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

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

Music · Documentary · History · 2021

During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.

Movie details

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

“A Questlove Jawn.”

2021 Music · Documentary · History 1h 57m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Questlove

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Self

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Self - Artist

Chris Rock

Chris Rock

Self - Artist

Tony Lawrence

Tony Lawrence

Self - Harlem Cultural Festival Producer & Host (archive footage)

Nina Simone

Nina Simone

Self (archive footage)

B.B. King

B.B. King

Self (archive footage)

Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln

Self (archive footage)

Court is in session

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

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.