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IMDb rating 8
Critic rating Average critic rating
Critic rating 9.1

Reviews

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Critic Leila Latif
rated 10

There is so much beauty in this film, in detail in the outfits of the attendees, the composition of the interviews and in the tightly constructed contextualising montages.

Read full review at Little White Lies
Critic Selome Hailu
rated 9

...capturing the multiplicity of Black identity with the unrelenting joy of one special summer. Just waiting to be discovered.

Read full review at The Austin Chronicle
Critic Odie Henderson
rated 10

The clips are chosen carefully, not just for the familiarity of the performers but also as context for the backstory Thompson wants to tell.

Read full review at Roger Ebert
Critic Mark Kermode
rated 10

This Sundance award-winner is an absolute joy, uncovering a treasure trove of pulse-racing, heart-stopping live music footage...

Read full review at The Guardian
Critic Leah Greenblatt
rated 8

...somehow both as fresh as yesterday and as far away as the moon.

Read full review at Entertainment Weekly
Critic Roger Moore
rated 9

Questlove (...) has made one of the most entertaining concert films in years...

Read full review at Movie Nation
Critic Whelan Barzey
rated 10

...an important slice of cultural history, an expression of Black joy, and probably the best concert you’ll never go to.

Read full review at Empire
Critic Jordan Hoffman
rated 10

...Questlove’s film is more than just archival footage.

Read full review at The Guardian

Cast & Crew

Questlove
As Self (uncredited)
Questlove
Director
Chris Rock
As Self
John F. Kennedy
As Self (archive footage)
Richard Nixon
As Self (archive footage)
Martin Luther King Jr.
As Self (archive footage)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) about? Toggle content

Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a documentary film that explores the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebrated event that brought together prominent African American musicians, artists, and thinkers to celebrate Black culture and promote unity and pride. Despite its significance, the festival has been largely forgotten in recent years, overshadowed by the more well-known Woodstock festival that took place around the same time. The film features interviews with attendees, performers, and commentators, as well as professional footage of the festival and stock news footage to provide historical context.

Where can I stream Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)? Toggle content

You can stream Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) on:

What movies are similar to Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) include The Greatest Night in Pop, Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony, Descendant, Mothers of the Revolution, The Human Factor.