Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Music is the message. Questlove chooses the recorded (and unwatched) edition of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, and builds a complex portrait of an era, the contrast between the man conquering the moon and the heroine conquering Harlem streets. Each performance expands as a narrative line, a vindication of the community. And furthermore, Nina Simone, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples...

What is immediately striking is that we have not heard about this "Black Woodstock" event before. Incredible line up of recording artist superstars in a peaceful gathering of hundreds of thousands in the heart of Harlem. The original filmmaker tells how no producers cared to broadcast it, completely discrediting it's significance, even while Woodstock was celebrated that same summer just 100 miles away. What's immediately touching is watching the emotional journey the past attendees and performers go through while watching the archival footage for the 1st time. What's immediately poignant is the juxtaposition of white people's praise of the moon landing, also happening that summer of '69, with Black people's criticism of money wasted in a space race that could be better allocated to alleviating poverty & hunger in our communities. (I'm looking at you Branson & Besos). What's immediately apparent is that we are even now in a 'summer of soul', 50 years later, grappling with vast disparities of economic, social and racial injustice, that continue to not be televised. Highly recommend must watch. Hope ?uestlove wins an Oscar.