Soul Power (12A)

Reviewed,Anthony Quinn
Thursday 09 July 2009 19:00 EDT
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Kinshasa, Zaire, in 1974, will always be remembered for the Rumble in the Jungle, but six weeks before the Ali-Foreman fight another epic was in progress – a three-night concert that brought together Southern Africa's top musicians and America's leading black R&B acts.

Unseen for 35 years, its spectacle is undimmed, and you can pick many highlights: The Spinners sweating under the heat while not missing a step, Miriam Makeba doing her "clicking" song or B B King's virtuoso performance of "The Thrill Is Gone". Ali himself prowls the margins, entertaining the press and perhaps wondering if James Brown might be a challenger to his title as America's Black Prince. The man could float like a butterfly, but nobody could do the splits like the Godfather of Soul.

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