Review of Soul Power (2009) by Generoso F — 19 Jul 2009
This short documentary was made up from the same footage that produced the superb 1997 film "When We Were Kings" about the famed George Foreman/Muhammad Ali fight in Zaire. I wondered then if any substantial footage was taken from the adjoining concert and low and behold twelve years later we have "Soul Power".
Needless to say that the live footage of artists like The Spinners, James Brown, Miriam Makeba and Celia Cruz at the height of their careers is priceless and makes this well worth seeing. So is the footage early in the film of the organization of the event which was made more difficult when the fight between Ali and Foreman was postponed.
My only issue with the documentary is that unlike "When We Were Kings" or the superior concert film "Wattstax", the social commentary provided by the artists at that time is not particularly framed well and thus some statements come off more random and "amusing" and less thought provoking than they would have been if "Soul Power" had given you a better picture of the social climate in Zaire and the States at that time.
What remains is an entertaining film but one that would've had more impact.
This review of Soul Power (2009) was written by Generoso F on 19 Jul 2009.
Soul Power has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
