Search - Young Soul Rebels on DVD

From the Heart

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 05/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Young Soul Rebels"

From the Heart

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Young Soul Rebels" is a musical wild ride. A sex act between two men of different races in London, 1977 turns into murder which then brings police into it and waves of controversy erupt in the Black community. This is the year of the Queen's 50th anniversary and England is ready to party but there is a fight going on in the streets of the city. "The Punks", "The Teds", "The National Front" and "Natty Dreads" are going at it ad the authorities are more interesting in harassment than in solving the crime. The movie gives us a good hard look at sex, race and class in the years before Thatcher in London through a very different view. It tackles the very delicate issue of men of color being gay in a very uncompromising way. It does not give the expected stereotypical view of gay men and the angle of sexuality in integral to the full plot of the movie.
Chris and Caz run a radio show called "The Soul Patrol" on an underground station which specializes in Jazz Funk. A close friend is murdered in a park and Chris locates a piece of evidence as to identify the killer.
The message of the movie is celebration and integration and the movie which was made in 1991 has just found its way to DVD. It is much more than a gay movie since it deals with so many multi-cultural issues. It is also not a murder mystery. It addresses important social issues of race, class, politics and sexuality. The director, Isaac Julien, examines the social landscape of Britain of the 1970's and shows how it affects youth within the marginalized black culture and looks at the point where certain subcultural borders crash. This collision of cultures is the way to understand this heartfelt film. Even the motive for the murder was based upon this collision. In fact, the murder is almost forgotten about until the end of the film.
Julien has ventured into an area that few care to touch and has done so admirably. Although there are flaws with the acting and the script, taken as a whole "Young Soul Rebels" has something to say and is an enjoyable experience.
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ENTERTAINMENT AND SUBSTANCE

MB Silver | 03/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I agree wholeheartely with the last reviewer. He eloquently expressed the very essence of the film. This is a movie of London in the Era of Thatcher and gay freedom and racial discrimination and black pride. I was totally surprised that the guy who is indeed the murderer was portrayed as such a milktoast until he threatens the young man who was framed for the murder by overzealous cops, or maybe the term is bobbies in Britain. I thought the sex scene was very erotic and the two men had received a dose of peer pressure attempting to guilt trip them into aborting their gay inter racial relationship. They encoutered such hatred, but wisely chose to ignore the small minds of the bigoted. I enjoyed the music of Philly which reminded me of my youth in the 70s at The Philadelphia College of Art .Funkadelic, Parliament, The O' Jays made the soundtrack rich and energetic. The portraits of park sex goes back to a different more carefree era before the scourge of AIDS. I guess
that is not true in this instance as one man paid with his life for his park tryst. I would admit that my gaydar was way off as the man who was picked up by the cops as the presumed murderer was straight, not gay. I guess also another joy of this film is the mixing of all different sorts of people, enriching their lives immensely. Especially tense was the cops expressing their racial bigotry towards any black men they came into contact with. Although it doesn't seem realistic, it was fun to see the black men giving it back to the mean spirited cops which they deserved for their obnoxious behavoir. The DVD was very crisp and the clothing was fun and colorful and the portrayal of the club scene in all it's eccentricities was entertaining. I have wanted to see this movie since it came out in the early 90s and I know I will watch it again and again. I wish I had not waited this long to see it. I also echo what the last reviewer said about the gay men not being stereotypes, which was so refreshing. Director Isaac Julien has created a very interesting thriller
the has the success of making the viewer wish for more movie when it is over, it is the perfect length, perfectly edited, so entertaining and a message that gives the viewer something to think about. I would compare this movie favorably with the movie of the late 70's "Cruising" which was too bloody and disturbing and if I recall correctly featured more stereotypical portraits of gay men. This movie was never sensationalistic in any way. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future customers of Amazon have to say about this special film. Two reviews are not enough for this brilliant movie!!! Oh I almost forgot to mention how interesting it was that they used the audiotape that had been in the boombox of the man who was murdered and how it had accidently recorded the murder, and then fell into the hands of the young man who was picked up by the cops and interrogated as the presumed murderer, because his little sister had retrieved the boombox in the park where the killer had ditched it. It kept the murder front and center in the minds of the viewers through the film, which was very effective and clever. I highly recommend this movie. Buy it as you will probably want to watch it again and again !!!!!"