A long-lost music documentary filled with legendary performers is getting fresh attention after being ranked among the best movies currently streaming on Netflix by The New York Times.
The 1973 concert film Save the Children, directed by Stan Lathan, was recently included in The New York Times’ updated list of the “50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now.”
The movie takes viewers back to the 1972 PUSH Expo in Chicago, a five-day event organized by Jesse Jackson and Operation PUSH to celebrate Black excellence in music, education, business and culture.
The documentary features performances from some of the biggest stars of the era, including Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Curtis Mayfield, The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations.
Gospel singer Reverend James Cleveland and Reverend Jesse Jackson perform onstage at the PUSH "Save The Children" concert in a film still from the movie of the same name which was released in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The film gets its title from Marvin Gaye’s 1971 song “Save the Children,” which appeared on his landmark album What's Going On. The emotional song focused on love and concern for future generations and became one of the documentary’s most memorable musical moments.
According to The New York Times, Gaye’s performance of the title track is “one of the most memorable performances” in the film.
Despite its all-star lineup, Save the Children nearly disappeared after its original 1973 release through Paramount Pictures. For decades, the movie had no official home-video release and rarely appeared in public screenings.
The documentary was digitally restored in 2023 before arriving on Netflix, allowing a new generation of viewers to discover the film more than 50 years later.
Speaking to Variety, director Stan Lathan explained why the movie vanished for so long.
“It kind of disappeared for years because Paramount kind of… I wouldn’t say they dropped the ball, but they released it in a few cities, and when it didn’t perform the way they wanted it to, they kind of put it down, and then somehow it got lost in the Paramount archives,” Lathan said.
He added, “So it took us a long time to find it, and then when we found it, we had to do a lot of fixing up. We didn’t change anything content-wise, but it looks good, the soundtrack is great, and I’m thrilled about this.”
Producer Alan Elliott said one major highlight is the rare footage of The Jackson 5 at the height of their fame.
“This is the only film footage, not TV footage, but film footage of the Jackson 5 in 1972, and they are the biggest thing in the world at that time,” Elliott said. “They are Taylor Swift; they are the Beatles.”
The movie also mixes concert footage with scenes from Black neighborhoods in Chicago, showing the culture and community surrounding the historic event.
The PUSH Expo brought together artists from Motown, Stax, and Atlantic Records in a rare collaboration led by music executive Clarence Avant.
Audiences can see performances across several genres, including soul, jazz, gospel, funk, blues and rock. Among the standout moments are Bill Withers performing “Lean on Me,” Sammy Davis Jr. singing “I’ve Gotta Be Me” and a young Michael Jackson leading The Jackson 5 on stage.
Variety described the documentary as more than a simple concert movie, calling it “the story of the culture of the time and how it represents America at that time.”
The restored version of the film also screened at the 2024 Chicago Film Festival, where many original attendees reunited with the filmmakers decades after the event first took place.
Today, the rediscovered documentary is finding a wider audience online, with viewers revisiting a major moment in music history through performances that had been hidden for years.
Related: 1991 Hit Horror Film, Widely Regarded Among Best Movies Ever, Returns for 35th Anniversary
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