Soul Power

What happens when the top American R&B talent lands en masse in Zaire to stage a concert in honour of the biggest boxing event of all time, the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”? Packing enough talent to give you stage fright, “Soul Power” is compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 of this astonishing back-to-Africa 3-day music festival, featuring electrifying performances by James Brown, B.B. King, Sister Sledge, Celia Cruz and many more. Combining Ali’s wit and wisdom – profoundly lyrical in its own right –, the vibrant street scenes of downtown Kinshasa and “fly-on-the-wall” footage of rehearsals, prep and jams, “Soul Power” has become a legend in its own right, joining the pantheon of concert film classics, including “Monterey Pop”, “Woodstock” and “Gimme Shelter”. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s probably due to painstaking restoration and legal wrangling that prevented the footage of seeing the light of day when it was first filmed. Unfortunately, you’ve just ran out of excuses!