Space Is the Place (1974)

Space Is the Place: Directed by John Coney. With Barbara Deloney, Sun Ra, Raymond Johnson, Erika Leder. Sun Ra–space-age prophet, pharoanic jester, shaman-philosopher and avant-jazz keyboardist/bandleader–lands his spaceship in Oakland, having been presumed lost in space for a few years. With Black Power on the rise, Ra disembarks and proclaims himself “the alter-destiny.” He holds a myth-vs.-reality rap session with black inner-city youth at a rec center, threatening “to chain you up and take you with me, like they did you in Africa,” if they resist his plea to go to outer space. He duels at cards with The Overseer, a satanic overlord, with the fate of the black race at stake. Ra wins the right to a world concert, which features great performance footage of the Arkestra. Agents sent by the Overseer attempt to assassinate Ra, but he vanishes, rescues his people, and departs in his spaceship from the exploding planet Earth.

“I was credited as 2nd unit director on this film. Ra was a calm, sort of surreal Buddha through the whole thing, even one time when the script called for him to be tied-up in a chair and menaced by gangsters. During the many hours it took to get this scene on film, Ra just quietly sat tied-up in that chair, so quietly that a couple of times I went over to make sure he was still breathing. He said he was fine, just relaxing on u0026quot;another plainu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enNear the end of the shoot, we had a nightclub scene with about 70 extras and a chorus of girls on stage. They were supposed to dance to a tune that Ra insisted on playing live on camera with his band. I had been bugging him unsuccessfully for days as to what he was going to play so that the girls could rehearse.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the day scheduled to shoot this scene, I nervously reminded Ra again about the music. Ra smiled, casually produced some old vinyl albums done by other bands and a portable record player, and suggested that I play them for the chorus to see what they liked. I did, and they caught fire with one of the tunes. Ra said u0026quot;Fine. You got any music manuscript paper?u0026quot; I was ready for him. I did.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd so, during lunch break, Ra listened to the record, transposed the instrumental lead sheets to paper for his band with a few of his own alterations, and we choreographed and shot it after lunch.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor my money, Ra was a fine musician…extremely cool and really u0026quot;thereu0026quot;.”