A last-minute injury sustained by Foreman meant
the title fight had to be postponed by six weeks, effectively
cancelling out the festival’s desired audience of international
tourists. Nonetheless the concert went ahead as planned, and in excess
of 80,000 people attended over the course of the three days.
Much
of the footage captured shows artists such as Bill Withers, Celia Cruz
and The Spinners at the height of their respective powers, and the
performances of headliners BB King and James Brown are exemplary.
King’s licks are on fire as he trills, howls and blazes through the classic Thrill is Gone,
and the jumpsuit-clad Brown is at likewise at the top of his game,
wailing ‘I don’t know karate but I know ka-razy’ before dropping to
perform his trademark splits, knocking over the mike in the process
then snatching it casually out of mid-air and resuming the song without
missing a beat.
There are also some entertaining moments
involving a characteristically outspoken Ali, and the footage of the
behind the scenes organisation proves an interesting and effectual
method of tying the narrative together.
Picture and audio
quality on the DVD release are excellent considering the age of the
prints, and prove superior in this regard to subsequent releases such
as Brown’s Live at Chastain Park. The 5.1 surround sound mix is
clear and the image, though a little grainy at times, remains
consistently vibrant and artefact-free throughout.
A triumphant
celebration of racial solidarity, Soul Power is an excellent
documentary and a wonderful exploration of this oft-overlooked
three-day spectacular. Worth it alone for the footage of ‘Soul
Brother #1’ Brown and the inimitable King doing their thing, it won’t
disappoint fans of R&B, soul or African music and serves as a
telling insight into a bygone musical era. DVD Special Features
None, which is a bit of
let-down considering the strength of the performances. Although
Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte has stated that he used all he could afford
of the songs in the film itself, so I guess full-length versions were
never going to be a possibility. Some English subtitles wouldn’t
have gone astray in one or two places either...
Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: N/A
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