Soundtrack to a Coup d’État |
2024 |
Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, Johan Grimonprez, 2024.
The New York Review of Books: |
|
| ‘A Damn Nuisance’ Patrice Lumumba’s vision for a newly independent Congofell victim to historical circumstances that were too powerful for him to overcome. |
|
| by Howard W. French September 25, 2025 |
The New York Times: |
|
| Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’
Review: What Lies Beneath A passionate and propulsive documentary about the assassination of Patrice Lumumba spins its web in many directions. |
|
| by Alissa Wilkinson October 31, 2024 |
The Guardian: |
|
| Superb study of how jazz got caught
between the cold war and the CIA Johan Grimonprez’s fascinating documentary uses the assassination of DRC prime minister Patrice Lumumba to launch a dizzying look into the politics of jazz in the 1950s and 60s |
|
| by Wendy Ide November 16, 2024 |
Decider: |
|
| Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ on VOD, a Vibrant, Angry Documentary About Music Amidst Political Turmoil
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (now streaming on VOD platforms like Amazon Prime Video) commands you to lean in and pay attention and connect the dots of its story and, well, just summon the fortitude to hang with it. |
|
| by John Serba 13 January, 2025 |
The Film Experience: |
|
| Review: "Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" is Essential Viewing One of the year's best and most essential documentaries is finally in theaters! Johan Grimonprez's Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat is 50% history lesson, 50% jazz concerto, and 100% political essay. |
|
| by Cláudio Alves 5 November, 2024 |
Scalawag Magazine: |
|
| Antidote to Soft Power: Johan Grimonprez's Soundtrack to a Coup d'État "… imperialism removes arts from humanity, making 'art' a mysterious marketable commodity that must reflect the pathology and philosophy of imperialism to be valued." — Amiri Baraka, Digging |
|
| by Gerald Horne and Anthony Ballas February 28, 2025 |