"Musically Speaking:" free screening of 'Wattstax'

Free admission/refreshments. Cash bar.

Wattstax documents Stax Records' epochal 1972 concert, which drew over 100,000 people. Features incendiary performances by Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, the Staple Singers, the Bar-Kays, and other greats of soul, R&B, and gospel — plus biting humor from a then little-known Richard Pryor. More than a concert film, Wattstax also captures a heady moment in 1970s "black-is-beautiful" African-American culture, when L.A.'s black community came together just 7 years after the Watts riots to celebrate its survival. Nominated for a 1974 Golden Globe for Best Documentary, Wattstax was originally considered “too racy, political, and black” to receive wide theatrical release or TV broadcast until only a few years ago. (1973)

This screening is part of MUSICALLY SPEAKING, a new series of music-themed movies and documentaries on selected Mondays, curated/hosted by DJ Soul Sister, and co-presented by Press Street, Charitable Film Network, and WWOZ FM.