'The Night James Brown Saved Boston' Wins Prestigious Award
The Night James Brown Saved Boston’, a film by award winning director David Leaf was this week awarded with the prestigious honour of Best Use of Footage In A Factual Production at the 6th FOCAL International Awards in association with AP Archive in London.
The incredible story of how James Brown literally ‘saved’ Boston, the night after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed is to be released on double DVD on 1 June 2009 through FremantleMedia Enterprises.
‘The Night James Brown Saved Boston’ tells the story of the events that took place on 5 April 1968, the day after the news broke that black civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Cities all over America were up in arms and riots were erupting, causing unforeseen violence and unrest. The long-scheduled concert by James Brown was about to be cancelled for fear of inflaming the situation, until the Mayor of Boston realised that if the concert could be televised and people would stay home and watch it, that might keep the peace, at least for one night. Meanwhile tensions were rising, crowds were getting restless, James Brown (who promoted his own concerts) was still re-negotiating his fee for the evening’s work. Finally, the concert began, Boston didn’t burn down, and the evening became one of the most memorable performances in music history, testimony to the power of music and a lasting tribute to the power of the Godfather of Soul himself. In addition to a close look at the events of April 5, 1968, the film contextualizes the events of that day and night by tracing James Brown’s career (with scintillating performance footage), the Civil Rights movement (including rarely seen speeches by Dr. King) and Boston’s combustible political situation so that when these stories collide after King is assassinated, we understand what forces created this moment and what’s at stake. Finally, the film follows James Brown’s post-concert emergence as a major spokesperson for Black Americans and a genuine hero.
In addition to the film, Disc 1 also features extended interviews with renowned civil rights activist and one of James Brown’s closest friends Rev. Al Sharpton, James Brown’s band (‘Views From the Stage’) and personal manager Charles Bobbit, renowned social commentator and Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West, and concertgoer and Boston educator Dr. Robert Hall, plus a panel discussion that took place after a private screening of the film, moderated by WGBH, the Boston public television station that originally broadcast the James Brown concert in 1968.
The second disc contains James Brown’s entire Boston Garden concert performance from that night, putting viewers in the centre of a truly historical event. Classics such as ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’, ‘I Got You (I Feel Good), and ‘Please Please Please’ are all included. This rarely seen before concert encapsulates exactly what made James Brown so unique, and why his legacy continues to astound to this very day.
James Brown is one if the most influential figures in popular music, renowned for his vocals and inimitable dancing. Influenced by the likes of Little Richard and Ray Charles, he first reached Number One with ‘Try Me’ in 1958, the first of an incredible 17 chart topping R’N’B singles by Brown over the subsequent two decades. The mid-1960s saw hits such as the Grammy Award winning ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’ and ‘I Got You (I Feel Good) which were his first Top 10 pop hits. Throughout his career, Brown continually mixed up styles, from funk to Broadway and jazz standards. Renowned for his work with social activism, his 1966 single ‘Don’t Be A Drop Out’ was released as a lesson to students. His groundbreaking single ‘Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud’ spoke to and for the black communities in America in a way that nobody else could or did.
David Leaf is an American producer, writer and director known for documentaries and films such as ‘The U.S. vs John Lennon’ (2006) and ‘Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE’ (2004).
‘The Night James Brown Saved Boston’ is released on 1 June 2009 on FremantleMedia Enterprises.