Attica and Summer of Soul: Reviews
It just so happened that I watched these two documentaries back to back. I would recommend it because one will make you lose your faith in humanity. The other will give you a portrait of one summer of pure joy.
Attica
I knew next to nothing about the 1971 prison uprising at Attica. I still don’t know as much as I would like because my one complaint about this documentary is that it was disjointed. I understand the need to start en media res, but I think a more chronological style would’ve better suited the subject matter.
The best part of the documentary are all of the former inmates they interview. They really add depth and heart to the story. Such humanity at the beginning and throughout makes the horror of the ending all the more devastating. The film outlines the four days of the prison rebellion, why the prisoners rebelled, and the brutal retaliation when police officers took the prison back over. Filmmakers also interview family members of prison guards who were taken prisoner and/or died.
Prisoners died for the audacity of speaking up for basic human rights like, oh I don’t know, having more than one roll of toilet paper to get them through the month. Prison guards who’d been held hostage were killed by the very police officers sent in to rescue them. Those prison guards then humiliated and abused the prisoners—the ones they hadn’t already killed.
At the end of the uprising, 43 people, both inmates and hostages, were dead. All but 3 had been killed by law enforcement.
This film is for people who
want to know history, even the painful parts
need to understand prison conditions and how Attica plays into where we are today with overcrowded prisons
need to understand how racism has always permeated and continues to permeate the legal system
This film isn’t for people who
are especially sensitive to depictions of humilation, especially the humiliation of people of color
prefer to keep their heads in the sand
Summer of Soul
The next day we watched this documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
Thank the Lord.
This documentary is gorgeous, and I defy you to watch without dancing. Among my notes “This movie was an utter joy. It felt like half of the actual running time. Great performances and beautiful footage.” The editing was also great, especially the part where Questlove, the director, juxtaposes the moon landing with a Staples Sisters song and an incredulous white interviewer who can’t understand why all of these Black folks are not impressed by the moon landing when there are so many people who are hungry in the US.
But…there’s Stevie Wonder and Mavis Staples and Nina Simone. Gladys Knight and the Pips. Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The 5th Dimension. Just…so lovely.
The best is when they show the footage to someone who was actually there back in 1969 and they say, “I knew I wasn’t crazy, but now I know I’m not crazy…it was beautiful.” My note was “this is what documentaries should do: bring light to things that are unknown or forgotten.”
This film is for people who
Love music: soul, Motown, funk, rock, bongos, jazz flute, joy
haven’t seen Nina Simone or a young Stevie Wonder perform
love vibrantly colored footage from the 60s
This film isn’t for people who
don’t like joy
#MondayMovies disclaimer: This blog is just for my thoughts. Sure, I’m a writer and an English major so I have some idea—we would hope—of how stories work. I’m also a flawed human being with my owns likes and dislikes, though, so please watch any movie you like and love it or hate it or just go for the popcorn. (Also, there will likely be a post a day leading up to the Oscars because I have quite a few films left)