Soul Power 2009

Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies: This has no contextual structure at all. It is essentially the archive footage slapped together. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Watching the Godfather of Soul on the big outdoor stage, you think back to his appearance in The T.A.M.I. Show a decade earlier. And then you think: I feel good. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Soul Power is marvelous, and no wonder -- among the performers in this concert film are James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Miriam Makeba and Celia Cruz, all at the peak of their powers. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Soul Power is the indispensable companion film to Leon Gast's thrilling 1996 documentary When We Were Kings. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Soul Power works fabulously as both a concert film and a time capsule of a time and place when gods of black masculinity joined forces to make an international statement of togetherness. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Gluttons for these artists and for music festivals in general might wonder, as I have, whether there's any way the filmmakers might share more of the remaining 123 1/2 hours. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A vibrant and joyous new documentary. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte pads out the concert footage with not always stimulating backstage stuff, but the music makes it all worthwhile. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: What's infectious in Soul Power is the almost shocking optimism of its America-meets-
Africa '70s world-beat vibe. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte does a terrific job re-creating a landmark moment, with behind-the-scenes footage complementing triumphant performances. Read more

Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer: It packs the emotional and historical power of a heady 'family gathering' celebration of African and, to use the term then in fashion, Afro-American pride. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: As the record of a cultural event, Soul Power is a hit-and-miss affair. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: It's impossible not to be moved. Read more

James Adams, Globe and Mail: A non-stop head-bobbing knee-bouncer. Read more

Greg Quill, Toronto Star: A dazzling chronicle of the African American music expo that was meant to accompany the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight title bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Congo). Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Read more

Tom Huddlestone, Time Out: As a concert film it's unparalleled: a stunningly photographed, soul-stirring celebration. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Soul Power is worth seeing -- and hearing -- for the evocation of an era and above all, for the exuberant and infectious performances. Read more

Ernest Hardy, Village Voice: Ali's bravado-soaked words, breezily tossed off after he disrupts a Don King press conference, also serve as an artist's manifesto for the film's musical acts: Celia Cruz, the Spinners, Fania All-Stars, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, and others. Read more