'Summer of Soul,' 1969: Harlem Festival Mostly Forgotten, Until Now, Concerts By Music Greats: Film

[appalachiablue]

- Trailer. In his debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of 6 weeks in the summer of 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen & largely forgotten–until now.

SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being & stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past & present. The feature includes never-before-seen concerts by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension & more. “Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)” will be released by Searchlight Pictures & begins streaming on Hulu, July 2, 2021.
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'Summer Of Soul' Celebrates A 1969 Black Cultural Festival Eclipsed By Woodstock, NPR
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/01/1010306918/summer-of-soul-questlove-movie-review-harlem-cultural-festival

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. I am so watching this....

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. Can't WAIT to see this !!

[luvs2sing]

3. We watched it last night.

Hubster and I were both in tears at some performances, but there was much more to it than just the incredible music.

[Skittles]

4. I intend to watch this

it looks great

[MLAA]

5. I'm seeing it Tuesday and really looking forward to it.

20 Feet From Stardom is a really good film about back up singers.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396566/

[bahboo]

6. oh man...I meant to post after watching last night...

but...you know how it goes haha. I can't recommend this highly enough. My emotional reaction was as surprising as it was intense. Entertained with a lump in my throat. So much love, pride, defiance and of course...artistry. Oh Happy Day....

[Satch59]

7. Just finished it, it was awesome...

Yet kind of sad that it was basically ignored over Woodstock.

[Fiendish Thingy]

8. Great, but really should have been two movies, or one really long one.

A great historical account of a significant event during an important time, but all the talking got in the way of the music- I don’t think there was a single performance that wasn’t interrupted by narration or interviews.

I read where Questlove originally cut the movie to be three and a half hours long; hopefully the DVD will include this director’s cut. The reminiscing was important, but the music was too good to not show the whole performance uninterrupted.