Soul Power (2008)

What was so surprising (to me at least) is that this footage existed. The fact that it wasn't put together/released until 2008 is secondary. This is NOT a movie about a concert. It's a documentation of an event process, meaning there's more to it than guitars, drums and singers. It was filmed in 1974 in Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo). To expect anything different, fit into one-and-a-half hours, is ridiculous. There's enough material to make 6 hours worth of documentaries. Although the movie does eventually give us the names of the major players in credits, it would have been nice to flash those names once the actors/participants first appeared on the screen.

Basically a waste of time. Behind the scenes footage of (nothing really) people building a stage, native Africans being poor, Mohammed Ali bragging, and artists eating. ONE song each by every band. The Bill Withers and James Brown songs were great, but that doesn't warrant wasting 90 minutes of time. Just watch those videos on-line and go on with your day. I really was looking forward to see the performances of these artists in their prime. If you are looking for the same, you will be vastly let down. Just filler. I removed the paper cover and the disc itself, kept the plastic case for future use, and threw the rest in the garbage, I was so disappointed. Avoid like Ebola.

"When We Were Kings" was a great film with soul and spirit explaining how this music festival and a world boxing match with Ali wound up in Zaire in 1974. I was hungry for more.This short film just has 20 minutes of music and a lot of boring pointless dialog. Leon Gast had been hired to do the rockumentary of the festival so presumably the whole thing is on film. Most of the performances must still be on filmstock in Gast's apartment. This film is a disgrace and feels like the leftovers from "When We Were Kings"Pros: Anytime James Brown or Muhammad Ali is on screen the world lights up. Miriam Makeba is awesome!Cons: Only one song by Bill Withers. Only one song by BB King. Only one song by Miriam Makeba.

This movie is a selection from many hours of footage produced before and during the music festival that was to accompany "The Rumble in the Jungle" - the heavyweight championship fight between Ali and Foreman in '74. The festival was meant to bring the American soul/r&b/funk/blues musicians "back home" to Africa and give them the opportunity to perform alongside African stars, such as Miriam Makeba. The movie is centered on James Brown, the main star of the three-day festival. It is more about the event as such, its "technical" background, than about schoolbook history. Even then, it leaves a lot of ambiguities open for the viewers to see. We hear Ali comment on the peaceful life Zairians lead while American blacks are ever threatened by accidents or (white) hatred. But this peaceful life is controlled by the government that urges the people to love their dictator. Although this movie doesn't deal with the political tensions involved in this Zairian sojourn, the implications are there. One thing that some viewers might not like is that "Soul Power" leaves little room for the African artists, focusing instead on the American greats like Brown or B.B. King. Another is that it's so short - King has only one feature, Brown has no more than three. At the Berlin IFF (Berlinale), the director (or editor, as the movie is simply made up of footage produced over 30 years ago) explained that he couldn't afford more than he did; also, some of the performances at the festival were of lower quality. As it is, the songs that we hear in "Soul Power" are beautifully shot - and finely recorded. At any rate, this movie is worth watching. It's interesting and it's funny. Go see for yourself!