Under African Skies

Name: Under African Skies
Genre: Biography, History, Music, Documentary
Released: May 11, 2012
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 82

2012

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Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

A&E IndieFilms | Release Date: May 11, 2012 | Not Rated

Summary: Paul Simon’s Grammy-winning album Graceland – an irresistible and groundbreaking fusion of American and South African pop music — was an immediate hit when it was released in 1986. It also proved to be a lightning rod for controversy, after South African leaders protested that Simon had broken the cultural boycott of the nation’sPaul Simon’s Grammy-winning album Graceland – an irresistible and groundbreaking fusion of American and South African pop music — was an immediate hit when it was released in 1986. It also proved to be a lightning rod for controversy, after South African leaders protested that Simon had broken the cultural boycott of the nation’s oppressively racist apartheid regime. In the documentary Under African Skies, premiering at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Simon returns to South Africa, which formally ended apartheid in 1994 — 25 years after Graceland‘s release. Director Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory) follows Simon as he reunites with his South African collaborators, and revisits the controversy the album caused, while luminaries like Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Lorne Michaels, David Bryne and Sir Paul McCartney share their thoughts on what the album meant to them. (Radical Media)… Expand

Director: Joe Berlinger

Genre(s): Biography, History, Music, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer

May 12, 2012

The result is doubly satisfying: We get not only a trenchant political drama but a bang-up concert film as well. Read full review

Stephen Holden

May 10, 2012

The film skillfully interweaves several strands to tell a true story with a happy ending. Read full review

Peter Travers

May 10, 2012

Powered by Simon's brilliance, Under African Skies is a cultural lightning bolt that soars on its music and an unshakable belief in the transcendence of art. Read full review

John DeFore

May 8, 2012

A pure-bliss celebration of Paul Simon's landmark album Graceland coupled with an interesting if not unbiased look at the controversy surrounding its release. Read full review

Kenji Fujishima

May 8, 2012

It does lightly suggest scintillating questions about the responsibility artists have in reflecting current political moments in their music. Read full review

Rob Nelson

May 8, 2012

Under African Skies is appreciably smarter than most celebrity musician documentaries. Read full review

Eric Hynes

May 8, 2012

Time and changing tides have been kind to Graceland (and to the local musicians who've since become internationally renowned), but an on-camera meeting between the songwriter and ANC leader Oliver Tambo finds their conflict between creative freedom and revolutionary solidarity fascinatingly unresolved. Read full review

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