Summer of Soul

Locations
Call Number: DVD 782.421 Su, Adult DVD / Nonfiction / Performing Arts / Music / Summer of soul
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Originally produced in 2021.
Special features: Audio commentary; Soul searching: A behind-the-scenes look; Harlem: Then and now.
Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Mahalia Jackson.
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary, part music film, part historical record, created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten, until now. This documentary shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past, and present. The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more.
DVD, wide screen; described video.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Summer of soul submitted by jeff gustafson on July 28, 2023, 2:17pm This is an important movie. It’s also a whole lot of fun with just a bit of sadness. The music is absolutely absorbing, in my opinion. I loved the gospel. You have to see/hear it to believe it. The sad note, the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. Nobody wanted to back or co-produce the movie. The Woodstock movie was a major hit. Mainstream ignored “Black Woodstock”. Perhaps saddest of all, things haven’t changed much. May even be worse. And not just for blacks. Please spend a couple of hours with this.