One Hand Don't Clap

One Hand Don't Clap captures the vibrant story of calypso and the emergence of soca through the eyes of two legendary artists, Lord Kitchener, the Grandmaster of the music, and Calypso Rose, the first woman to break through in a traditionally male arena. Forging on-screen the connections between American communities and where families come from, the documentary leads audiences from New York recording studies to the awesome magic of Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago. The film features artists across the 20th century whose songs reflect regional and global themes that continue to resonate. The many generations in One Hand Don't Clap trace the evolution of a musical style whose infectious rhythms and exhilarating irreverence have found their way to ever-broadening audiences worldwide.

One Hand Don't Clap was digitally restored from the original 16mm A/B roll negatives and 35mm magnetic audio tracks by the Academy Film Archive and the Women’s Film Preservation Fund with support from the Leon Levy Foundation.

"Showstopping!" – Vincent Canby, The New York Times

“Seductively rhythmic and poetic...not just a documentary about music and musicians, but an examination of cultures co-existing as if in parallel universes.” – John Anderson, New York Newsday

“The foot-stomping One Hand Don't Clap deserves a round of applause.” – Jeff Menell, The Hollywood Reporter

“It is seen as the joyous, rum-soaked music of the carnival, but it is so much more than that” – Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian