Wattstax (1973)

Documentary covering a Stax Records-sponsored all-day concert at the 1972 Watts Summer Festival with performances by Stax Records artists such as Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Staples Singers, and more.

Director:

Mel Stuart

Stars:

The Dramatics, The Staple Singers, Kim Weston

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
The Dramatics	...	Themselves
The Staple Singers	...	Themselves
Kim Weston	...	Herself
Jimmy Jones	...	Himself
Rance Allen	...	Himself
The Emotions	...	Themselves
William Bell	...	Himself
Louise McCord	...	Herself
Debra Manning	...	Herself
Eric Mercury	...	Himself
Freddy Robinson	...	Himself
Lee Sain	...	Himself
Ernie Hines	...	Himself
Sonny Warner	...	Himself (as Little Sonny Warner)
The Newcomers	...	Themselves

Storyline

Documentary with a selection from a non-stop 7-hour musical event at Watts, the Los Angeles Coliseum, August 20, 1972. It's a sort of Woodstock event but with black artists, namely the groups Dramatics, Staple Singers, Rance Allen Group, Emotions, Bar Kays, Mel & Tim.

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Plot Keywords:

watts | singer | african american | 1970s | inner city | 

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Taglines:

A soulful expression of the living word...

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1973 (West Germany)

Filming Locations:

Watts, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stax Records, Wolper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally 'The Bar Kays' were going to enter the L.A. Coliseum riding in horse-drawn chariots. However, when the executives of Stax Records heard what the group had planned they ordered them not to do it. It turned out that the reason they didn't want the group to do it was so that they wouldn't upstage the concert's headliner, Isaac Hayes.

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Connections

Edited into The N Word (2004)

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Soundtracks

"What You See Is What You Get"
Performed by The Dramatics

User Reviews

Relevant Even Today

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.