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EducationalSoundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (DVD)
United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.
- Q&A PANEL WITH DIRECTOR JOHAN GRIMONPREZ (COURTESY OF THE INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION)
- TRAILERS
- Johan Grimonprez - Director
- Louis Armstrong - Himself
- Andrée Blouin - Herself
- John Coltrane - Himself
- Dizzy Gillespie - Himself
- Abbey Lincoln - Herself
- Patrice Lumumba - Himself
- Nina Simone - Herself
- Malcolm X - Himself
Reviews
"Critic’s Pick! Rhythmic and propulsive... uses every instrument cinema affords. The result, in a word, is marvelous."
“A case study of decolonization, neo-imperialism, cultural exploitation, and political murder…I don’t think I’ve seen a better movie-movie all year.”
“A bravura cinematic essay that intertwines jazz, history, and the taste of a spy thriller…what Grimonprez creates here is a mind-blowingly rich tapestry of research, music, and the jazziest history lesson imaginable.”
“A stunning screed against colonial racism and state-sanctioned violence that reaches far beyond the years it directly covers… As Soundtrack to a Coup d’État brutally suggests, history is not in the past, but very much alive in our present.”
“A remarkable film – exhaustive, informative and rigorously researched, but also crackling with energy, ideas and formal daring.”
"A vibrant film essay that marries jazz and politics to unravel colonial machinations of power in the Congo."
“[An] audacious and musical documentary… My absolute favorite documentary this year… I think everyone should see this movie.”
“An astonishingly cohesive and compelling narrative… Grimonprez seasons dry diplomatic procedure with polyrhythms to recreate the destabilizing feeling of geopolitics careening to the brink…”
Johan Grimonprez’s magisterial documentary 'Soundtrack to a Coup d’État' isn’t just about jazz; it is jazz. Just as it isn’t only about politics, it’s a political act in itself… It’s exhilarating to watch… It is as intellectually satisfying and physically irresistible as a great jazz performance."
“A sprawling, swinging work of 20th century history [with] dazzling musical energy.”
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