Save the Children

This is a 1973 concert film that was resurrected in an edited form for a 2023 release,as I explain below: 

Despite some controversial moments in the past, it wouldn’t seem right for me not to say RIP to the recently-departed Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. I should be canceled if his impact as a critical civil rights leader for Black people starting in the 1960’s was not noted by me. I mention Reverend Jackson as this concert film (where the film crew was entirely composed of Black talent) was filmed at the PUSH Expo in 1972 Chicago-as in Jackson’s Operation PUSH.

A longer version of this was barely released by Paramount in 1973, then summarily vanished and could only be seen in bootlegs before the Reverend sought to have the movie restored starting in 2021. I say longer because the cut on Netflix-as Save the Children: A Concert for the Ages-is about 20 minutes shorter than what was released in 1973. The presumption is that non-concert scenes were excised although that’s a non-confident guess.

If the low amount of ratings on IMDb & Letterboxd are an accurate barometer, another presumption is that the film is hidden on Netflix-people not knowing of its presence on the platform. For those that have seen & loved 1973’s Wattstax and 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), this is a must. What an astounding collection of Black talent, including:

Marvin Gaye
The Temptations
The Main Ingredient (led by Cuba Gooding, Sr.)
Cannonball Adderly
Reverend James Cleveland and his choir
Isaac Hayes
The O’Jays
Curtis Mayfield
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Quincy Jones
Roberta Flack
The Jackson 5, who wore some of the most incredible multicolored clothing my eyes have ever seen. A few songs from them are shown, as the crowd treated them as if they were a boy band, they were so over at the time.

Among many others; I don’t want this review to be too long. I was happy to see the collection of legends perform. Reverend Jackson is shown preaching, twice. This alone is a great artifact of his skill as a great orator.

In addition, during a few performances, footage is shown of Black people living their life in Chicago & the surrounding environs.

While it’s a shame that more people don’t know that Save the Children exists (especially in the high quality presentation that’s on Netflix), I was happy to publicize it via this review no matter who was involved with the production.