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Bookmark this pageWattstax (1973)
Director: Mel Stuart
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A record of an all-day concert put on by Stax as part of the Watts Summer Festival to celebrate the riots. There isn't enough music, but Stax have at least had the wit to hire Richard Pryor to deliver one of his characteristic monologues (the rest of the time is filled out by chats with the denizens of Watts). Much good music all the same, from Carla Thomas and others, with an anti-climactic appearance from Isaac Hayes. See it for Rufus Thomas doing 'Funky Chicken', and for the genuinely stirring 'I am Somebody', the National Black Litany led, incredibly, by Jesse Jackson with the 100,000 auditorium joining in - a strong experience.Author: VG
Cast & crew
Director: Mel Stuart
Producer: Larry Shaw, Mel Stuart
Cast: Richard Pryor, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Luther Ingram, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, The Emotions full cast
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 102 mins
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