Space Is the Place
Music, Science Fiction
-
1974
Available on
Country
Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra return to Earth after several years in space. Ra proclaims himself "the alter-destiny", meets with inner-city youths and battles with the devil himself to save the black race.
Director:
Cast:
Similar
Details
Runtime:
81 min
Release date:
1 Nov 1974
Country:
US
Languages:
English
Budget:
$0
Revenue:
$0
Awards:
N/A
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
It's standard blaxploitation settings and elements -- crime fighters and criminals, pimps and hookers, a pool hall and a brothel -- but the presence of the Outer Space Employment Agency makes it extraordinary.
– Phil Gallo,
Variety,
8 Apr 2008
fresh:
Space Is the Place has more than a few hokey moments, but it also illuminates Ra's work. For him, outer space wasn't just a gimmick or a convenient source of song titles. It was a zone where racism was inoperative.
– Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
7 Jul 2005
fresh:
Its lighthearted surrealist high jinks, dressed up with SF trappings and black-power rhetoric, make for pleasant enough viewing, but the music seems strictly incidental.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
7 Jul 2005
fresh:
There could have been more music, but this version of Space Is the Place is 20 minutes longer than the one issued in the early '90s on VHS and includes home movie footage of Sun Ra's 1972 Egyptian concert in the shadow of the pyramids.
– J. Hoberman,
Village Voice,
4 Nov 2003