Sun Ra & the Plan for Salvation of the Black Race

There is so much that can be said about this film. That said, please excuse the "stream of consciousness" nature of this blog.

I think the action and the music in this film reflect each other perfectly. There were no surprises in the score as there have been in previous films we've watched this semester. Free jazz, in this case, made the perfect soundtrack; it made sense. I mean, what else could depict sci-fi of the 50s and 60s meets the apocaliptic films of the 70s? The music's dissonance and lack of traditional metrical structure added intensity to the dramatic action. It kept the viewer very aware of the events of the film.

That said, the plotline of this particular film was often difficult to follow. For starters, it was difficult to make out exactly who the Black figure in the white suit was supposed to be. Was he a Satan figure? It certainly appears that way in the scenes when Sun Ra and this figure are in the desert (wilderness?). These particular scenes seem to allude to Christ's temptation in the wilderness. Sun Ra's portrayal as a Christ figure is a constant throughout the film.

There were many disturbing images in the film. The objectification of women is terrible. There doesn't seem to be any redemption in it. And boy is there a lot of nudity. Furthermore, there are many aspects of the film that are just plain laughable. The fact that Sun Ra is going to be "tortured" into giving out his secret on how to "convert harmonic progressions into energy" by forcing him to listen to Dixie is ridiculous. I'm assuming I wasn't supposed to take that seriously in any way.

However, there are some interesting points made in the film. For example, when Sun Ra appears at the youth center (?) and makes his speech about being a myth he makes very bold and valid statements. If he would have only followed that direction more.

Now, lets talk about the ending. Some very interesting things happen in the end. First, Sun Ra's "powers" come full circle. He "raptures" those who have "fallen" during the struggle up to his starship and also beckons them by way of "harmonic vibrations?". Just before that, there is a "resurrection" scene with a mummy (still not quite sure what exactly that's about). There is the scene where the dope user feels called to Sun Ra's starship. He tells Sun Ra that the reason he was using dope was because he "never felt like part of something." That certainly simplifies the situation, now doesn't it? Perhaps the most interesting part of the movie is how the African American news man is treated in the ending.

At the end of the film, the man approaches Sun Ra. He has decided to stay on earth, to take his chances despite Sun Ra's warning. As he begins to walk away Sun Ra stops him. Sun Ra tells him that he can't take his blackness with him, he'll take that with him on his starship. The next time the man is seen in the film he is no longer wearing his white gloves and white shoes, his way of speaking changes, and the way he interacts with others is completely different. When he comes to the "gentlemen's house" the other Black man calls him a boy in a derrogatory fashion. What is the man's reaction? "You colored people never learn, do you." Does this mean he is no longer a person of color? Not if Sun Ra took his blackness right? And if he is no longer Black, what is the film saying about what it means to be black or, as Sun Ra might put it, be "of the black spirit"?

So, who can be saved? This film seems to say that only Black people can be saved. And what exactly does it mean to be "saved" as far as Sun Ra is concerned? That I'm not sure about.