Wattstax
1973 · Movie · R · 98 min · ★ 6.9 · 86% critics
This documentary captures a major Los Angeles concert held in the years after the Watts unrest, blending live soul and gospel performances with street interviews and scenes from everyday life in the neighborhood. The result is both a celebration of music and a portrait of a community.
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Details
- Years
- 1973
- Release date
- 1973-02-04
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Critic score
- 86/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (19 votes)
About
If you enjoy concert documentaries that also explore culture and community, this is an easy pick, especially if you like Woodstock or Monterey Pop; Not for you if you only want nonstop full-length performances.
Pros: electrifying live performances; vivid community snapshot; funny, insightful interviews | Cons: some songs feel cut short; uneven focus on music; a few interviews feel staged
Themes
- concert
- race politics
- musical
- woodstock, new york
- watts riots
- los angeles, california
Cast & crew
Richard Pryor
as Self
- RT
Rufus Thomas
as Self
Isaac Hayes
as Self
Melvin Van Peebles
as Self
- KW
Kim Weston
- WB
William Bell
Albert King
as Self
- EF
Eddie Floyd
as Self
- LM
Little Milton
Carla Thomas
Directed by Mel Stuart