Wattstax

Bell-bottoms, riots, peace, and music. “Once in a while, a music-oriented film can transcend the ordinary and become a chronicle of a social mood instead of an on-film record of a concert,” declares the Detroit Free Press, “It was that way with Monterey Pop and Woodstock; it is that way with Wattstax.”

This award-winning documentary chronicles the legendary “Black Woodstock,” when Los Angeles’ Black community presented an event that became a symbol of survival and renewed hope, seven years after the tragic riots of 1965. Now restored and digitally remixed, this documentary on the National Film Registry highlights performances by Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Rufus, and Carla Thomas. The Staple Singers, the Bar-Kays and a new-on-the-scene comedian, Richard Pryor. Al Bell, then executive of the iconic Stax R&B label, recalled that historic, exhilarating day in 1972: “It was the happiest moment in my life. Just go and take a look at the documentary. Really see what you’re seeing. Hear what’s being said. Listen to the words and music of the songs. Because it all tells a complete story from the first song to the last song.”

Director Mel Stuart “uses the music as an expression of common feeling,” says Time magazine. He “gives the people a voice, and the tone is insistent and important.” 

“It’s a rich tapestry incorporating documentary footage—the ’65 riots, interviews with Watts residents talking about being Black in America—that puts its musical performances (staged by Melvin Van Peebles) in a broad social context,” shares the Chicago Reader.

“Wattstax is funny, funky, tragic and triumphant,” says Gannett News Service.”