Dir: Denis Sanders | US Doc 1971. 93′
Soul to Soul is best described as an ethnological concert movie that aims to place soul music in the context of its origins. But don’t expect any deep thought or commentary, this is merely an impressionistic take on a joyful occasion.
Director Denis Sanders follows a group of African American soul, R&B, and jazz performers who, in 1971, set off in a plane bound for Accra, Ghana to capture the vibe of their origins and celebrate the 14th anniversary of the nation’s independence, that falls on March 6th.
Opening with Tina Turner and her Ikettes strutting their stuff on stage in the title sequence, there are snatches of The Staples Singers, Wilson Pickett, Carlos Santana, who performs Black Magic Woman with his electrifying entourage, and these performances are interleaved with traditional local dances capturing the vibrant national costumes and the syncopated beat of those original drums.
Sometimes the camera gets out and about over the sandy beaches and rocky Atlantic shoreline of this former British colony, which is surrounded by the French former colonies of Burkino Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.
Sanders is there in the thick of it all, close up to the sweaty action, filming ad lib conversations with those attending the evening. Don’t expect inter-titles to tell you who’s talking, this would have been welcome in identifying old faces, along with some explanation of the historical context. So it’s very much left to you, the viewer, to fathom it out.
Ike and Tina Turner were really at their heyday in the early 70s and their stuff is possibly the best part of the film, along with the Santana sequences. The American visitors are clearly in their element and the emotion of their connection is heartfelt in this rather impressionistic, observational, rather than informative affair. Fun nonetheless for those who remember the era.
IN UK CINEMAS MARCH 6 | ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALSO AVAILABLE