Actor Danny Glover is one of the producers of a new documentary celebrating the role of song and courageous student activism in the American Civil Rights struggle. Interspersing archival television footage of the protest marches on Selma, Birmingham, and Washington, with journalistic snapshots of Mississippi Freedom Rides and lunch counter sit-ins, *Soundtrack For a Revolution* at this year’s Tribeca Film Fest was a bright (if sometimes narrowly constructed) window on the pre-desegregation groundwork which made the Obama presidency possible.
Exuberant new arrangements of famous “movement” anthems were recreated on screen by young stars like John Legend, Joss Stone, Mary Mary, The Roots, Wyclef Jean, TV on the Radio, and movement veteran Richie Havens. These choice performance clips loom large alongside footage of regional gospel choirs and the spoken testimony of surviving march participants about how they sang to overcome fear in the face of police brutality and real physical danger throughout.
This documentary is not perfect crafted, but its moral strength makes up for any flaws in narrative flow and nuance. The filmmakers say the soundtrack may become separately available….I’m hoping with a DVD trailer which can include the most salient bits of musical and verbal testimony for easy home viewing.
