Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
97%RT Audience Score: 98%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
66 wins & 43 nominations total
Deftly interweaving incredible live footage with a series of revealing interviews, Summer of Soul captures the spirit and context of a watershed moment while tying it firmly to the present.
Summer of Soul will be educational for a lot of viewers, but whether or not you know about the history behind it, this incredible music is not to be missed.
Production Company(ies)
Mass Distraction Media, Radical Media, Vulcan Productions,
Distributor
Searchlight Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Hulu), Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Mount Morris Park, Harlem, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, smoking and brief drug material.
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 57m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 2, 2021 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2021
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
Keyword(s)
Summer of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, documentary, music, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, historical record, Black history, culture, fashion, Harlem Cultural Festival, Mount Morris Park, Marcus Garvey Park, concert performances, never-before-seen footage, healing power of music, unrest, PG-13, smoking, brief drug material, disturbing images, David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel, Searchlight Pictures, Dolby Digital, stereo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, B.B King, Chris Rock, critic reviews, Kambole Campbell, David Fear, Kevin Maher, Adam Nayman, Mark Kermode, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Josh Parham, Matt Neal, Tim Brayton, Douglas Davidson, Brian Eggert, Mark Johnson, audience reviews
Worldwide gross: $3,702,396
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,026,751
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,233
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 439,122
US/Canada gross: $2,320,649
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,523,953
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,977
US/Canada opening weekend: $802,054
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $872,319
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,292
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Self
Stevie Wonder
Self
Music Performer
B.B. King
Self
Chris Rock
Self
Nina Simone
Self
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Director
David Dinerstein
Producer
Robert Fyvolent
Producer
Joseph Patel
Producer
Dolby Digital
Sound Mix
Stereo
Sound Mix
Searchlight Pictures
Distributor
Director(s)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
66 wins & 43 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Documentary Feature Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (216) | Top Critics (55) | Fresh (214) | Rotten (2)
Despite being a first feature, Summer of Soul concisely balances performance, interview, and history in its own rhythmic fashion.
August 3, 2021
Kambole Campbell
Hyperallergic
TOP CRITIC
Summer of Soul is both a tribute to the artists and, just as importantly, their audience — which is what makes it not just a great concert film but a great documentary, period.
August 2, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
David Fear
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
The incendiary stars of the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 erupt into life in this extraordinary documentary culled from comprehensive footage that’s been abandoned and unseen for 50 years.
July 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Summer of Soul features stunning, irresistible footage of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and an entire roll call of 20th-century Black jazz…
July 19, 2021
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
Thompson’s feature debut intertwines music and politics in one of the best concert movies of all time.
July 18, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The documentary of the decade.
July 17, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
What’s presented is an uproarious celebration of communal pride with an emphasis on holding onto what makes a community proud.
June 8, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
Questlove’s film show the capacity for the music doco to be about so much more than music. It’s one of the best examples of the genre to date.
April 8, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
Fantastic footage, worthy of any showcase that Questlove or any other filmmaker could possibly give it.
March 16, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
… the journey that the director takes us on as eye-opening to the audience as it does to him, making some of the more emotional moments revealed within pack just a little more punch as we observe someone learning about their cultural history.
February 15, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
Summer of Soul is more fluid and urgent than most documentaries, concert films or otherwise. It deftly blends history, culture, politics, and art with a rare harmony of breadth and depth.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Summer of Soul is a resonant, vigorous, and illuminating time machine full of emotion and ethnology. Youll come for the music and stay for the history lesson.
February 11, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Johnson
Awards Daily…
Plot
In the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park), and Summer of Soul captures the spirit and context of this epic event celebrating Black history, culture, and fashion, featuring never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach and more.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach and more.
Ahmir-“Questlove”-Thompson.jpg
