What a gift Summer of Soul is! Found footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that hasn't been seen in 50 years, an incredible moment in time that so many haven't heard of. This is the documentation a the coming together of legends and we're lucky to get to see it.
Summer of Soul is mostly concert footage from that music festival, which in itself is a joy. Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, BB King, The Staples Singers, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone. What it must have been like to be there. But the film makers set the entire thing into a context of the time, what was happening outside of the festival in that year. This helps a modern audience understand the significance of the joy we are watching, or at least begin to scratch the surface of understanding.
Summer of Soul has to be seen to be believed. And it should be seen.
Summer of Soul
Director: Questlove
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