THE APOLLO
US, 2018, 103 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Roger Ross Williams.
In 103 minutes, this is a visual history of the theatre in Harlem, The Apollo, billed as The Soul of American Culture.
Opening in 1935, surviving through many upheavals, especially the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, closing in 1977 – but then, refurbished, opening again in 1985.
The film is worth seeing just for the amount of historical footage that it includes. There are images of the theatre, the street, as they changed over the decades. This are scenes of the interiors of the theatre. But, it is the range of performances we glimpse that offer a reminder of the range of talent fostered at The Apollo.
There are some moments of Billie Holliday singing Strange Fruit, the 1950s with Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Leslie Uggams. There are the various music and dance movements, especially Twist and Shout – with an interview with Paul McCartney explaining the impact of this music in the UK and on the Beatles, wary of visiting The Apollo during the first visit in the 1960s because of the mood, later visiting and paying homage.
There are also the many comedians, especially Richard Pryor, Redd Fox. And the comedians with their wry comments like African-Americans born into their world with PTSD. And singers remarking that it is not that they were not worth it but they were made to feel that it was not worth it.
Quite a lot of historical footage is included, especially with the Civil Rights movement, glimpses of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, their assassinations and funerals.
There are images of the young Stevie Wonder as well as the powerful impact of James Brown. The presence of Aretha Franklin.
And there are more contemporary commentators by Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Chris Rock. And a visit from President Obama – an encouraging speech as well as a pleasant attempt at singing.
Well worth spending an hour and three quarters to be aware of and to relive something of the life of The Apollo and all that it has meant in American culture, in African-American culture.
