Soul Power Blu-ray

Soul Power

 (2008)

Documentary | Music



Featuring musical legends James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and a host of others, Soul Power documents three-night Zaire '74 music festival planned to coincide with the now-legendary and epic "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Much more than a concert film, Soul Power provides a dynamic fly-on-the-wall look into the turbulent proceedings, with on-the-spot commentary from the musicians themselves, concert organizers Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, Muhammad Ali and boxing promoter extraordinaire Don King.

For more details about Soul Power on Blu-ray, see the Soul Power Blu-ray Review

Soul Power Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Soul Power arrives on Blu-ray with a faithful-to-the-source 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Most immediately of note is the film's excessively -- but naturally -- grainy appearance that reinforces the film's classic appearance and assembled vintage footage. Colors are nevertheless fairly rich -- particularly the brightly-colored local garb -- but they do look a bit faded and otherwise not quite as aggressively rendered as they might have been on footage of a more recent vintage. Exterior shots often feature more in the way of earth-toned hues that don't seem quite as reserved as the brighter hues; dirt roads and earthen building façades appear rather accurately rendered. Detail is fairly strong underneath the massive level of grain; whether fine lines in the fabric of a cloth airline seat, facial texturing, or the heavy beads of sweat accumulating and streaking down performers' faces, this 1080p transfer acquits itself rather nicely. There are a few inherent artifacts to be seen; vertical lines appear here and there, but never to a bothersome extent. All told, Soul Power translates exceptionally well to Blu-ray; the format handles the film's roughly-textured and grainy appearance wonderfully, and this is another high quality and true-to-the-source transfer from Sony.

Soul Power Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Soul Power features a sturdy DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's exceptional where it counts. The film opens with a James Brown performance that's sonically mesmerizing, each note and the entire cacophony of sound an exercise in audible perfection that's robust, exciting, and highly satisfying both aurally and emotionally. Bass penetrates the listening area with ease and superb clarity, the low end pleasantly but not abundantly heavy. Indeed, all of the musical presentations as heard throughout Soul Power are exceptionally realized, the low end certainly dominant and pleasantly executed with a strong presentation but never excessively or overwhelmingly played. The music is wonderfully balanced, crisp, and real, the lossless DTS track delivering a full and satisfying presentation that practically transports the listener to the stage. Additionally, surrounds are used to create a realistic ambience in many scenes. For instance, abundant applause flows through the soundstage to engender in the listener a live-concert feel, while other, lesser sounds outside on the streets of Zaire -- pedestrian chatter, live background music, or passing automobiles -- do well to bring the many locations to life. Dialogue can sometimes be a bit difficult to make out, particularly considering the unrehearsed and uncontrolled environments in which it is forced to compete with loud background noises, including music and ambient distant chatter in crowded venues. Dialogue as heard through microphones can be particularly garbled, but this is more a limitation of the source rather than a blunder in the presentation of the soundtrack. All told, Soul Power delivers a fine listen on Blu-ray that's strongly complimentary to the style and tone of the film and true to its music.

Soul Power Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Soul Power Blu-ray Announced - November 16, 2009