Difference between revisions of "ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019)"

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[[Category: Anti-Black Racism in Documentary Movies]]
 
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Latest revision as of 06:21, 15 March 2021

ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke was released on February 8, 2019, in the USA. The American film was produced by All Rise Films and Triage Entertainment. The film was written by Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist. The film was directed by Kelly Duane. The movie was displaying the investigation of Sam Cooker's death, an African American singer and civil rights activist[1].

Plot

Same Cooke[2]

The film begins with the death of Sam Cooke. Sam Cooke died since he had been shot and killed in a hotel. Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, and many more praise him for what he does. After that, the film portrays what he was standing up for, as a singer and as an African American rights activist. The film then shows how Cooke evolved from his childhood into a singer who befriends Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali. Later on, the film shows how his civil rights activist was his main focus while the singer is considered as his second job[3].

Black Empowerment

Sam Cooke is not only considered a singer, but also an activist of civil rights. For example, Cooke stands up to some racist cops as explained by Dionne Warwick. He also popularises the 'fro' term as a cool hair while the prejudice was openly practiced at the time. Not only that, he rejects the music industry recording system where most African American singers receive little royalties. He decides to create his own record label, employing many African Americans to record in his recording company and give a fair amount of royalties[4]. He also rejects the invitation to perform at a segregated club. He composes several songs in response to prejudice and racism such as A Change is Gonna Come, Chain Gang, and You Send Me. As he said, "I’ve always detested people of any color, religion or nationality who lack the courage to stand up and be counted"[5].

Controversy

A "revised" and obscure FBI investigation provoked outrage in a country struggling for real equality while African Americans severe due to racism at the time[6]. At a time, Sam Cooke was seen to be a threat since he changes the royalties and music ownership in the music business where he brought a share amount of royalties for singers especially African Americans. Cooke's death becomes a mystery since he seems to be hostile by many white supremacists and the incident is still debatable. Witnesses from a nearby restaurant have denied the argument where Cooke was said to take a woman to a motel with force which eventually led to Cooke's death that got shot by Bertha Franklin, the night manager of Hacienda Motel. The incident brought curiosity yet no conspiracy has been found. Etta James writes in her autobiography that Cooke's wounds exceed compared to the official account when she saw his body before the funeral[7].

References

  1. ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019). IMDb. Retrieved January 18 2021
  2. Sam Cooke. Vocal. Retrieved January 18 2021
  3. Annie Kapur. Review: 'The Two Killings of Sam Cooke' Vocal. Retrieved January 18 2021]
  4. Ellen E Jones. Too black, too strong: who killed Sam Cooke? TheGuardian. Retrieved January 18 2021]
  5. Mark Perigard. ‘Remastered’ spins a fresh look at Sam Cooke’s legacy Boston Herald. Retrieved January 18 2021]
  6. Greg Wheeler. ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke – Netflix Documentary Review The Review Geek. Retrieved January 18 2021]
  7. Kahron Spearman. ‘ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke’ returns dignity to the soul legend Daily Dot. Retrieved January 18 2021]