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      Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande

      Released Apr 5 1h 33m Documentary Music Biography List
      67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews Cymande, a group of Black British musicians who all came to the U.K. from the Caribbean as children, released three brilliant albums in quick succession in the early 1970s and were embraced in the USA. But in the U.K., they faced a music business beset by prejudice against homegrown Black talent and were largely ignored. They originally split in 1975, but their music lived on, as successive generations of artists and fans found and embraced their songs. Hip Hop, House, Drum and Bass, R&B, Rare Groove, and crate-digging communities all saw something in the songs of Cymande that inspired them. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Aims for a Buena Vista Social Club-style story of late-life rediscovery but gets a little bogged down in a few too many hagiographic quotes from high-profile fans. Rated: 2/5 Feb 18, 2024 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian This documentary is an education and a good-news story about the remarkable 70s British funk band Cymande (the word is a calypso term for “dove”) who should be as big as Earth Wind & Fire, but aren’t. Rated: 4/5 Feb 14, 2024 Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Director Tim MacKenzie-Smith clearly has a lot of affection for the band. And so do we after watching his film. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 12, 2024 Full Review Elena Lazic Cineuropa The most striking moments of the film, however, remain the testimonies of the band members themselves: it is hard not to be moved seeing them interviewed now about their work, and celebrated by legions of fans of all ages. Feb 15, 2024 Full Review Christopher Connor Flickering Myth Above all else it shows how timeless their music is and it is hard to believe some of their music is over 50 years old, if nothing else the film will likely introduce them to a host of new fans across the generations. Rated: 5/5 Aug 7, 2023 Full Review Joshua Minsoo Kim In Review Online Mackenzie-Smith is far more interested in blandly explaining obvious revelations than actually revealing them through the strength of images and song. Mar 14, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Hugh L This is a beautiful film :) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/19/24 Full Review Ben T Having seen this film at the Ritzy in Brixton I have to say it's one of the most thought provoking documentaries I've seen for a long time. The music was new to me, or so I thought. Watching the film I realised how much Cymande had influenced my life through samples in both hip hop and later in dance music. This was truly a revelation as I'd never heard this story before. I'd give it a five star rating. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/24 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Photos

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      Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande

      Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande (2022) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Cymande, a group of Black British musicians who all came to the U.K. from the Caribbean as children, released three brilliant albums in quick succession in the early 1970s and were embraced in the USA. But in the U.K., they faced a music business beset by prejudice against homegrown Black talent and were largely ignored. They originally split in 1975, but their music lived on, as successive generations of artists and fans found and embraced their songs. Hip Hop, House, Drum and Bass, R&B, Rare Groove, and crate-digging communities all saw something in the songs of Cymande that inspired them.
      Director
      Tim Mackenzie-Smith
      Producer
      John Battsek, Daniel Gordon
      Distributor
      Abramorama
      Production Co
      Crawshay Films
      Genre
      Documentary, Music, Biography
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 5, 2024, Limited
      Runtime
      1h 33m