People tend to forget
September 6, 2011 9:28 AM Subscribe
'“The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975“ is an incredible documentary with an equally incredible story behind it. The film is constructed entirely from hundreds of hours of archival footage of the black power movement, footage that’s not just rare, but unseen; it was shot by a Swedish news crew in the 1960s and 1970s, then left untouched in a Swedish TV station’s cellar for 30 years, where it was discovered by documentary filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson.'
Clips. Angela Davis. Interview with Danny Glover.
Clips. Angela Davis. Interview with Danny Glover.
Just saw a preview for this at Lincoln Plaza Cinema (a great movie theater with a terrible web site.)
posted by Jahaza at 9:49 AM on September 6, 2011
posted by Jahaza at 9:49 AM on September 6, 2011
Saw this at Hot Docs in Toronto. Good film. The outsider aspect of the Swedish film crews allowed them a lot of access that wouldn't have been given to white crews from the US (if they had even tried). Once you see Bobby Seale in his mom's apartment you realize how much access these Swedes were granted.
The only thing I didn't like was the reliance on modern celebrity talking heads for context. If they were actually there, great, let's hear about it. But it got annoying hearing Talib Kweli and Erykah Badu talking about stuff that happened before they were even born. I know they have an interest - Talib Kweli owns an afrocentric bookstore - but whenever historical docs throw in modern celebs to talk about the "influence" it feels like pandering to young people.
On the other hand, the Questlove score was great.
posted by thecjm at 9:50 AM on September 6, 2011
The only thing I didn't like was the reliance on modern celebrity talking heads for context. If they were actually there, great, let's hear about it. But it got annoying hearing Talib Kweli and Erykah Badu talking about stuff that happened before they were even born. I know they have an interest - Talib Kweli owns an afrocentric bookstore - but whenever historical docs throw in modern celebs to talk about the "influence" it feels like pandering to young people.
On the other hand, the Questlove score was great.
posted by thecjm at 9:50 AM on September 6, 2011
The outsider aspect of the Swedish film crews allowed them a lot of access that wouldn't have been given to white crews from the US (if they had even tried).
That parenthetical bit is key, I think. The fact that the Swedes weren't the least bit dismissive (let alone hostile) toward the heavily Socialist aspect of much of the Black Power movement probably had a lot to do with their actually trying to get access in the first place.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:21 AM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
That parenthetical bit is key, I think. The fact that the Swedes weren't the least bit dismissive (let alone hostile) toward the heavily Socialist aspect of much of the Black Power movement probably had a lot to do with their actually trying to get access in the first place.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:21 AM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
According to the Danny Glover interview, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries, were heavily involved in funding many aspects of the Black Power movement, starting after MLK won the Nobel Prize.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:44 AM on September 6, 2011
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:44 AM on September 6, 2011
I know they have an interest - Talib Kweli owns an afrocentric bookstore - but whenever historical docs throw in modern celebs to talk about the "influence" it feels like pandering to young people.
well... they are included not because they have an interest, but precisely they because the film makers hope to rope in young people. There's very little difference to an 18 year old being told about this historical stuff and when I was 17 and taught about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand - it's important if you say it is, otherwise just boring history to an otherwise typically and understandably self-absorbed teenager.
I'm not saying celebs are the only way to reach out, in fact, it's an un-imaginative, uninspired way to do it, I just understand the motivation.
posted by victors at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
well... they are included not because they have an interest, but precisely they because the film makers hope to rope in young people. There's very little difference to an 18 year old being told about this historical stuff and when I was 17 and taught about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand - it's important if you say it is, otherwise just boring history to an otherwise typically and understandably self-absorbed teenager.
I'm not saying celebs are the only way to reach out, in fact, it's an un-imaginative, uninspired way to do it, I just understand the motivation.
posted by victors at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
According to the Danny Glover interview, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries, were heavily involved in funding many aspects of the Black Power movement, starting after MLK won the Nobel Prize.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:44 PM on September 6
Does that count as proselytization under the PATRIOT Act?
I know it depends on who you ask, but I consider it a good thing that our Civil Rights protests haven't corresponded too much with our domestic terrorist smitings.
posted by vhsiv at 4:10 PM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:44 PM on September 6
Does that count as proselytization under the PATRIOT Act?
I know it depends on who you ask, but I consider it a good thing that our Civil Rights protests haven't corresponded too much with our domestic terrorist smitings.
posted by vhsiv at 4:10 PM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Now the trick is to figure out how to remember to go see this when it comes out here in the middle of October.
posted by hoyland at 4:37 PM on September 6, 2011
posted by hoyland at 4:37 PM on September 6, 2011
Does that count as proselytization under the PATRIOT Act?
Almost certainly would. The "war on terror" is slowly but surely putting a chokehold on civil rights as we know them, and any movement in the future that looks anything even remotely like the Black Panther movement won't get an inch off the ground, if the TSAFBICIANSA have any say in the matter.
The times they have a'changed, and it ain't for the better.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:49 PM on September 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Almost certainly would. The "war on terror" is slowly but surely putting a chokehold on civil rights as we know them, and any movement in the future that looks anything even remotely like the Black Panther movement won't get an inch off the ground, if the TSAFBICIANSA have any say in the matter.
The times they have a'changed, and it ain't for the better.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:49 PM on September 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
I'll be looking forward to this -- thanks for posting it.
any movement in the future that looks anything even remotely like the Black Panther movement won't get an inch off the ground
Then again, it also seems incredible that the Black Panther movement got off the ground when and where it did.
posted by Zed at 6:24 PM on September 6, 2011
any movement in the future that looks anything even remotely like the Black Panther movement won't get an inch off the ground
Then again, it also seems incredible that the Black Panther movement got off the ground when and where it did.
posted by Zed at 6:24 PM on September 6, 2011
Thanks *so* much for posting about this! Hadn't heard of it at all, but it sounds so fascinating. Seeing the real people on film, it's going to be great.
posted by honey badger at 6:25 PM on September 6, 2011
posted by honey badger at 6:25 PM on September 6, 2011
Wow. I might have been sleeping above this footage for many years. The SVT has a lot of archived footage, and rented most of our buildings cellar to house old reels, right underneath the apartment I lived in when I grew up. As a young teen, I was always trying to pick the steel door locks of their part of our buildings cellar, convinced that whatever was behind those doors was a goldmine.
posted by dabitch at 2:03 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by dabitch at 2:03 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Mod note: Comments removed. uncanny hengemen, cut the shit. flapjax, uc: quit having grousing matches with each other.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:13 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:13 AM on September 7, 2011
« Older "Mr. Cortex, We Love You!" | Evolution of Rioting Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Liquidwolf at 9:44 AM on September 6, 2011