''Soul Power'' is a 2008 documentary film directed by

Jeff Levy-Hinte Jeff Levy-Hinte (a.k.a. Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte) is an American film producer. He serves as the President of Antidote International Films (also known as Antidote Films), Inc. based in New York City. He produced '' The Kids Are All Right'', co-writte ...

about the

Zaire 74 Zaire 74 was a three-day live music festival that took place on 22 to 24 September 1974 at the Stade du 20 Mai in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). The concert, conceived by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and record ...

music festival that took place in Kinshasa,

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

, in September 1974. Although it was planned to accompany the

Rumble in the Jungle George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Rumble in the Jungle'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium (now the Stade Tata Raphaël) in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of t ...

heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, the festival went ahead as scheduled when the fight was delayed until October after Foreman sustained an injury during training. The film was made from archival footage; other footage shot at the time focusing on the fight was edited to form the 1996 film ''

When We Were Kings ''When We Were Kings'' is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the " Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship match that was held on October 30, 1974, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) between worl ...

''. Performers in the film include James Brown ("Soul Power"), The Spinners ("One of a Kind"), OK Jazz featuring Franco,

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

("Hope She'll Be Happier"),

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she w ...

(" Qongqothwane" a.k.a. "The Click Song"),

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

(" The Thrill Is Gone"), Pembe Dance Troupe, The Crusaders ("Put It Where You Want It"),

Fania All-Stars The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, a ...

featuring Celia Cruz, Danny "Big Black" Rey, Afrisa featuring

Tabu Ley Rochereau Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu (13 November 1940 – 30 November 2013), better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a leading African rumba singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was the leader of ''Orchestre Afrisa Internatio ...

, The J.B.'s ("Cold Sweat") and Manu Dibango. The DVD includes bonus tracks by James Brown (" Try Me"), Sister Sledge (" On and On"), and Abeti, and an additional folk dance performance by Pembe Dance Troupe ("Stilts and Bells"). Footage was shot by a variety of camera operators, including

Albert Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...

Music, background, and Black Power

Music played on stage makes up about half of the running time. The rest comprises documentary clips about the event, including footage of the musicians, and behind-the-scenes planning, such as the stage set-up. The DVD release also includes longer clips with jam sessions and interviews with local citizens. James Brown performs at the beginning of the film and sings two songs in the end; another of his performances is included as a bonus feature on the DVD. Brown is also shown behind the scenes, and the musicians are seen mixing with the boxers. In one scene, Ali has a short, humorous sparring match with

Philippé Wynne Philippé Wynne (''aka'' Philippe Escalante Wynn; ''né'' Walker; April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group members Bobby Smith and H ...

of The Spinners. Many of the artists express their views about Black Power and their role in it. Muhammad Ali is seen before the fight speaking about imperialism and the like, as well as about how important it is for the movement that he win. Comparing

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with Kinshasa, Ali calls NYC the "real"

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

References

External links

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''Soul Power'': a review
at Catch a Vibe 2008 films American documentary films Documentary films about music festivals 2008 documentary films Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Films directed by Leon Gast Sony Pictures Classics films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{music-documentary-film-stub