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IMDbPro

The Night James Brown Saved Boston

  • TV Movie
  • 20082008
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 6m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
191
YOUR RATING
The Night James Brown Saved Boston (2008)
DocumentaryMusic
The film documents that remarkable concert and the politics around it. Boston Mayor Kevin White and his colleagues almost by accident realized that by televising the James Brown concert they... Read allThe film documents that remarkable concert and the politics around it. Boston Mayor Kevin White and his colleagues almost by accident realized that by televising the James Brown concert they could keep people indoors that night prevent widespread rioting. The film is almost testi... Read allThe film documents that remarkable concert and the politics around it. Boston Mayor Kevin White and his colleagues almost by accident realized that by televising the James Brown concert they could keep people indoors that night prevent widespread rioting. The film is almost testimony to the power of music in general and the power of James Brown's music in particular. ... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
191
YOUR RATING
    • David Leaf
    • Morgan Neville
  • Stars
    • Muhammad Ali(archive footage)
    • Michael Ambrosino
    • Tom Atkins
    • David Leaf
    • Morgan Neville
  • Stars
    • Muhammad Ali(archive footage)
    • Michael Ambrosino
    • Tom Atkins
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

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    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Michael Ambrosino
    • Self
    Tom Atkins
    • Self
    Charles Bobbitt
    • Self
    • (as Charles Bobbit)
    James Brown
    James Brown
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Bobby Byrd
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    James Byrd
    • Self
    • (as James 'Early' Byrd)
    Mike Douglas
    Mike Douglas
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Pee Wee Ellis
    • Self
    Dick Flavin
    • Self
    • (as Richard Flavin)
    David Gates
    • Self
    Robert Hall
    • Self
    • (as Dr. Robert Hall)
    Dennis Haysbert
    Dennis Haysbert
    • Self - Narrator
    • (voice)
    Hubert H. Humphrey
    Hubert H. Humphrey
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Ellen Jackson
    • Self
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Robert F. Kennedy
    Robert F. Kennedy
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Coretta Scott King
    Coretta Scott King
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
      • David Leaf
      • Morgan Neville
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Muhammad Ali
    8.7
    Muhammad Ali

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    • Connections
      Edited into Race for Space (2010)

    User reviews5

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Interesting and entertaining
    I am a fan of James Brown - his concert in the Streetsville Arena near Toronto on the night of the great blackout was a highlight on my youth - so I found this film informative and delightful. It's a great way for people who never his saw his show as it was back in those days to get an idea of what it might have been like. His "big show" approach, with smooth, scripted emceeing, warmup acts, comedy, everything done with near military precision, paved the way for the big concerts of today. In fact, a lot of shows today look awfully loosey-goosey compared to his. But the film focuses on the social significance of that show in Boston, which kept potential rioters off the streets in order to watch a special broadcast of the James Brown show live on television.

    It's said he was working for the higher good. Well, JB often did, but the film makes clear on this night that he was ready to turn his back; he wasn't going to do his part to help calm the city unless he was paid his full going rate. And the shame of the city of Boston is that, according to a member of the JB team, they only paid part of the fee. They should have paid it ten time over, considering the destruction he almost certainly saved the city from.

    Not every moment of the film is riveting, but it's well worth watching, leaving you with some interesting thoughts about the importance of music.
    helpful•6
    0
    • deschreiber
    • Jul 18, 2009

    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 5, 2008 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production company
      • David Leaf Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 6 minutes
      • Color

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