Easily the best film I’ve seen in well over a year, bar none, an opinion more than widely shared. There is little I can add to what’s already been said about the great performances, the excellent montage of music and documentary — clearly done by someone who really understands music — and the infuriating story which, if you haven’t heard. is:
This amazing footage, shot in 1969, sat on a shelf, unseen and unheard, for over fifty years because no one was interested in releasing a film that featured nothing but black music performed in front of a black crowd.
The question is why weren’t they were interested in releasing this film? One thing is certain: it had nothing to do with whether the film would make money. The performers are A-List artists with huge — including number one — hits at the time. Among the acts: Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela, a mind-boggling Stevie Wonder, The Staples Singers, the Fifth Dimension — of course it would have done well.
The most plausible conclusion for its disappearance is that the dominant white culture did not want an unabashedly positive celebration of black artistry and community out in the larger world. It may not have even been a conscious decision on the part of the (white) people who turned this project down. It just didn’t fit the dominant mindset of the decision makers.
That is textbook systemic racism. As a default attitude, Black culture gets disappeared, perpetuating myths of abjection and marginalization. In this case, systemic racism deprived the Black community, not to mention the larger American and world community, of a universally appealing expression of joy, companionship, and humanity.
One of the most remarkable things about Summer of Soul: As a child of the 60’s, who grew up with and loved all this music at the time… well, the music sounds even better now. This is a must see.