The Apollo

You can't have a documentary about this subject without barely mentioning the man who changed the world and this venue forever, Michael J Jackson.

Obviously HBO did not put him in the doc because of the ongoing lawsuit against his estate. The allegations against him has all been debunked and his accusers have been proven to be both criminals and scammers. There has to be something wrong with those who still defend these proven liars after everything that has come out about them

An excellent recap of the storied Apollo and its history, including the man who changed the world of music and this venue forever: James Brown. His legendary performances are chronicled, as well as those of many other giants of Soul and R&B music.

There are amazing stories and interesting interviews with all the relevant people involved in making the Apollo into the legend it is today and nobody is left out.

If you're into the history of Soul music, you must see this film and you will agree that this thorough documentary perfectly captures the spirit of the legendary Apollo and leaves nothing out!

The Apollo (2019) a 98 min. documentary by Roger Ross Williams the history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem did not feel complete. It really promoted the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates using his book about teaching son about being Black in America. Using usual talking head shots with spliced transition of archived material, Williams gets to record the early beginning of the theatre owned by the Schifman family then later to Sutton's re-opening the theatre, leading to its current non-profit management governance.

What it does is established the theatre for a significant historic place as a center for Black creative expression. Displaying famous performances by Billie Holiday, James Brown, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin (rarely seen). But stating the obvious that there is no mention of Jackson family, there only one quick image of a tribute banner, honoring Michael Jackson.

The second element, establishing "Amateur Night" as one of the most famous talent show the world has ever known. Williams puts in needed interviews with Harlem residents, politicians and even a past U.S. President. Notable interviews were with Charles Rangel, a Black/Boricua (Puerto Rican) N.Y. Representative and with singers like Gladys Knight!

It also referenced general Black history, from N.Y. riots to Harlem's poverty and recent gentrification. This film used usual documentary styled techniques. Although Jackson family was referenced, this documentary is needed and served as a slice of U.S. diverse cultural landscape.

OK I get it. The Apollo is now a black marquee but if you are going to make a documentary about the history of the theatre shouldn't you tell the truth?

I was built in 1912 as a burlesque theatre for whites only! It wasn't until 1934 that it became a black burlesque theatre.

Further early on in this documentary there is a politician who actually says the venue was situated in Harlem where blacks came to escape slavery. Slavery was done for half a century when this theatre as built and Harlem was predominately white until around 1930!

What are they talking about? They are trying to re-write history and its silly. Why.

"The Apollo" (2019 release; 102 min.) is a documentary about the legendary theater in Harlem. As the movie opens, we are watching a modern performance piece (we later learn it's the live performance of "Between the World and Me"). We then go back to the theater's beginning as the "Apollo" in 1934, located at Harlem's ground zero on 125th Street. Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performed there that year. "It's a model of black achievement", comments one of the documentary's many talking heads. At this point we are 10 min. into the film.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from the Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams. Here he brings us the rich history and significance of the Apollo. The movie is remarkably split (almost 50-50) between the emphasis on the music/dance/performance (in the first half) and the civil rights and political significance (in the second half). Among the music's highlights is of course the (in)famous Amateur Night. Incredibly, we see footage of Lauryn Hill (yes, THE Lauryn Hill), then age 13, being booed off the stage by the crowd (Hill's singing was indeed completely out of tune). Surreal. In the second half, in addition to the political significance, the film makers also look at how the Apollo stays relevant in today's society and what its role is/should be ("new works from the African-American community"}, which leads us back to "Between the World and Me". Bottom line: this is a delightful and insightful documentary about one of the iconic landmarks in New York.

"The Apollo" premiered this week on HBO and is now available on VOD. If you have any interest in knowing more about the rich history and significance of the Apollo, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.