Wattstax (1973)    Columbia/Documentary    RT: 103 minutes    Rated R (language)    Director: Mel Stuart    Music: Terry Manning (supervisor)    Cinematography: John A. Alonzo, Larry Clark, Robert Marks, Jose Mignone and Roderick Young    Release date: February 4, 1973 (US)    Featuring: The Dramatics, The Staple Singers, Kim Weston, Jimmy Jones, Rance Allen, The Emotions, William Bell, Louise McCord, Debra Manning, Eric Mercury, Freddy Robinson, Lee Sain, Ernie Hines, Little Sonny Warner, The Newcomers, Eddie Floyd, The Temprees, Frederick Knight, The Bar-Kays, Albert King, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor, Mel Hardin, Tim McPherson, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Luther Ingram, Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ted Lange.    Box Office: N/A

Rating: *** ½

 I’ve been kicking myself for years for not watching or taping Wattstax when it aired on Cinemax in summer ’97. I didn’t know until too late that it wasn’t available on video due to (what else?) copyright issues over the music. It wasn’t available in any format until ’04 when Warner Bros. restored and released it on DVD. As for me, I finally rectified my error this past week when I ordered it on Amazon Prime. It is a truly amazing experience.

 Part concert film and part documentary, the movie Wattstax is a beautiful, brilliant look at black music and black life in Los Angeles circa 1972. The title refers to an all-day concert held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum commemorating the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots. People of color showed up en masse to enjoy a line-up of recording artists from the Stax record label. That day, they listened to a variety of genres including soul, R&B, gospel, blues, jazz and funk. We get to see performances from the likes of The Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, The Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes. The music is fantastic!

 That’s the concert portion of Wattstax. The documentary portion is the footage of everyday life in Watts interspersed between performances. Director Mel Stuart (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) takes us on a tour of the neighborhood, showing us the various businesses and churches and introducing us to the residents (including a young, pre-Love Boat Ted Lange) who talk about their lives and other subjects pertaining to being black in America. He also includes footage of comedian Richard Pryor sitting in a bar doing his thing. It’s all interesting, but I preferred the music.

 As I’m sure you can surmise, my favorite part of Wattstax is the music. All of it is GREAT! The songs performed include “Son of Shaft” (The Bar-Kays), “I’ll Play the Blues for You” (Albert King), “Picking Up the Pieces” (Carla Thomas) and “Old-Time Religion” (The Golden Thirteen). The film concludes with headliner Isaac Hayes performing “Theme from Shaft” and “Soulsville”. This ending was cut from the original release due to (what else?) legal issues concerning the use of “Theme from Shaft”. Stuart includes performances filmed elsewhere like The Emotions’ “Peace Be Still” (filmed at the Friendly Will Baptist Church), Little Milton’s “Walking the Streets and Crying” (staged near some train tracks) and Johnnie Taylor’s “Jody’s Got Your Girl and Gone” (filmed at The Summit Club in downtown L.A.). The last one is preceded by shots of pimps and players decked out in wild outfits arriving for the show.

 The shots of the concertgoers having a good time run a very close second. Everybody is happy to be there as evidenced by the smiles and dancing in the stands. For a few hours, they’re an extended family sharing a wonderful experience. At one point, several attendees jump the fence and take the field to boogie along to Rufus Thomas’ “Do the Funky Chicken”. For a few minutes, it’s a big dance party. Take note, not one fight breaks out. When the song ends, Thomas nicely asks the folks to go back to the stands and they do save for one (possibly drunk) guy who clowns around on the field. Thomas playfully pokes fun with comments like, “That’s a brother alright, but I’ll be damned if he’s my brother!” before asking audience members to help him back to his seat.

 I love Wattstax except for a couple of minor details. First, I wish the makers identified the artists with on-screen titles. I’m sure I’m not the only one unable to recognize all of the artists on sight. Second, I wish the makers didn’t cut some of the performances short with more footage of Watts locals. In short, I wanted more music and less talk. But that’s just me.

 In any event, Wattstax is a joyous celebration of black pride. Reverend Jesse Jackson delivers his “I Am Somebody” speech to the people. The concert organizers insisted on having only black police officers on security detail. It was a wildly successful event and it’s (almost) all captured on film. I’m so glad I finally got to see it. It was totally worth the wait.