Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

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Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

Released Nov 1, 2024

2h 30m

Documentary

History

Music

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Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

97%

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250+ Ratings

United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo's leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today's geopolitical climate.

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Critics Consensus

Director Johan Grimonprez's sprawling documentary moves to a furious beat, laying out its thesis with an energy that's as enthralling as it is thought-provoking.

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Philip Concannon

Little White Lies

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is a dense and meticulously constructed picture.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 21, 2025

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat relates not just Lumumba’s assassination but the larger role the Congo, a nation rich with natural resources, played in the Cold War, and the so-called Congo Crisis’ surprising intersections with midcentury American jazz.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 7, 2025

Full Review

Philip De Semlyen

Time Out

It’s the quietly magisterial Fiennes who steals the show. Don’t be surprised to see white smoke billowing out of the Academy Awards come March.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 22, 2024

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Dave Giannini

Geek Vibes Nation

History is full of important lessons and there are many to be found in Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.

Rated: 8.5/10

Jul 19, 2025

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Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

[The film] is the perfect composition of unfolding a historical event, tying together archival footage with literature and performance for a digestible presentation of the crisis.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 13, 2025

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Sean P. Means

The Movie Cricket

A rich account of a violent history that most Americans have likely forgotten — which is a shame, since American tax dollars, funneled through the CIA, financed a lot of it.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 10, 2025

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Cagle

Grim subject but excellently presented. Outstanding music which creatively accompanied the unfolding of complex concomitant events, "players", geographical/govermental/political/financial circumstances coherently

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

kathryne c

This was an excellent documentary!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/02/25

Full Review

Paula T

Strong combination of jazz and politics, much interesting documentary footage.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

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Matthew R

Powerful, discouraging, honest film. The more documentaries I see the include Russia the more I think Russia might be the good guys, idk. Movies like this are great but what good does it do? History will always shine a light on those who have acted in complete darkness, but nothing ever changes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

Tom F

A beautiful looking and sounding documentary, centering on the paradox of the US using jazz artists as diplomatic tools to defend pro-colonial policies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Daniel B

I would have preferred a traditional documentary, instead of what this is which is audio excerpts and quotes onscreen of written material, all with a constant backdrop of jazz, which is distracting.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

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Soundtrack to a Coup d'État: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo's leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today's geopolitical climate.

Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producer: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety
Screenwriter: Johan Grimonprez
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Warboys Films
Genre: Documentary, History, Music
Original Language: French
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $365.3K
Runtime: 2h 30m

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