PRICE*: $10 ($8 Belcourt members) | VIEWING WINDOW: 3 days
WATCH ON: Computer, tablet, smartphone, Chromecast, AirPlay (or use a HDMI cable to connect your computer or tablet with your TV)
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*For non-members, your ticket purchase will also include a $1.50 service fee, added during check-out. We’re delighted to be able to provide member pricing for this film. When prompted, sign-in or create a Belcourt account.
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From 1968 to 1973, the public television variety show Soul!, guided by the enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music and politics—voices that had few other options for national exposure, and as a result, found the program an improbable place to call home.
The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. With participants’ recollections and a bevy of great archival clips, MR. SOUL! captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate.
Featuring rare live performances and interviews from the legendary Al Green, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, James Baldwin, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Ashford and Simpson, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Billy Preston, Black Ivory, The Delfonics, Bill Withers, Nikki Giovanni, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Sonia Sanchez, The Last Poets, Wilson Pickett, Odetta, Merry Clayton, Mandrill, Kool and the Gang, Toni Morrison, Kathleen Cleaver, Betty Shabazz, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Mrs. George Jackson, George Faison, Patti Labelle and many more.
“MR. SOUL! revives an extraordinary, revolutionary piece of Black history… While SOUL! lasted only five years, the impact it had is incalculable.” —David Alm, Forbes
“A rich and illuminating piece of cultural history… As an undiluted forum for Black voices, SOUL! was an act of political insurgency even when it was showcasing radio-friendly R&B artists like Al Green.” —Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
“The most important TV show you've never heard of—is getting its due… For five years, SOUL! provided an intimate look at what was happening with African American culture in the U.S. in the wake of the civil rights movement.” —Erin Podolsky, Detroit Free Press
The Belcourt Theatre does not provide advisories about subject matter or potential triggering content, as sensitivities vary from person to person.
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