Wattstax (1973) User Reviews

The best of Richard Pryor in a slice of Watts ghetto life

[Grover-15 · 9/10 · 16 August 2003]

This rarely seen gem has Richard Pryor running on all twelve cylinders, stashed in a Watts bar, rapping with his buddies, the high point of a fascinating unvarnished view of ghetto life that slid down a black hole. This is one of a kind.

The Black folks Woodstock

[nuport · 9/10 · 9 April 2002]

After realizing Richard Pryor was in this ,I have spent about 2 years trying to track down a copy ,as I am collecting and have most of his body of work (audio & video).This picture is very seldom seen and a true picture Of us in the early 70's.The beauty of this film is in the impact of seeing real people in the so called 'hood at that time. It was a simpler time, and we still had alot of soul and pride in being what we were.We were one with the music and able to express our individuality. The civil rights movement had just begun to show some gain .But for most of us,it was about sex ,drugs ,and funky soul music .Seeing the young radical looking Rev. Jesse Jackson was incredible and its a shame we recently lost Rufus Thomas ,Johnny Taylor ,Pop Staples .I think in retrospect there is much truth in this film ....

Only 12 Comments for This Movie???

[mobyvicp71 · 8/10 · 1 July 2005]

I only heard of this movie recently, bought it yesterday, and watched it this evening. Wow! I'm old enough to remember 1972, but I was very removed from the feel of this film at the time.

The musical performances are magnificent, and the attempt to capture the feel of the people in the audience is admirable, but I wonder if "Isaac the Bartender" from "The Love Boat" was actually a Watts resident or if he was an actor hired to evoke a mood (same deal for "Woodrow" from "Sanford and Son").

I suppose it's good that we would consider the Reverend Jesse Jackson enticing 100,000 black people to shout "I am somebody!" not so significant today, but in 1972 it was probably considered radical.

Rufus Thomas is an absolute gem. It's amazing to see how smoothly he works crowd control, completely eliminating the need for police intervention, by appealing directly to the masses. And of course it's always a treat to see the Staple Singers perform.

I recommend this movie first for the fabulous musical performances, and second for its capturing of the feel of the time and place. I give it an 8 instead of a 10 simply because I wish I could have seen ALL of the performances in their entirety.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

[nomi338 · 23 July 2004]

Not only was I at the colliseum to witness this incredible event from the beginning to the end, but my wife my nephew and I appear briefly on camera. To say that I enjoyed the beautiful expressions that I observed that day is to put it mildly. To see such a large crowd of beautiful, proud and peaceful African Americans celebrating our musical heritage was an event that I will cherish to my grave. I can only give thanks to everyone who participated in making this such a seminal event in my life. I was fortunate enough to be able to tape the movie when it came on cable TV but of course I am anxiously waiting for it to come out on DVD. You know the thing that really impresses me is that this came about as the aftermath of a very violent occurrence and there were, at least to my knowledge, no acts of violence during this event. What a great testament to us. Be proud black folks, be very, very proud.

Outta Sight!

[dutchbeats · 10/10 · 5 July 2008]

This is an absolute gem and a richly textured time capsule in so many ways. Growing up making Hip-Hop in the 80's and 90's I used to wish I was a teenager in the late 60's and early 70's just to be around all of that great music. Seeing this movie now has solidified that dream. I should mention the scene when Rufus Thomas comes on and the crowd literally 'bum-rushes' the field in what today would be considered a riot but as the swarm of people descend from the stands to the sound of Rufus's opening number 'Funky Chicken', the riot is a dancing, feel good frenzy! I don't think anywhere in the world in today's society could so many people swarm into a small space like that and there not be any violence. They were just itching to dance and boy did they ever!!! Then, after Rufus wrapped it up he playfully instructed them to kindly move back to the stands and like angels, every single one of them did as requested in unison! OK one drunk guy stayed but Rufus joked with him and then told the crowd to 'go get him' and on cue some of them rushed the field to 'playfully' scurry him back to the stands.

You've really got to see this movie! Very addictive; I watched it three times within a week of first seeing it. Far out and solid!

The best music documentary of all time

[aaroncohen1000 · 10/10 · 31 October 2001]

My all time favorite music film, probably because it shows how soul was about so much more than music. Stirring performances (Isaac Hayes, The Emotions, Rance Allen Group) and hilarious running monologue from Richard Pryor (at his peak). Also some provocative social statements from Watts residents in the early '70s who speak out on race and romance. Catch it whenever you can---no VHS or DVD is available.

music and documentary of black America in the 70s

[dromasca · 7/10 · 1 July 2008]

I find the comparisons of 'Wattstax' with 'Woodstock' a little exaggerated on any dimension. As a musical event the five hours concert on the Olympic Stadium in LA was shorter, and less representative even of the the whole scene of black music of the time, while Woodstock was the big music event of a generation and gathered much of the cream of the rock music. From a social perspective while Woodstock was THE event of the hippie era to be talked about 40 years later, Wattstack got lost in a period rich of events that took the Afro-American society from segregation to equal political rights.

This does not mean that this documentary is a bad film, quite the opposite. The model of the Woodstock documentary is pretty well learned and followed, and we do feel the atmosphere of the day. The shots from the life in the black neighborhood of America are well chosen, and give documentary value to the movie. Pryor's monologues are fun, kind of a stand-up show avant-la-lettre, best in dealing with the realities of life in black America from a humorist perspective. Some of the other interviews seem a little artificial, part of the guys talk like Jesse Lackson the politician, while Jesse Jackson himself looks more natural as he had not become a politician yet.

Music is of course supposed to be the big prize of such a film. I felt somehow disappointed not only because of the too many missing names who could have joined such a show, but also because the concert does not seem to have been in the focus of Mel Stuart when he made the film, he lets us guess too many times who are the singers or maybe relies on a familiarity with the faces that went lost in 35 years, and some songs are cut in the middle for some more spoken words. Music could have made a better case even on the social issues if it was let to have more of its saying.

Richard Pryor and the Stax Records roster dominate Wattstax

[tavm · 10/10 · 9 February 2012]

On August 20, 1972-the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots-a 7 hour concert of various musical acts from the Stax Records roster was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum in honor of that event. Among those artists put in the film include: The Stax Golden 13 warbling "Old Time Religion", The Staple Singers chanting "Respect Yourself", Kim Weston performing "Lift Every Voice and Sing", The Bar-Kays doing "Son of Shaft", Albert King singing "I'll Sing the Blues for You", Carla Thomas warbling "Picking Up the Pieces", Rufus Thomas performing "The Breakdown" and "Do the Funky Chicken", Luthur Ingram wailing "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right", and Isaac Hayes doing-of course-"Theme From Shaft". In addition, three young women called The Emotions perform in a church with "Peace Be Still". All are surrounded by Richard Pryor doing some hilarious monologues about growing up black as well as many Watts residents-one of which I recognized as Ted Lange, later Isaac on "The Love Boat"-also talking about pretty much the same thing. Director Mel Stuart also provides lots of documentary footage of the area as it was at the time and during the events this film addresses. The performances I saw were great and I was especially glad to see the Hayes sequence since it wasn't in the airing on Cinemax in the '90s when I first watched this. The version I saw just now was on YouTube with the first 49 minutes from a French broadcast and the other an Asian one though it cut off after Luther Ingram in the middle of Pryor's next segment so I had to look elsewhere on the YouTube site for Richard's remaining monologues and Hayes' restored performance (I've yet to see his other number "Soulsville"). Nonetheless, this was a great documentary with excellent musical performances all around. So on that note, Wattstax is well worth seeing. P.S. Both The Emotions and The Staple Singers were native to my birthtown of Chicago, Ill. Luther Ingram was the co-writer-with Mack Rice-of the Staples' "Respect Yourself". It happened to be Hayes' 30th birthday when he performed at this event. And I also noticed Ossie Davis and wife Ruby Dee among the audience members. Update: 6/8/13-I've now seen Hayes' "Soulsville" performance and it's a nice serious number about the struggles of his people living below their means with pertinent footage accompanying it.

Better than Woodstock!!

[santegeezhe · 10/10 · 7 November 2006]

What a pleasant surprise this movie was! I remember hearing about it on NPR a couple of years ago when the DVD first came out, and prior to that I had never even heard of "Wattstax", either the concert or the movie. Boy, was I missing out! Fast forward to 2006. I rented this puppy at my local video store and had the pleasure of watching one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in years.

The closest comparison I can make is to the Woodstock movie, as Wattstax is also a concert movie in a similar vein. It's very of its time (1972), but somehow doesn't feel as dated as the Woodstock movie. It's both a concert film, an exploration of Watts itself, and a document of the black culture of the time - the purpose of the concert being to celebrate both black culture and pride, as well as the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots.

It features lots of footage other than performances - crowd shots, interviews with the man on the street, a gospel performance at a local church, some B-list celebrities, etc, all of which help add to the atmosphere of both the concert and of Watts itself. There's even some very funny and casual footage of Richard Pryor in his prime, as he raps about all sorts of topics in a local bar.

Now on to the music...This movie contains some of the greatest soul, blues, R&B, and funk performances that you'll ever see. Every performance is great in its own right. The Staples Singers find a relentless groove and keep on rocking...Carla Thomas proves that she has one of the most powerful, pure voices in the business...The Bar-Kays dazzle with both their outlandish attire and their funky grooves...Albert King brings a touch of the blues with his inimitable guitar style....the list goes on and on.

For me however, the absolute highlight of the show is Rufus Thomas's performance. Sad to say, but I had only a passing acquaintance with Mr. Thomas' work prior to seeing this movie, but "Wattstax" changed everything. Resplendant in white go-go boots and hot pink shorts, shirt, and cape, Rufus proceeds to tear the roof off the joint with a relentlessly funky and hilarious performance. The crowd clearly eats it up, and there's a great montage of various audience members boogeying their hearts out, and asses off. I don't know if I've ever seen a performer with as much presence and charisma as Rufus Thomas, he's a rare bird indeed.

So, long story short, if you haven't already seen this movie you're wasting your time. Go out and watch it right now!!!

Good Times!

[honeybearrecords · 9/10 · 9 March 2005]

WATTSTAX (dir. by Mel Stuart) Late one night when I was a kid, I was watching TV by myself like I did almost every weekend in the wee hours (I still can't sleep). I came across "Wattstax" one night and it blew me away. I had never heard of the Watts Riots. I certainly had never heard of the Wattstax concert. It was a totally eye-opening experience.

Now over 30 years later, "Wattstax" is finally out on DVD and it's beautiful. It's probably the best music documentary ever made. Seven years after the riots in Watts, a concert was thrown at the LA Coliseum where 100,000 people came out to remember the event. The film covers the concert with amazing sound quality and some of the only live footage I've ever seen by amazing groups like the Staples, the Emotions, the totally amazing Bar-Kays… You also get the criminally underrated Carla Thomas with one of the greatest voices of all time coming through crystal clear in this new digital release.

Along with the music you get the classic between song banter with Rufus Thomas and the audience, you get Richard Pryor at his peak, you get Melvin Van Peebles doing his thing and you get Jesse Jackson hosting. Most fascinating to me, however, are the many interviews with just regular folks in Watts. Completely engrossing, the comments are sad, funny and let you emotionally know what the concert was about.

Snapshot of Early 1970's Soul

[hillari · 18 October 2000]

This is not just a concert film; it's a documentary about African-American life in Los Angeles in the early 1970's. The concert is to commemorate the Watts riots of 1965, and some of the positive changes that took place in the area. Although there is a lot of humor to be found in some of the comments that the residents make about changes in their area, it's sad to realize that the lingering problems of racism and unequal opportunities still exist to this day. However, there's a lot of joy and hope expressed throughout the film. This is one of Richard Pryor's earliest appearances on film, and he is pure genius. Ted Lange ("The Love Boat") and Raymond Lewis (Woodrow on "Sanford and Son), are some of the Watts residents who give their thoughts about the political changes. Thespian couple Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee can be glimpsed in the stands during a quick shot.

All of the musical performances are solid. The movie opens with The Dramatics' "What You See Is What You Get" which serves as a commentary on Watts itself. Some of the musical acts perform away from the concert area. The Emotions do a heartfelt rendition of the gospel song, "Peace Be Still", in a local church and blues great Little Milton does a classic, "Walking The Back Streets Crying" while sitting near a railway. The late, great Johnny Taylor sings "Jody Got Your Girl and Gone" to a nightclub audience populated by players and hustlers in full regalia. Back on the concert stage, Rufus Thomas appears in an outrageous outfit and mixes comedy along with his music. The Staple Singers, The Barkays, Carla Thomas, Kim Weston, Albert King, Rance Allen please the audience. Issac Hayes caps the night off when he struts in to the "Theme From Shaft" and The Rev. Jessie Jackson gives him a king's welcome.

I saw this film during the Chicago International Film Festival this year, and afterwards, the director, Mel Stuart, explained that legal entanglements continue to keep this film from being released on video. That's a shame, because this film is an excellent time capsule of a piece of 1970's culture.

A Soul Shout Heard Around the World!!

[hypestyle · 10/10 · 10 August 2007]

Wattstax is a concert film, based on the performance of the same name which was held in the summer of 1972. Held in the Los Angeles Coliseum (then home to the NFL's Rams team), the concert was the climax of what was then an annual week-long festival held in the African-American community of Watts commemorating the rebellion/riots that took place in 1965. All of the music performers involved were from the now-storied Stax label, which gave the American pop landscape such acts as Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MGs, and the Otis Redding. A diverse selection of performers gives viewers a near-complete glimpse of the black music experience circa 1972: Gospel, blues, R&B, and funk artists all on the same bill. Promoted as "The black Woodstock", the full concert was six hours, here condensed to roughly 90 minutes.

The concert was hosted by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who speaks his now-legendary "I Am Somebody" sermon. Highlights of the show include the Staple Singers ("Respect Yourself"), The Bar-Kays ("Son of Shaft"), Johnnie Taylor ("Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone") Albert King ("I'll Play the Blues for You"), and Rufus Thomas ("The Funky Chicken"). "Shaft" composer and future "South Park" icon Isaac Hayes got to close the show, and the DVD restores his full performance (Warner Bros. Pictures controlled the copyright to the "Shaft" movie songs and refused clearance for the film, which was originally released through Columbia Pictures; the original movie footage of Hayes was rather brief, which perhaps damaged its box office run).

Interspersed between the concert footage are man-on-the-street interviews with assorted locals, who get to opine without censorship on various issues of the day. A pre-"Love Boat" Ted Lange is among them (his prematurely graying mustache lending unintentional humor to his young-guy rants). Also bookending many segments is Richard Pryor, whose similarly uncensored dialogue make some affecting points about uncomfortable subjects, from slavery to police brutality to unemployment. That he manages to find humor in the brutality of racism speaks to the genius of the late comic.

Wattstax, released in the midst of the "blaxploitation" movie trend, was a then-unheard of snapshot of the state of black America as buffered through the music of its artists. There are many establishing shots of storefronts in black neighborhoods: ramshackle churches abound, as well as other starkly blighted structures. As one resident puts it, "some things have changed for the better… some for the worst… a lot of things have stayed the same.." Whatever the physical costs of the civil rights movement (there is brief footage included of Dr. Martin Luther King's final speech) the emotional wounds were still fresh. "Black is beautiful" was the catchphrase of the day, and Afrocentric styles of hair and fashion were at a pre-disco peak (however the flamboyant 'players' who come to see a nightclub show anticipate the "me decade" excess that was to come). Based on footage shown, the assembly team who put together the stage in the middle of the field is mostly white; however, according to commentator Rob Bowman, Stax boss Al Bell insisted that the private security be black as well as any LAPD involved.

Fabulous

[MikeK-7 · 10/10 · 29 May 1999]

Great documentary has Isaac Hayes and others performing great songs of the 70's. Richard Pryor's monologues between the songs are also great. It's very sad this movie has not been released on video. I'm lucky to have seen it on cable network CINEMAX last summer.

Relevant Even Today

[Sargebri · 21 September 2004]

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.

straight from the source- release set for September 04

[avantassel · 3 April 2004]

I heard it straight from the source. I just had the privilege to see this film with Mel Stuart at the James River Film Festival in Richmond VA and he says it's coming to DVD in September 2004 with the original ending of the Isaac Hayes performance. Stuart said that it will also be aired on PBS in September 04 so look for that. This great documentary has life of the black experience as it was in the early 70's even has Richard Pryor giving some insight. Has some other good footage of Albert King, the Staple Singers, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Little Melvin, the Bar-Kays and Jesse Jackson. Some other interesting facts about the filming of the movie. Stuart specifically hired an all black film crew to capture the feel of this event by interviewing people in the streets and around the festival.

phenomenally soulfull

[Vlad 1 · 25 December 2001]

Back when being black , meant being proud .Melvin"Sweet Sweetback's Baaaadass song"Van Peebles came along with Wattstax. This was the Woodstock for soulbrothers and soulsisters held in 1972 at the L.A. Coliseum.This was the kind of show that made you wnat to jump out your skin and dance up a storm. Rance Allen's "Lying on the Truth" makes a man wanna go to church. Unfortunatly this movie hasn't made its way out on DVD or even VHS as of yet.The only way we can hear the legendary performances is to get the Wattstax soundtrack on cd.There is actually more than one soundtrack out, Wattstax and Wattstax 2. The first one made the leap to cd..while its latter partner in crime is stuck in vinyldom. I can say I have Wattstax 2 and it makes me thank Gd for a turntable...soulfully decadent.

Please, Please, Please, Please, Please Release This On DVD

[Deceptikon225 · 18 January 2003]

I found this gem of a documentary on black culture in the early '70's one night on cable in '98 and was blown away. Having been born in 1972 and growing up in that era it warmed my heart to listen to people talk about what they loved about our culture and to be reminded of how we took care of ourselves and each other back in the day. That is something that is terribly lacking in all communities today. And the musical performances were nothing short of spectacular. Watching the Emotions rendition of "Peace Be Still", I'm not ashamed to say, brought tears to this big ol' Southern boy's eyes, I also enjoyed the late great Rufus Thomas' renditions of "Breakdown" and "Do the Funky Chicken" and the singing of the black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as they showed the audience filing into the stadium. I recorded it onto VHS the next time it came on and treasured it like the Hope Diamond, but a few months later the tape popped and I have never been able to find it anywhere else since. So I say to the producers of this great film, if you are reading this message, please do yourself and the rest of the world a favor and release this classic on VHS/DVD.

Its the black Woodstock with the soulful 'Memphis' sound

[raysond · 12 July 2002]

It is terribly sad that this film and its soundtrack are nowhere to be found these days. I have looked on various websites including the sites of Amazon,Sam Goody,and even selected music shops for this album which was released back in the early 1970's. But as for the movie is concern, this is a picture that needs to be seen again and I wonder what is the holdup on getting it released on video. They say its something else,but from other people's minds I don't dig it since it has been in commercial tie-ups lately with studio executives and its director,Mel Stuart who has been pushing hard to get this movie out on video. I got the chance to see this seldom seen picture only once when they showed it on Cinemax back in the early 90's. This is a movie and a concert documentary that showcased some of the biggest and baddest as well as some of the soulful groups and R&B singers of their day. This is also a true picture about US as a people too when we didn't act so CRAZY,and it shows. The overall beauty of this film is at the impact of seeing our beautiful brothers and sisters when we had some dignity as well as pride about ourselves and our culture plus we have a lot of soul and self respect in being what we were. We were one with our own music and we were able to express that individuality by feeling what was deep inside us. Wattstax was based on a two day event which was the Woodstock for African-Americans that was held in 1972 at the L.A. Coliseum. This was the kind of show that made you stand up and dance up a storm if you wanted to and also to express yourself. Some of the people that are in this are a very youthful and radical looking Rev. Jesse Jackson who was incredible to watch and he gave various speeches as well as providing laughs from a young looking Richard Pryor. The acts that performed was straight up soul-kicking entertainment and it shows. You had acts that included The Staple Singers,The Emotions,Carla Thomas,Rance Allen,Johnnie Taylor as well as one of the greatest acts ever...the incredible Issac Hayes. Like the title of the group The Dramatics used to say,"What You See Is What You Get",and it shows. It a crying shame that we lost two of Stax's greatest entertainers that were featured..the late Rufus Thomas and the late great Johnnie Taylor as well as Pop Staples. It remains to be seen.