Mr. Soul!

About the movie

The documentary explores the history of the series and the expression of Haizlip's expansive vision. We see archival footage from the series, including interviews with Amiri Baraka, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Muhammad Ali, and James Baldwin, among others, as well as performances from Patti LaBelle, Ashford and Simpson, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind and Fire. We hear performances from The Last Poets and see the footage of Nikki Giovanni interviewing James Baldwin that recently went viral on social media, reflecting the series' key role in bringing the poetry, literature, and the Black Arts Movement to the attention of the public, even today. Haizlip's slyly-provocative interviewing style, and his ability to get his guests to open up, takes viewers into an intimate Black sphere that was ordinarily kept hidden from public view. SOUL was a signature cultural artifact of the Black Power era, and we hear many of the militant voices that defined the era, thrilling some listeners while outraging others. Mr. SOUL captures that critical moment in our nation's cultural rise, whose impact continues to resonate across generations and cultures. With the current ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, and with our nation on the eve of a great racial reckoning, Ellis Haizlip's vision, his show, and the artists to whom he gave a platform, have become even more important now than ever.—Melissa Haizlip