The Apollo (Roger Ross Williams, 2019): USA

Reviewed by Gordon Gerbitz, Viewed at AFI Fest 2019.

Eighty-five years of African American Diaspora in 98 minutes.  A history lesson but more importantly a celebration of the black experience.  The Apollo chronicles the past of the iconic building in Harlem, New York City.  The incubator for talent past, present and into perpetuity.  Director Roger Ross Williams was on hand for a free to the public documentary screening at the 2019 AFI Fest Film Festival in Hollywood, California.  In addition, he also attended the AFI summit’s Documentary roundtable at the week long event.  Mr Williams expressed the privilege he had to present the story of the people behind the cherished palace of the black expression, black achievement and black activism through out the years.

Many Famous names got their start at the venerable institution called The Apollo.  They started out as amateurs who couldn’t work in segregated  American establishments.  For these people performing at The Apollo was always a homecoming.  For the local Harlem community, The Apollo lifted the community up, when it was down.  It provided affordable entertainment, when blacks couldn’t attend other segregated entertainment venues.  The Apollo represented opportunity, hope and joy to people of color.

Director Williams took care to make sure this wasn’t only a history lesson, but a celebration of the spirit and resilience of these models of black achievement.  This superbly edited piece mixed bios of entertainers, civil rights leaders and everyday behind the scenes heroes.  Motown performers dressed to the 9’s in Italian suits for men and gorgeous gowns for women, were trained by peers to present an “non-threatening” image that would warm people to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s campaign for civil rights.  The ancestral entertainment ambassadors of change included the bios and footage of Sammy Davis, Jr., Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, Ertha Kit, Ray Charles, Patti Labelle, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Marvin Gaye to name just a few.  Music and bios were a part of the soundtrack of acceptance by Americans. Fellow performers critiqued their peers and offered tips to artists just starting out.  They came as amateurs to The Apollo and left a star.

Perhaps the most moving part of The Apollo history is its current reincarnation.  More than just a national landmark, it is a voice and vehicle for change in America.  For example, Ta-Nehisi Coates “Between the word and me” Black Lives Matter spoken word rendition performance that was edited into the narrative throughout the documentary.  At the Apollo the music and the movement are inseparable.  James Brown declared in song “I’m Black and I’m Proud”.  That song became a national anthem that boosted the self-esteem for black Americans. It even changed hair styles back to the natural afro.  For James Brown’s contribution, his coffin lied in state on the stage of The Apollo.  Thousand came to pay their respect.  Speaking of respect, when Aretha Franklin died, immediately the people of Harlem made makeshift shrines of flowers, notes and candles in front of the building.  President Barrack Obama came to The Apollo, he started his speech by singing “I’m so in Love with You”.  The Apollo is the soundtrack of America.  I recommend everybody see it.