Finding Fela
Rated NR
Documentary
Documentary
Nigerian musician and revolutionary Fela Kuti was equal parts James Brown, John Coltrane, and Huey Newton. Outside of a few ex-record store employees and music geeks, almost nobody in America has heard of him. At least that was the case until a few years ago, when the unlikely Broadway hit “Fela!” made him a popular name to bandy about. That’s the one drawback to what could have been a compelling documentary: we have to watch Fela’s fascinating story through the filter of a bland musical. It’s kind of like if they made a movie about Bob Marley and the music was by UB40. Director Alex Gibney (“Taxi to the Dark Side”) should have done better; there’s too much frantic juxtaposition between the Broadway stage-show and actual killer footage of Fela and his band, Africa 70. Fela, who died of AIDs in 1997, deserves better treatment than this slice of milquetoast.
What others are saying (1)
Chicago Reader
Afrobeat giant Fela Kuti: Too big for the screen
With Finding Fela, Alex Gibney tries to get his arms around Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.
by J.R. Jones
09/10/2014
Afrobeat giant Fela Kuti: Too big for the screen
With Finding Fela, Alex Gibney tries to get his arms around Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.
by J.R. Jones
09/10/2014
