‘Under African Skies’ Documentary Is A ‘Must-See’ – The New York Times

Columnist Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times has reviewed “Under African Skies,” the documentary about the 25th anniversary of Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” by Academy Award-nominated director Joe Berlinger. Friedman said the film is a “must-see.” Here is an excerpt:

Watching this film is, indeed, like going to music school and much more. For many, it will be going back to the first time they really heard the unique harmonies and rhythms of African music — thanks to “Graceland.” For some, it will be going inside the studio of one the most creative musicians of our time, watching him probing and experimenting with the styles, voices and melodies of South African musicians and melding them with chords and lyrics dancing in his own head into songs that we’ve been humming ever since. Who knew she had diamonds on the soles of her shoes?

But what intrigued me was going back to the politics of the mid-1980s, when South African apartheid was at its most vicious, prompting the African National Congress, or A.N.C., to call for a total diplomatic, economic, sports and cultural boycott.