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Review: Jazz, African independence, secret agents — it’s all in ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’

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Review: Jazz, African independence, secret agents — it's all in 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat'

As a film critic who has spent decades immersed in the rich tapestry of world cinema, I must say that “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” is a documentary that truly stands out from the crowd. This Belgian masterpiece by Johan Grimonprez is an absolute tour de force, weaving together the strands of history, music, and politics with a skill and finesse that leaves one breathless.

The documentary “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” by Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez offers an in-depth exploration of decolonization. It’s a captivating blend of visuals, text, and audio that narrates the significant moment during the Cold War when Congolese independence, vibrant jazz music, and global power struggles created a sound echoing globally. However, it also reveals how this music was silenced by deadly tools of capitalism and control, which continue to exert influence on today’s world stage.

This production revolves around significant figures from that era, including renowned individuals like Malcolm X and Dag Hammarskjöld, as well as lesser-known players such as spies and mercenaries. The outcome is an engrossing, thoroughly researched compilation of archival materials, encompassing the scope of a historical epic, the fervor of a civil rights movement, and the suspenseful pace of a spy novel. It’s a narrative woven with rhythmic beats, soulful blues, and powerful voices, but also presented with on-screen text and citations, as if you were flipping through pages in a book. The experience, despite its lengthy runtime of two and a half hours, is both dreamlike and captivating, offering an optimistic yet ominous timeline simultaneously. (A candid interview featuring pipe-smoking CIA chief Allen Dulles gives him the air of a Bond villain.)

From a movie buff’s perspective, in this film, the storyline oscillates between the power plays at the United Nations, where Khrushchev’s shoe-banging rhetoric echoed as an emerging Afro-Asian coalition surfaced, and the turbulent landscape of newly independent Congo, marked by the tumultuous leadership tenure of Patrice Lumumba, a symbol of African independence. “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” underscores, through Grimonprez’s contemplation of his homeland’s colonial ruins, that Belgium, alongside U.S. and British intelligence, had no genuine desire for Lumumba to establish a stronghold.

During our journey, we encounter significant figures such as Andrée Blouin, a pan-African activist and advisor who was often feared and criticized. Excerpts from her memoir are narrated by musician Zap Mama in this documentary that heavily uses clips. Additionally, we listen to the evocative recollections of In Koli Jean Bofane, a Congolese author, who was a child when his nation was dividing. This documentary features the only original interview with him.

As a cinema enthusiast immersed in the spirit of the times, I’m treated to a vibrant, exhilarating medley of freedom anthems that echo from record players and radios on our shores, or resonate from the African rumba scene. Abbey Lincoln’s powerful voice soars through Max Roach’s “Freedom Now” suite, while Nina Simone’s urgent sounds fill the airwaves. Significant pieces of Monk, Coltrane, Duke, Dizzy, and Miles are all prominently featured, frequently intertwined with the narrative’s events and emotions in poignant contrast.

During that period, renowned jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Melba Liston were sent as cultural representatives to Africa’s post-colonial territories, unbeknownst to them, they served as covers for secret operations designed to disrupt anti-imperialist movements like those led by Lumumba and safeguard the interests of multinational corporations in the region’s precious minerals such as uranium. The music became a means of communication, the artists serving as diversions. However, the 1961 assassination of Lumumba, following months of intrigue involving U.S., Belgian, and Congolese agents (with President Eisenhower’s silent approval), marked the collapse of the Western mask. It heralded the dawn of a passionate new crusade for human rights.

In the following month, Roach and Lincoln were instrumental in arranging a demonstration at the United Nations Security Council. This blend of jazz music and political activism, which bookends Grimonprez’s investigative work that utilizes media effectively, establishes the overall atmosphere for this web of influential figures. The documentary “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” one of the year’s standout documentaries, is filled with powerful and poignant moments, much like rare songs on a vinyl record – true masterpieces.

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2024-11-16 05:31

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