Documentary has plenty of 'Soul'

By BOB GUNTER

Columnist

Folks, I reckon I should give you a little explanation about today’s picture. I guess the best place to start is what’s happening down at the Little Panida Theater this afternoon and tonight. There is going to be another screening of one of cinematographer Erik Daarstad’s excellent films called, Soul to Soul.

It’s that “Soul to Soul” name that got it all started, and here’s how. Mr. Daarstad thought it might be fun to have a few people over after the evening showing for a soul food snack. Knowing I was from Alabama, he asked if I had any recipes. I furnished him a variety of high end choices: Black eyed peas cooked with fat back, chitterlings (pronounced chitlins, which are hog intestines), collard greens with pig tails, and country ham with red eye gravy.

I dropped by Erik’s house on the day set for cooking and the picture you see is how I was greeted at his door. His Viking blood had risen to the top and he had decided against my everyday food items for more exotic Viking fare: Lutefisk, his favorite, with an assortment of salted, pickled, and dried herring. I took a step inside and immediately knew why he was wearing the mask. I had to go though the dining room to get outside and I noticed the table was set with drinking horns for what Erik called a Vetrarblot — a Viking harvest feast.

I told you all this to give you a heads-up. If you don’t have Viking blood coursing through your veins, you might start thinking of some reason why you can’t attend the Daarstad Vetrarblot. I suggest you go to a restaurant instead, and order yourself some common place food — chitlins and collard greens.  

Now that you know about the picture, let’s talk about the movie. Erik Daarstad was the director of photography for the film and Dennis Sanders was the director. Below, Erik shares with us some things about the making of Soul to Soul.

 “Soul to Soul is a film that was completed in 1971. Some people had an idea about doing a concert with mainly black musicians from the United States going to Ghana in West Africa. It was to be a concert celebrating their independence day, which had happened several years before. The out door concert was in cooperation with the Ghana Arts Council and was to be held in Accra the capitol of Ghana in March of 1971.”

“An airplane was chartered to take the performers, crew, and equipment to the concert site. We left Los Angeles and flew to New York to pick up additional people. The performers were some pretty big names like, Ike and Tina Turner, Santana, Wilson Pickett, Willie Bobo, Roberta Flack, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, the Staple Singers, the Voices of East Harlem, the Damas Choir, Amoa Azangio and the Kumasi drummers.”

“The concert started at three in the afternoon and lasted until six the next morning; it was a 15 hour concert. In addition to the American performers, there were some local groups from Ghana. The music is eclectic - quite a variety of good music and it was a successful concert. The director and I, along with a couple of other people, spent a week or so traveling around Ghana filming some things about the local music that could be used in the film.”

“The film opened in theaters across the country in the spring of 1971. It did quite well but eventually it was put on the shelf. A few years ago, the Grammy Foundation paid to have the film restored and it was re-released on DVD, which is now available. The film is in color.”

Howard Thompson in a movie review said, “Soul to Soul” will hook you. We defy anybody to watch the final half hour of this color documentary of a soul and gospel music concert, performed in Ghana, without tapping a foot.”

The matinee is at 2:30 p.m. and the evening showing starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Panida’s Little Theater. The series, “A Visit with Erik,” is sponsored by Mountain West Bank and The Bonner County Daily Bee. All proceeds go to the Panida Theater.

I know you will enjoy the film and the question-and-answer period that follows.