The other rumble in the jungle
Soul Power
Running time: 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 (profanity, some thematic elements)
On the Web
The late James Brown, the self-proclaimed and pretty much undisputed Godfather of Soul, opens and closes "Soul Power."
That's the way it should be. Who else gets an introduction that includes the phrase, "This man will make your liver quiver!"
In 1974, two major events came to Zaire, Africa. One, the epic heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, was delayed and eventually turned into the Academy Award winning documentary "When We Were Kings" (1996).
Cinematically speaking, the other, a three-night-long music festival mingling top R&B artists from the U.S. and musical groups from Africa, was doomed to a film vault for decades.
Filmmaker Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who edited "When We Were Kings," felt remorse when most of the energized concert footage was left out of the fight documentary. Now, all these years later, Levy-Hinte has turned the outtakes, if you will, into a substantial documentary.
"Soul Power" doesn't just include tremendous musical performances from Brown, B.B. King, The Spinners, "Mama Africa" Miriam Makeba and many others. It turns the tables on "When We Were Kings" by using footage of fight/concert promoter Don King and Ali as sidebars to the music; the other rumble in the jungle.
I think the filmmaker goes just a little overboard by including too much footage of locals hosting world-class fighters and the musicians' long flight to Africa. Whenever the camera focuses on Ali, however, his magnetism leaps from the screen. And that's the case even when he's swatting flies:
"Flies are faster here then they are in America," Ali says. "They get too much to eat over there."
The main thrust, of course, is the music, which is a soul-throbbing blend of U.S. rhythm and blues and music and dance from Africa; the homeland.
"The beat returns to the roots," is how someone puts it.
"Soul Power" abounds with rousing musical moments. So I urge you to heed one piece of movie-going advice.
For some reason that baffles me, movie house projectionists never seem to crank up the volume high enough on films driven by music.
If that happens to you when the lights go down on "Soul Power," I urge you to track down someone in management and remind them that the Godfather of Soul himself has a message:
"Say it loud!"
That's the way it should be. Who else gets an introduction that includes the phrase, "This man will make your liver quiver!"
In 1974, two major events came to Zaire, Africa. One, the epic heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, was delayed and eventually turned into the Academy Award winning documentary "When We Were Kings" (1996).
Cinematically speaking, the other, a three-night-long music festival mingling top R&B artists from the U.S. and musical groups from Africa, was doomed to a film vault for decades.
Filmmaker Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who edited "When We Were Kings," felt remorse when most of the energized concert footage was left out of the fight documentary. Now, all these years later, Levy-Hinte has turned the outtakes, if you will, into a substantial documentary.
"Soul Power" doesn't just include tremendous musical performances from Brown, B.B. King, The Spinners, "Mama Africa" Miriam Makeba and many others. It turns the tables on "When We Were Kings" by using footage of fight/concert promoter Don King and Ali as sidebars to the music; the other rumble in the jungle.
I think the filmmaker goes just a little overboard by including too much footage of locals hosting world-class fighters and the musicians' long flight to Africa. Whenever the camera focuses on Ali, however, his magnetism leaps from the screen. And that's the case even when he's swatting flies:
"Flies are faster here then they are in America," Ali says. "They get too much to eat over there."
The main thrust, of course, is the music, which is a soul-throbbing blend of U.S. rhythm and blues and music and dance from Africa; the homeland.
"The beat returns to the roots," is how someone puts it.
"Soul Power" abounds with rousing musical moments. So I urge you to heed one piece of movie-going advice.
For some reason that baffles me, movie house projectionists never seem to crank up the volume high enough on films driven by music.
If that happens to you when the lights go down on "Soul Power," I urge you to track down someone in management and remind them that the Godfather of Soul himself has a message:
"Say it loud!"
Comments