The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

“A documentary in nine chapters” is how The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 bills itself, covering eight critical years of the civil rights struggle (plus a prelude) in the United States as it evolved from the nonviolent approach of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the more militant/revolutionary stance signaled by the rise of Stokely Carmichael and the Black Panther Party, as well as Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. The real twist here, however, is that the material hails from Swedish TV, not U.S. media. The “neutral” Swedish reporters appear to have no agenda or preconceptions, and many interviewees—including Carmichael, Angela Davis, and Bobby Seale—look more at ease with foreign reporters than they did with white-establishment American counterparts. Some material is indeed revelatory, such as a soft-spoken Carmichael making frightening good sense about the shortfalls of nonviolent protest; here, he's far from the radical image often ascribed to the Panthers. Modern-day commentators add their reactions to archival footage, mostly progressive-to-left activists/entertainers (Harry Belafonte, Erykah Badu, and others), rather than a broader cast of black academics, politicians, and opinion leaders. While it states up front that this is not a complete chronicle of the Black Power movement (rather, a “mixtape”), this is still an important addition to our understanding of the intersection of race relations, U.S. politics, and history during a turbulent era. DVD extras include a documentary short, a featurette, and additional interviews. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)