The Apollo

Name: The Apollo
Genre: Documentary
Released: November 1, 2019
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Angela Bassett, Aretha Franklin, Charles 'Honi' Coles, Cholly Atkins, Duke Ellington

2019

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Critics

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The Apollo

Movie Details & Credits

HBO Documentary | Release Date: November 1, 2019 | TV-MA

Starring: Angela Bassett, Aretha Franklin, Charles 'Honi' Coles, Cholly Atkins, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Florence Ballard, James Brown, Jamie Foxx, Patti LaBelle, Pharrell Williams, Redd Foxx, Savion Glover, Shirley Chisholm, Smokey Robinson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Edwards Sisters

Summary: The Apollo chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of the New York City landmark, the Apollo Theater. The documentary weaves together archival footage, music, comedy and dance performances, and behind-the-scenes verité with the team that makes the theater run. The Apollo features interviews with artists including PattiThe Apollo chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of the New York City landmark, the Apollo Theater. The documentary weaves together archival footage, music, comedy and dance performances, and behind-the-scenes verité with the team that makes the theater run. The Apollo features interviews with artists including Patti LaBelle, Pharrell Williams, Smokey Robinson, and Jamie Foxx. The Apollo covers the rich history of the storied performance space over its 85 years and follows a new production of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me as it comes to the theater’s grand stage. The creation of this vibrant multi-media stage show frames the way in which The Apollo explores the current struggle of black lives in America, the role that art plays in that struggle and the broad range of African American achievement that the Apollo Theater represents.… Expand

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 98 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Robert Abele

Oct 31, 2019

With its blend of the archival, the interviewed, and modern-day footage, the first miracle of the film is that it never feels overstuffed with talking heads, or perfunctorily assembled, or rushed in covering its many glories across nearly a century. It’s a real beating-heart tribute, always streaked with feeling, whether joyous or poignant. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Nov 3, 2019

You should never take for granted a documentary that fills in the basics with flair and feeling. Especially when the basics consist of great big gobs of some of the most revolutionary and exhilarating popular art ever created in this country. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

Oct 31, 2019

While “The Apollo” itself might have taken a more inventive approach, it derives its power from the artistry it captures. Read full review

Monica Castillo

Nov 3, 2019

As a documentary, The Apollo is an illustrative tour through its hallowed backstage, its history and an exploration into its current mission as a cultural institution. It’s a place whose present will always be tied to its past and to how we preserve that history for future generations. Read full review

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