'Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)' Review
PG13: Some disturbing images, smoking and brief drug material.
Runtime: 1 Hr and 57 Minutes
Production Companies: Concordia Studio, LarryBilly Productions, Mass Distraction Media, RadicalMedia, Vulcan Productions
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Release Date: July 2, 2021
Theaters & Hulu
In 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away. More than 300,000 people attended the summer concert series known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was filmed, but after that summer, the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. It has never been seen. Until now.
Picture this: you’re a Millennial or Gen-Z Black person who just watched Steve McQueen’s historical party flick Lover’s Rock. You have major FOMO and need to step into a time machine immediately to be a part of that particular moment in Black history. You think nothing could top the FOMO of not attending a house party with West Indian British folks in the ‘80s. Next thing you know, Questlove shows up in a DeLorean and says, “Get in brother/sister, we’re going to increase that level of FOMO.” With Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), he transports you to Harlem’s 1969 festival for the ultimate party that doubles as a Black culture paradise.
In this archival documentary with never-before-seen footage, you are thrown into the heart of Harlem, NY in the summer of 1969 –– you know, the same summer as that hippie music festival that white Americans fawn over so goddamn much –– during the Harlem Cultural Festival. This festival served as a celebration of African-American culture and it took place with over 300,000 people in attendance, featuring all the hottest Black musicians at the time like Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples, and so many more. Through beautifully restored footage and interviews with festival attendees and musicians who performed on that very special stage, you get a glimpse into this once-in-a-lifetime concert, as well as a larger picture of the social climate for Black people in the late ‘60s — in both New York and America as a whole.
Those who attended the festival described the atmosphere as the closest thing to a beautiful, blissful Black paradise. I loved seeing the infectious energy of Caribbean singer/host Tony Lawrence while controlling the audience, the iconic artists who hypnotically riled up the large crowds, the hundreds of thousands of predominantly Black people of all ages and walks of life being happy, dancing, vibing, and having a great day together in Harlem. Even the tiny details were mouth-watering enough to make a Black person’s tail wag. The Black Panthers were security instead of the pigs and the merchants sold lemonade, mac n’ cheese, ribs, and various BBQ essentials. An attendee recalled the smell in the air as a mixture of afro sheen and chicken.
Being informed about New York history was fascinating, for I didn’t know jack shit about mayor John Lindsay, who was the embodiment of a, “What? But how?” white mayor. A Republican NYC mayor actually fought and spoke up for minority groups in the city and was hated by cops throughout his terms? Can we get someone like this in 2021? When the film put Lindsay in the limelight, I yelled:
Summer of Soul goes in-depth with everything that was occurring during the late ‘60s — poverty issues, an increase in drug trafficking, police brutality, and of course the rage and pain following the assassination of civil rights movement figures such as MLK, Malcolm X, and JFK. Members of the Black Panthers, pioneering Black journalists, Afro-Latinos, and Harlem folk who lived during this period where Black people cathartically released themselves through this once-in-a-lifetime celebration illustrate it as the moment that Black culture was born. Being called “negro” became a dead term and this is where “being Black” was born. The film even touches upon the mixed cultures of Latinx identities in Harlem and how Afro-Latina bands also played at the festival. Summer of Soul is well-paced with tight editing that fully illustrates the facets of the Black experience in the ‘60s, from the music to the social scene, in an effective manner.
One of the aspects of this doc that I adored was Questlove showing the festival attendees the unseen footage, recording their real-time reactions as they recall the aura of the day while tearing up. One poignant moment involved the remaining members of the band The Fifth Dimension expressing how performing at the Harlem Festival was important to them and their career. At the time, their music was criticized for having a “white” sound despite them being a black group, so performing at Harlem was a priority to them and their worth. Another one that choked me up was hearing THE Mavis Staples discuss how it felt to perform next to Mahalia Jackson, how much she looked up to her, and how that became a key moment in her life.
With each new piece of information thrown at you, along with each iconic musician that performed, you constantly question why in the hell this got swept under the rug and faded into obscurity, for this concert was clearly an important transitional point in Black history. The film’s various subjects express how the white media and the country itself had other things on their mind to promote instead, such as white Woodstock and the moon mission.
At a certain moment, the more interviews they show and the more dialogue you hear over the performance footage makes you think, “Okay, stop, I just wanna hear the performances. I’m tired of hearing the same discussions about the power of music. You’re crushing my vibe.” There are some notable celebrity faces who pop up and give their two cents about the environment of the festival. You’re so enamored by the footage and performances that you wish you could just… vibe to the music. Lin-Manuel and Luis Miranda show up to discuss the Puerto Rican music scene in Harlem, which is fine and all, but once they get on screen you beg them to go away so you can enjoy the songs.
Fuck Woodstock. This is the day I wish I lived through. God, this gave me the biggest mf’ing FOMO I’ve ever felt in my entire life and I was in tears by the end. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a beautiful time capsule of a doc that Questlove lovingly dug up to show to the world. And by God, does it need to be seen and heard. The Harlem Cultural Festival deserves to be as beloved as Woodstock and should be discussed as such. Hopefully, this documentary brings this niche yet landmark event into the mainstream. Also, what a fucking time to not go to concerts and not be in a crowd. I’d give anything to have claustrophobia and sweat with taller people in front of me at a concert again.
