This is a movie that is from Outer Space! The music in it is incredible!
"SPACE IS THE PLACE" COMES TO DVD
Film Threat.com
8/16/03
Called the "Putney Swope" of jazz films, cult classic
"Space is the Place," starring Sun Ra, will get a 30th
Anniversary Director's Cut DVD release on October
28th. With over 20 minutes of added footage, the film
has been restored to its original theatrical length,
reintroducing several subplots heretofore omitted in
the previous video version.
After having traveled through space in a yellow
spaceship propelled by music, Sun Ra finds a planet he
believes could serve as a new home for the black race.
Returning to earth, he lands in Oakland, California
circa 1972 and has to fight The Overseer, played by
Ray Johnson (from 1971's DIRTY HARRY), a supernatural
villain who pimps out the black race. Sun Ra offers
those who would follow him into space an
"alter-destiny," but the Overseer, the FBI, and
NASA--who are after Ra's Black Space
Program--ultimately force him to return to space
before the destruction of Earth.
http://www.plexifilm.com/space.html
by john coney
"Outer space is a pleasant place
A place where you can be free
There's no limit to the things you can do
Your thought is free and your life is worthwhile
Space is the place"
-Sun Ra
Science fiction, blaxploitation, cosmic free-jazz and
radical race politics combine when Sun Ra returns to
earth in his music-powered space ship to battle for
the future of the black race and offer an
"alter-destiny" to those who would join him.
Intentionally created as an homage to the low-budget
science fiction films of the 50's and 60's, SPACE IS
THE PLACE became a visual embodiment of Sun Ra's
Afro-Egyptian myth of salvation in outer space. The
special effects, outrageous plot line and apocalyptic
message harmonize with the otherworldly score and a
climactic live performance by one of the most
innovative and profound groups in jazz history.
After having traveled through space in a yellow
spaceship propelled by music, Sun Ra finds a planet he
believes could serve as a new home for the black race.
Returning to earth, he lands in Oakland, California
circa 1972 and has to battle The Overseer, played by
Ray Johnson (from 1971's DIRTY HARRY), a supernatural
villain exploiting the black people. The Overseer, the
FBI, and NASA -- who are after Ra's Black Space
Program -- attempt to assassinate Ra, who escapes into
space with his followers before the destruction of
Earth.
Cosmic blaxploitation cum sociological critique, SPACE
IS THE PLACE defies categorization. It is at once a
platform for Sun Ra's radical racial philosophies, an
indictment of the government's policies in Vietnam-era
U.S., cult camp flick, sci-fi movie and concert film
with unforgettable performances by the Intergalactic
Solar Arkestra.
Since its extremely limited release in 1974 -- the
film played very briefly in San Francisco and New York
-- SPACE IS THE PLACE has become an underground legend
spoken about but never seen, and if so, in poorly
dubbed bootlegs or in the severely adulterated 1992
VHS version.
Plexifilm is proud to present SPACE IS THE PLACE for
the first time in its original uncut form.
"An artifact of a time when the hangover of the late
1960's met the disillusioned 1970's; black power and
free jazz collided with the fashion sense of SUPERFLY.
SPACE IS THE PLACE is the PUTNEY SWOPE of jazz films."
-Jon Pareles, THE NEW YORK TIMES
NEWS 13.08.03 17:23
http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/news/3081303.html
Sun Ra’s DVD 'Space Is the Place'
Sun Ra’s Space Is the Place -- part musical
documentary, part Biblical parable, part
blaxploitation flick, part sci-fi epic, the film was
one of the late pianist-philosopher’s rally calls
directed at the black community, urging them to take
notice and work to correct civil injustices in the
Vietnam era. Due to its low-budget look and feel, and
probably a half-baked screenplay, too, Space Is the
Place only lasted in theaters for a very short time
when released in 1974. And it’s usually not on the
shelf at Blockbuster. But the hard-to-find cult flick
will be released on DVD on October 28 with extra
footage and other goodies included.
For the uninitiated, I offer a synopsis swiped
straight from the press release announcing the movie’s
DVD release: “After having traveled through space in a
yellow spaceship propelled by music, Sun Ra finds a
planet he believes could serve as a new home for the
black race. Returning to earth, he lands in Oakland,
Calif. circa 1972 and has to fight The Overseer, a
supernatural villain who pimps out the black race. Sun
Ra offers those who would follow him into space an
"alter-destiny," but the Overseer, the FBI, and
NASA—who are after Ra's Black Space Program—ultimately
force him to return to space before the destruction of
Earth.”
The actual movie is in fact as colorful as that teaser
hints, with concert footage of Ra’s Myth Science
Arkestra at their best and there’s a great scene with
the Ra playing solo piano in a strip joint. A longtime
fan of the movie, I’m at the moment drooling onto my
desktop—the DVD will include over 20 minutes of added
footage, restoring it to its original theatrical
length (the VHS version issued in 1992, now out of
print, was abridged). Add to that 10 minutes of
footage taken from home movies of the Arkestra's 1972
voyage to Egypt, psychedelic projections shot by
Arkestra light and sound coordinator Richard Wilkinson
for the band's live performances, plus interviews with
director John Coney and producer Jim Newman and
written commentary by Coney, Sun Ra biographer John F.
Szwed and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore—this will be
one a sweet payload of Sunny Ray.
By JazzTimes.com
I guess I just expect to read something new when I open your threads. 
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