The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

Director: Göran Olsson
Year Released: 2011
Rating: 2.0

Between the pivotal years in American history - '67 to '75 - Swedish journalists came to the States and investigated the Black Power movement, getting footage of several prominent figures of the era (Angela Davis, MLK, Stokely Carmichael) and earning the disdain of a prominent and respectable U.S. periodical, TV Guide, for showing the "worst side" of American life. As with most mixtapes, however, a little more cohesion with the pieces would have been useful - and editing could be a bit more refined - though some of the voiceover commentary is intriguing (if obvious to domestic viewers), suggesting there's still a long, long, long way for equality (if equality is ever, indeed, possible). It does seem to perpetuate some nasty untruths about American culture, however - particularly about drugs in the ghetto - that could have used some fact-checking (here's looking at you, Talib Kweli).