Wattstax (1973)

Director:

Mel Stuart

Release Date:

23 November 1973 (West Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy | Music

Tagline:

A soulful expression of the living word...

Plot:

Documentary about african-american singers like Isaac Hayes and Rufus Thomas.

Plot Keywords:

Performance | Pride | Music Festival | Gospel | Musician

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

James Alexander	...	Himself
Rance Allen	...	Himself
Raymond Allen	...	Himself
The Bar-Kays	...	Themselves
Andre Edwards	...	Himself
The Emotions	...	Themselves
Isaac Hayes	...	Himself
Luther Ingram	...	Himself
Jesse Jackson	...	Himself (as Rev. Jesse Jackson)
Erik Kilpatrick	...	Himself
Albert King	...	Himself
Ted Lange	...	Himself
Little Milton	...	Himself
Richard Pryor	...	Himself
Mavis Staples	...	Herself (as The Staples Singers)
Roebuck 'Pops' Staples	...	Himself (as The Staples Singers)
Johnnie Taylor	...	Himself
Carla Thomas	...	Herself
Rufus Thomas	...	Himself
Kim Weston	...	Herself
Fred Berry	...	Dancing guy (uncredited)
Ossie Davis	...	Himself (uncredited)
Ruby Dee	...	Herself (uncredited)
Billy Eckstine	...	Himself (uncredited)
Felton Pilate	...	Himself - musician (uncredited)
Melvin Van Peebles	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Mel Stuart

Produced by
Al Bell	....	executive producer
Forest Hamilton	....	associate producer (as Forest Hamilton HNIC)
Michael Kelly	....	associate producer (2003 restored version)
Scott Roberts	....	associate producer (2003 restored version)
Larry Shaw	....	producer
Mel Stuart	....	producer
David L. Wolper	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo
Larry Clark
Robert Marks
José Louis Mignone		(as José Mignone)
David Myers
Roderick Young

Film Editing by
David E. Blewitt
Robert K. Lambert

Production Management
Robert E. Larson	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry Clark	....	second unit director

Sound Department
James Austin	....	sound re-recording mixer (2003 restored version)
Gene Corso	....	sound editor
Anna Geyer	....	dialogue editor (2003 restored version)
Michael Kelly	....	sound supervisor (2003 restored version)
Richard Portman	....	dubbing mixer
Gene Radzik	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (2003 restored version)
Kevin Rose-Williams	....	dialogue editor (2003 restored version)
Roger Sword	....	sound editor

Editorial Department
Tom Christopher	....	picture editor (2003 restored version)
Tim Fox	....	assistant editor (2003 restored version)

Music Department
Ali Adelman	....	music editor (2003 restored version)
Stephen Hart	....	music mixer (2003 restored version)

Other crew
Jesse Jackson	....	consultant (as Rev. Jesse Jackson)
Cassius Weathersby	....	production consultant

Production Companies

• Stax Records
• Wolper Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Watts, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Stax Records

Trivia:

Stax Records, which promoted the concert, insisted that only African-American police officers be used for security. The company also insisted that the film crew be all African-American as well.

Movie Connections:

Featured in TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

I'll Sing The Blues For You

music and documentary of black America in the 70s

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.