The Apollo (2019)

The Apollo: Directed by Roger Ross Williams. With Cholly Atkins, Florence Ballard, Angela Bassett, James Brown. The history of New York City’s Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.

“u0026quot;The Apollou0026quot; (2019 release; 102 min.) is a documentary about the legendary theater in Harlem. As the movie opens, we are watching a modern performance piece (we later learn itu0026#39;s the live performance of u0026quot;Between the World and Meu0026quot;). We then go back to the theateru0026#39;s beginning as the u0026quot;Apollou0026quot; in 1934, located at Harlemu0026#39;s ground zero on 125th Street. Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performed there that year. u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s a model of black achievementu0026quot;, comments one of the documentaryu0026#39;s many talking heads. At this point we are 10 min. into the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCouple of comments: this is the latest documentary from the Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams. Here he brings us the rich history and significance of the Apollo. The movie is remarkably split (almost 50-50) between the emphasis on the music/dance/performance (in the first half) and the civil rights and political significance (in the second half). Among the musicu0026#39;s highlights is of course the (in)famous Amateur Night. Incredibly, we see footage of Lauryn Hill (yes, THE Lauryn Hill), then age 13, being booed off the stage by the crowd (Hillu0026#39;s singing was indeed completely out of tune). Surreal. In the second half, in addition to the political significance, the film makers also look at how the Apollo stays relevant in todayu0026#39;s society and what its role is/should be (u0026quot;new works from the African-American communityu0026quot;}, which leads us back to u0026quot;Between the World and Meu0026quot;. Bottom line: this is a delightful and insightful documentary about one of the iconic landmarks in New York.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Apollou0026quot; premiered this week on HBO and is now available on VOD. If you have any interest in knowing more about the rich history and significance of the Apollo, Iu0026#39;d readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.”