Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

Directed by Michel Gondry

Rogue Pictures

5 stars



Midway through “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” some very familiar notes are heard. Slowly, the camera pans out from the stage and reveals Kanye West leading the Central State University marching band in a beautiful performance of “Jesus Walks.” The rendition has all the class, emotion, history and feeling West never could eke out of that soul jam, no matter how many times he filmed the video.

And this song is just one of the many, many genuinely great moments in Michel Gondry’s ludicrously entertaining new documentary “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.”

The movie is a record of what Chappelle calls, “The concert [I] always wanted to see,” which he filmed in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn in September 2004. Chappelle invited locals and the CSU marching band from his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, along with many lucky New Yorkers, to enjoy performances by neo-soul stalwarts West, John Legend, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Kool G Rap and, reunited for the first time in seven years, the Fugees.

Chapelle’s guests of honor are not thug-life poseurs; they are intellectual and, often, political wordsmiths. But they are also accessible.

No matter one’s previous exposure or interest in hip-hop/R&B music, this flick is worth enjoying. Somehow, Gondry films the performances—coasting on their funkyness and expressivity and joy and soul—so that even my Mom, who can’t understand the lyrics of any rap or hip-hop, would be able to enjoy them. It is almost impossible not to get a natural high off of the positive feelings be-bopping throughout every segment.

Gondry, the crazy auteur of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” filmed this just months before Chappelle bugged out and headed for South Africa, leaving behind his mega-successful “Chappelle’s Show.” Running parallel to Chapelle’s concert footage are scenes of him wandering around Dayton giving out tickets, jamming, and relaxing with his musical friends backstage.

Interspersed with the film’s good vibes are brilliantly incisive commentary of modern America’s flaws and hypocrisies by Dave Chappelle, Dead Prez, Talib Kwali and Mos Def. Particularly stirring is an interview with Notorious B.I.G. collaborator Lil’ Cease, a recounting of the F.B.I.’s murder of Fred Hampton Jr.’s father, and pleas for convicted murderer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Fortunately, the artists are such gifted, energetic entertainers that their messages can be absorbed as part of the positive entertainment experience, without losing their potency.

This is definitely tied to the fascinating dichotomy of Chappelle’s angry material and his clearly good nature. There’s no denying his happiness in giving the CSU band the chance to perform with many of their musical heroes in Brooklyn or just getting to know the story of the people living next to the site. From his behavior, Chappelle’s claim that he ran away because he couldn’t rectify the tension between the negative messages of his comedy and his desire to play a positive role in the world is surprisingly plausible.

Although the movie is, according to the press notes, inspired by “Wattstax,” a legendary concert film starring Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, the Staple Singers, it also vividly recalls “The Last Waltz,” Martin Scorsese’s record of The Band’s last performance.

Like “Waltz”, “Block Party” is filled with amazing musicians linked by a common genre; in that case, Southern Folk and Gospel-tinged rock, in this case, soul.

And neither film is restricted in its audience. “Block Party” is not a black film any more than “Waltz” is a white film. The talent, exuberance and humor is open to anyone of any age, race or gender. “Block Party” is not limited to hard-core fans of the artists; it is not Jay-Z’s “Fade to Black.”

In pulling off such an absorbing documentary as his follow-up to “Eternal Sunshine,” Gondry shows himself to be one of today’s most successful and interesting directors, completely erasing the memory of his initial flop “Human Nature.”

The most meaningful illustration of Gondry’s talent, however, is that he can be as compulisvely watchable without using the surreal illustrations that made “Eternal Sunshine” seem so fresh.

The key to understanding Gondry’s versatility are the music videos that made him famous. Although he had not met Chappelle before the shoot, anyone who has seen his work with Bjork or The White Stripes can see that Gondry innately understands the inventive possibilities accruing to matching music to film; song allows the possibility of a narrative that would be impossible with mere words and pictures.

The original interpretation of “Jesus Walks” in “Block Party” is on par with his versions of The Rolling Stones’ cover of “Like a Rolling Stone,” which is filmed entirely from the perspective of a literal rolling stone, his

recent Conan O’Brien is a floating head media meditation version of the White Stripes’ “Denial Twist” or his Macy’s as surreal playland take on West’s “Heard ‘em Say.”

Bottom Line: “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” is entertaining, thought provoking, fun, funny and interesting. It’s too bad is doesn’t last longer.



—Staff writer Scoop A. Wasserstein can be reached at wasserst@fas.harvard.edu