Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Sep 11, 2024

2h 30m

★ 7.6

Overview

Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War.

Genres

Documentary

History

Music

Production Companies

Onomatopee Films

Warboys Films

Zap-O-Matik

ZKM Karlsruhe

BALDR Film

RTBF

VRT

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Trailers

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Patrice Lumumba

Self (archive footage)

Louis Armstrong

Self (archive footage)

Nikita Khrushchev

Self (archive footage)

Dizzy Gillespie

Self (archive footage)

Andrée Blouin

Self (archive footage)

Abbey Lincoln

Self (archive footage)

Max Roach

Self (archive footage)

Malcolm X

Self (archive footage)

Nina Simone

Self (archive footage)

John Coltrane

Self (archive footage)

Duke Ellington

Self (archive footage)

Miriam Makeba

Florian Hartung and Dirk Pohlmann have reconstructed a previously unknown dimension of the collaboration between Nazis and the CIA in the Cold War. Drawing upon recently released documents, the film exposes for the first time a perfidious, worldwide net that reaches deep into the power structures of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lending their authority to the fact-finders’ mission are high-ranking statesmen, journalists and historians.

6.5

Portugal: Carnations Against Dictatorship

Apr 16, 2024

In Portugal, during the night of April 24-25, 1974, a peaceful uprising put an end to the last government of the Estado Novo, the authoritarian regime established in 1933 by dictator António de Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970), paving the way for full democracy: a chronicle of the Carnation Revolution.

7.5

Goal!

Oct 31, 1966

This entertaining documentary of the World Cup Soccer tournament of 1966 follows the 15 countries competing for the sport's most coveted prize. Nigel Patrick narrates, with commentary provided by Brian Glanville. The executive producer spent $336,000 on the production and used 117 cameras to record nearly 48 hours worth of action. Four editors were employed to create the final 108-minute feature.

No Image Available

5.0

Alert Today - Alive Tomorrow

Nov 7, 1956

This short shows how the city of Reading, Pennsylvania would implement civil defense procedures to help residents survive a nuclear attack. Through a network of volunteers, makeshift hospitals would be set up, auxiliary police officers would maintain order, and other elements of the civil defense program would be put in place.

6.0

Drone

Apr 10, 2014

DRONE is a documentary about the covert CIA drone war. Through voices on both sides of this new technology, DRONE reveals crucial information about the drone war in Pakistan and offers unique insights into the nature of drone warfare.

7.4

The Right Stuff

Oct 20, 1983

At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.

6.9

That Thing You Do!

Oct 4, 1996

A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager. But behind the scenes, the group’s sudden fame tests their strength, their maturity and responsibility, and their ability to resist the temptations that money and notoriety always make possible.

7.1

My Generation

Oct 8, 2017

The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.

7.1

Sometimes in April

Feb 17, 2005

Two brothers are divided by marriage and fate during the 100 horrifying days of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

0.0

Gaza, génération génocidée

Apr 18, 2025

No overview available.

8.0

Last to Know

Feb 11, 2006

In the documentary Last To Know political prisoners, sent to jail for openly opposing the East German regime that existed until the German reunification in 1990, talk about their times of trial and their lives today. Neither they, nor their families have come to terms with what happened.

8.0

Mirror

Mar 7, 1975

A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.

6.3

The Good Shepherd

Dec 11, 2006

Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion, qualities that help him to be recruited for a career in the newly founded OSS. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.

7.7

The World's Fastest Indian

Oct 12, 2005

The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle—a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

6.8

Hairspray

Feb 26, 1988

'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.

5.7

1979: Big Bang of the Present

Dec 10, 2019

Deng Xiaoping's economic and political opening in China. Margaret Thatcher's extreme economic measures in the United Kingdom. Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution in Iran. Pope John Paul II's visit to Poland. Saddam Hussein's rise to power in Iraq. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The nuclear accident at the Harrisburg power plant and the birth of ecological activism. The year 1979, the beginning of the future.

0.0

Salty Dog Blues

Jan 1, 2012

The film looks at men and women of color in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1938-1975. Through chronicling the lives of these men and women who, with a median age of 82, are beset with a host of life-threatening illnesses, the movie tells how they navigated issues of racism, disparities in the workplace, gender and familial relations.

7.1

We Were Soldiers

Mar 1, 2002

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.

7.0

Mr. Holland's Opus

Dec 29, 1995

In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.

9.0

Algeria, Special Weapons Sections

Mar 12, 2025

This documentary by director Claire Billet and historian Christophe Lafaye details the massive and systematic use of chemical weapons during the Algerian War. Algerian fighters and civilians, sheltering in caves, were gassed by "special weapons sections" of the French army. The gas identified on military documents is CN2D, whose widespread use forced insurgents to flee "treated" sites, at the risk of dying there. The method is reminiscent of the "enfumades" used by the French expeditionary force during the conquest of Algeria in the 19th century. Between 8,000 and 10,000 such operations are believed to have taken place on Algerian soil between 1956 and 1962. This historical aspect is little known due to the difficulty of accessing archives, many of which are still classified, raising questions about memory, historical truth, and justice.