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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:14
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Featuring some incredible performances from many 70s soul legends, Soul Power is an exhilarating snap-shot of a bygone era.
Theatrical Release:Jul 10, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $23,893
Synopsis: Though the eyes of the world were on "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974, their ears should have been on Zaire '74, the mammoth music festival that took place in the shadow of the battle between... [More]
Starring: James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz
Director: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
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Soul Power turns out to be an unusually resonant time capsule, one that weaves together theatrics, musicianship, cosmopolitanism and sharp political critique in a vibrant look-back that's at once celebratory and wistful.
Top CriticIt 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.
Top CriticWatching 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.
Top CriticA 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).
Top CriticA non-stop head-bobbing knee-bouncer.
Top CriticAs the record of a cultural event, Soul Power is a hit-and-miss affair.
Top CriticGluttons 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.
Top CriticPassionate fans of the music will relish these archived images while regular moviegoers will be entertained, but not moved by what they see.
Top CriticThis has no contextual structure at all. It is essentially the archive footage slapped together.
Top CriticA vibrant and joyous new documentary.
Top CriticDirector Jeffrey Levy-Hinte does a terrific job re-creating a landmark moment, with behind-the-scenes footage complementing triumphant performances.
Top CriticOffers a vivid glimpse of a fascinating moment in musical history, racial politics and global pop culture.
Top CriticSoul 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.
Top CriticSoul Power is worth seeing -- and hearing -- for the evocation of an era and above all, for the exuberant and infectious performances.
Top CriticWhat's infectious in Soul Power is the almost shocking optimism of its America-meets- Africa '70s world-beat vibe.
Top CriticAli'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.
Top CriticWhile there's an awful lot to like about this infectious celebration of a remarkable event featuring some superb, larger-than-life performers at the top of their game, the enterprise comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity.
Top Critic
July 09, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
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May 09, 2009:
Images of James Brown, Celia Cruz, B.B. King, Don King, Miriam Makeba from this star studded event 
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May 03, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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