Wattstax

Back when being black , meant being proud .Melvin"Sweet Sweetback's Baaaadass song"Van Peebles came along with Wattstax. This was the Woodstock for soulbrothers and soulsisters held in 1972 at the L.A. Coliseum.This was the kind of show that made you wnat to jump out your skin and dance up a storm. Rance Allen's "Lying on the Truth" makes a man wanna go to church. Unfortunatly this movie hasn't made its way out on DVD or even VHS as of yet.The only way we can hear the legendary performances is to get the Wattstax soundtrack on cd.There is actually more than one soundtrack out, Wattstax and Wattstax 2. The first one made the leap to cd..while its latter partner in crime is stuck in vinyldom. I can say I have Wattstax 2 and it makes me thank Gd for a turntable...soulfully decadent.

This is one great film not only because of the classic concert footage, but because of the fact that the cameras went out into the community and showed how life was and, for the most part, still is in the inner city. Of course, I am a little biased due to the fact that I live in Los Angeles. In fact, the non concert footage could stand alone as a separate film due to the fact that they show various aspects of African-American life. Also, it is quite sad to see Richard Pryor in this film. This was before the years of abuse began to take their toll and probably helped contribute to the Multiple Sclerosis, which would contribute to his death years later. However, the concert footage is what pushed this film over the top, especially the footage of Issac Hayes. You pretty much could see why he was inducted some 30 years later into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This not only a great concert film, but a great commentary Black America.

This rarely seen gem has Richard Pryor running on all twelve cylinders, stashed in a Watts bar, rapping with his buddies, the high point of a fascinating unvarnished view of ghetto life that slid down a black hole. This is one of a kind.

After realizing Richard Pryor was in this ,I have spent about 2 years trying to track down a copy ,as I am collecting and have most of his body of work (audio & video).This picture is very seldom seen and a true picture Of us in the early 70's.The beauty of this film is in the impact of seeing real people in the so called 'hood at that time. It was a simpler time, and we still had alot of soul and pride in being what we were.We were one with the music and able to express our individuality. The civil rights movement had just begun to show some gain .But for most of us,it was about sex ,drugs ,and funky soul music .Seeing the young radical looking Rev. Jesse Jackson was incredible and its a shame we recently lost Rufus Thomas ,Johnny Taylor ,Pop Staples .I think in retrospect there is much truth in this film ....

I only heard of this movie recently, bought it yesterday, and watched it this evening. Wow! I'm old enough to remember 1972, but I was very removed from the feel of this film at the time.

The musical performances are magnificent, and the attempt to capture the feel of the people in the audience is admirable, but I wonder if "Isaac the Bartender" from "The Love Boat" was actually a Watts resident or if he was an actor hired to evoke a mood (same deal for "Woodrow" from "Sanford and Son").

I suppose it's good that we would consider the Reverend Jesse Jackson enticing 100,000 black people to shout "I am somebody!" not so significant today, but in 1972 it was probably considered radical.

Rufus Thomas is an absolute gem. It's amazing to see how smoothly he works crowd control, completely eliminating the need for police intervention, by appealing directly to the masses. And of course it's always a treat to see the Staple Singers perform.

I recommend this movie first for the fabulous musical performances, and second for its capturing of the feel of the time and place. I give it an 8 instead of a 10 simply because I wish I could have seen ALL of the performances in their entirety.