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and a scene with Mavis Staples with Mahalia Jackson almost had me burst into tears, it’s so intense.
The film is also a bit of a history lesson of the ‘events of the day’ - really well done. Gonna go out on a limb and say any serious music/Stones lover will love it (I don’t see a previous thread about it). Hopefully it gets the blu-ray/DVD treatment. It’s excellent.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-11-06 23:40 by DEmerson.

I think I posted something about this awhile ago but am not gonna look for it. This was such a great watch and listen. I think I'll have to watch it again.

I was hoping they would release a soundtrack album to go along with the film.

[iorr.org]

Thanks BowieStone (Great name BTW! I’ve read many of your posts here).
I get what ‘Tatters’ says about the ‘flow’ (or lack thereof)…Some other good comments too. I did a search, but didn’t come up with that thread.
Still, any negatives aside, it’s still a ‘Must See’ IMO.

Summer of Soul , directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson . This film is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which took place on six Sundays between June 29th thru August 24th @ Mount Morris Park (Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem ) using professional film that was filmed as it happened , along with stock news footage and modern day interviews with attendees , musicians and other commentators . Despite having a lineup consisting of Stevie Wonder , B.B. King , Mahalia Jackson , Nina Simone, The Fifth Dimension , The Staple Singers , Gladys Knight and the Pips , Mavis Staples , Blinky Williams , Sly and the Family Stone , and The Chamber Brothers . This festival is much less known than is Woodstock . Wow and super wow ! Stevie Wonder is brilliant ! B.B. King is the King off the blues who I love so much . Some say I don't like the blues as it makes me sad or is depressing . I am the opposite as I get joy from hearing the blues . The Fifth Dimension were outstanding ! The Staple Singers and Pops Staples were just fantastic and then some . Gladys Knight and the Pips (who could be a show all by themselves with there harmonies and dancing ) I mean they were truly a force in Soul ! Sly and The family Stone are out of this world great ! Mahalia Jackson is the one that stole the show for me along with The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples - "Precious Lord Take My Hand " This starts out innocent enough where I hardly bat an eyelash and then this keeps picking up steam like a diesel locomotive chugging along until it's in overdrive and oh my goodness Mahalia Jackson had everyone in a frenzy including myself feeling the power of the most soulful Gospel music that I have ever heard in my life . This touched me in ways that I cannot comprehend and I did not even know it would . The audience was just mesmerized and enchanted and felt the power of her soulful voice . This performance alone is worth the price to pay for this . Just mind blowing and I cannot recommend this enough to everyone .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-05-13 14:21 by TheGreek.

Utterly brilliant!

It's unfathomable that this has gained dust in a basement for so long.

Fantastic show

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DandelionPowderman
Utterly brilliant!

It's unfathomable that this has gained dust in a basement for so long.

Crime of the century

I wish that all of the hours of footage of the artists that was captured was released for sale as I would pay a good buck for this festival as it's just that great !

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DandelionPowderman
Utterly brilliant!

It's unfathomable that this has gained dust in a basement for so long.

Other documentaries made from buried treasure like this have surfaced in the recent past, such as Message To Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (and then the one that followed with the entire set by The Who), the concert segments of the Muhammad Ali/George Foreman film When We Were Kings, Festival Express, the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and most recently Get Back.

These are all wonderful time capsules. I'm glad I lived long enough to see them!


But Summer of Soul is a really, really good film, not just for the performances themselves, but how it illustrates the big picture and explains the context of the times and how and why these artists mattered.

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loog droog

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Utterly brilliant!

It's unfathomable that this has gained dust in a basement for so long.

Other documentaries made from buried treasure like this have surfaced in the recent past, such as Message To Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (and then the one that followed with the entire set by The Who), the concert segments of the Muhammad Ali/George Foreman film When We Were Kings, Festival Express, the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and most recently Get Back.

These are all wonderful time capsules. I'm glad I lived long enough to see them!


But Summer of Soul is a really, really good film, not just for the performances themselves, but how it illustrates the big picture and explains the context of the times and how and why these artists mattered.

Well said -Bravo