Mr. Soul! (stylized as Mr. SOUL!) is a 2018 American documentary film produced, written and directed by documentary filmmaker Melissa Haizlip. The film was co-produced by Doug Blush and co-directed by Sam Pollard. The film tells the story of Ellis Haizlip, the producer and host of SOUL!, the music-and-talk program that aired on public television from 1968 to 1973 and aimed at a Black audience. It was released in 2018 and has since received 21 filmmaking awards. Attorney Chaz Ebert, record executive Ron Gillyard, producer and director Stan Lathan, producer Rishi Rajani, producer Stephanie T. Rance, actor Blair Underwood and screenwriter, producer and actress Lena Waithe are the executive producers of the film.[1][2][3][4]
The film explores the five seasons of SOUL! against the backdrop of a swiftly changing political landscape. The film interweaves archival footage with rare performances and interviews from the SOUL! show, contemporary interviews with guests who appeared on SOUL! a Black women-led crew working behind-the-scenes[9] including Harry Belafonte, Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets, Ashford & Simpson, Black Ivory, Sonia Sanchez, Carmen De Lavallade, Felipe Luciano, and Ronald Bell of Kool & the Gang. SOUL! gave exposure to popular stars like Stevie Wonder, Wilson Pickett, Al Green and Earth, Wind & Fire and underground artists, including McCoy Tyner and the saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and authors like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, and activists including Kathleen Cleaver of the Black Panther Party and Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture).[10]
The words of Ellis Haizlip are taken from interviews, news articles, correspondence and journal entries between 1968 and 1973. Ellis Haizlip's words are voiced by the actor Blair Underwood, who also serves as an executive producer on the film.[11]
“The primary purpose of Soul! is neither to educate nor entertain, but to give people a chance to share in the Black experience. The show must do that first. Then it can educate and entertain. Soul! makes Blacks visible in a society where they have been largely invisible.” Ellis Haizlip 1968.[11]
Release
On April 22, 2018, Mr. SOUL! premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was screened at 50 film festivals in 2018 and 2019 including AFI DOCS, BFI London, Heartland International Film Festival, Hot Docs, Indie Memphis, Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, True / False Film Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, and Pan African Film Festival, among others, and won more than 18 awards.[12][13] On August 28, 2020, Mr. SOUL! was released in limited theaters and virtual cinemas.[14][15][16]
Mr. SOUL!, made its public television debut on February 22, 2021, on PBS.[17][18]
HBO Max announced, Mr. Soul! will premiere on their streaming service on August 1, 2021.[19][4]
Critical reception
Mr. Soul! has received positive reviews and has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 critic reviews, summarizing: "Mr. SOUL! aims an overdue spotlight on a groundbreaking chapter in the history of American public television – and the host who helped make it all happen."[20]
End Title Song
"Show Me Your Soul" is the end title song by Grammy Award winners Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper. The song, which is also written by Hathaway and Glasper along with Muhammad Ayers and Melissa Haizlip was on the shortlist for the 93rd Academy Awards in the category of Music (Best Original Song).[21][22][23]
Mr. SOUL! received 32 Nominations and won 21 awards including 14 Film Festival Awards.[24][25][26][27]
On April 13, 2022, Mr. SOUL! was nominated for a 2022 Peabody Award in the category of Best Documentary.[28][29] On June 6, 2022 actor Morgan Freeman announced that Mr. Soul! won the Peabody Award for Best Documentary.[30]
