Summer of Soul
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a 2021 American independent[3][4] documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut.[5][6] It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary categories. It had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. by Searchlight Pictures on June 25, 2021, before expanding and being released for streaming on Hulu the next weekend.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- David Dinerstein
- Robert Fyvolent
- Joseph Patel
Shawn Peters
Joshua L. Pearson
- Onyx Collective
- Concordia Studio
- Play/Action Pictures
- LarryBilly Productions
- Mass Distraction Media
- RadicalMedia
- Vulcan Productions
- January 28, 2021 (Sundance)
- June 25, 2021 (United States)
117 minutes
United States
English
The second half of the movie's title is taken from the 1970 poem and song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", written by the late Gil Scott-Heron. It offered a sharp and satirical critique of the media's lack of coverage of civil rights activism and the reality of change and revolution taking place in the streets and on campuses across America. Both the song and phrase became an anthem of political change during the 1960s.
The film received acclaim from critics, with particular praise given to the restoration of the footage used. It won numerous awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, where it won in all six categories in which it was nominated, Best Documentary at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards,[7][8] and Best Music Film at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. It has been considered one of the best films of the 2020s and of the 21st century.[9][10]
Synopsis[edit]
The film examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which took place on six Sundays between June 29 and August 24 at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem, using professional footage of the festival that was filmed as it happened, stock news footage, and modern-day interviews with attendees, musicians, and other commentators to provide historical background and social context. Despite its large attendance and performers such as Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension, the Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Blinky Williams, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Chambers Brothers, the festival is much less well-known in the 21st century than is Woodstock (which took place on the same weekend as one of the days of the Harlem Cultural Festival), and the filmmakers investigate this, among other topics.
Release[edit]
The film premiered on January 28, 2021, at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the US Documentary Competition.[22] It was acquired by Searchlight Pictures and Hulu, and was released in the United States at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles and the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 multiplex in New York City on June 25, 2021, before expanding nationwide and being released for streaming on Hulu the next weekend.[23] The film was set to be distributed internationally in theaters and on Disney+ Hotstar on July 30, 2021, and on Disney+ and Star+ on November 19, 2021,[24][25] and was made available on the U.S. version of Disney+ on February 8, 2022, in time for Black History Month.[26] It made its broadcast television premiere on ABC on February 20, 2022.[27] On February 8, 2022, 20th Century Studios released a hard copy on Standard Definition DVD. In a bonus feature interview, Thompson mused about expanding the film with the wealth of material he had to cut for time.
On April 22, 2021, it was announced that Thompson would introduce the first trailer for the film during the 93rd Academy Awards, for which he served as music director. The trailer debuted on April 25, 2021.[28]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 99% (based on 220 reviews), with an average rating of 9.1/10; the website's critics consensus reads: "Deftly interweaving incredible live footage with a series of revealing interviews, Summer of Soul captures the spirit and context of a watershed moment while tying it firmly to the present."[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 96 out of 100 (based on 38 critics), indicating "universal acclaim".[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" average grade.[29]
Rolling Stone praised the film as "the Perfect Movie to Kick Off Sundance 2021" and said it was "an incredible, vital act of restoration—and reclamation".[32] The Guardian gave it five stars, writing that there is "a moment so striking and rich with power at the center of Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson's Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) that, while watching it, I actually forgot to breathe."[33]
British critic Mark Kermode called the film "the best music documentary I've ever seen" in his review for Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on BBC Radio 5 Live.[34]
Home media[edit]
On February 8, 2022, the film was released on Standard Definition DVD by 20th Century Studios. Bonus features include audio commentary by Thompson, who muses about reediting a longer version that would include footage he had to cut for time, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes ("Soul Searching" and "Harlem: Then & Now").[72]