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SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word

Play trailer Poster for SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word Released Oct 23, 1998 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
This documentary by filmmaker Paul Devlin presents the subculture of spoken-word slams, framing it in the context of a sporting event. Focusing on the 1996 National Poetry Slam, the movie reveals how the highly competitive events are structured and captures crowd-rousing performances, often delivered in fast-paced street-smart slang. Also presented is the more introspective side of the pursuit, with many slam poets, including Saul Williams and Beau Sia, evincing deeply philosophical streaks.

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
Russell Smith Austin Chronicle Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 13, 2001 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times SlamNation, covering three semifinal rounds and the finals, inevitably focuses on the competition rather than the work. Rated: 3/4 Nov 13, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member A fun look at the slam scene. A little outdated at this point, but still one of the best films on slam. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Yaaa Yaaa! Sha-Clack-Clack!! That's gotta be the NICEST slam poem ever. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member [font=Trebuchet MS][i]SlamNation[/i] is not the highest quality documentary ever, but anything showcasing the talents of slam masters Saul Williams, Beau Sia, Taylor Mali, and the grandfather, himself, Marc Smith (as well as a host of others) is hard to screw up...[/font] Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word

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Cast & Crew

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Paul Devlin

Director

Craig muMs Grant

Actor

Taylor Mali

Actor

Jessica Care Moore

Actor

Beau Sia

Actor

Saul Williams

Actor
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SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word

SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word (1998) SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word (1998) SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word (1998) SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word (1998) SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary by filmmaker Paul Devlin presents the subculture of spoken-word slams, framing it in the context of a sporting event. Focusing on the 1996 National Poetry Slam, the movie reveals how the highly competitive events are structured and captures crowd-rousing performances, often delivered in fast-paced street-smart slang. Also presented is the more introspective side of the pursuit, with many slam poets, including Saul Williams and Beau Sia, evincing deeply philosophical streaks.
Director
Paul Devlin
Producer
Paul Devlin
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 23, 1998, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 1, 2004
Runtime
1h 31m