Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty

Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty (2003)

*** (out of 4)

Very good documentary on the black actress who used her looks and talents to kick in the door's of Hollywood as well as break color barriers across the country. The documentary features interviews with the likes of Brock Peters, Larry Fishburne, Halle Berry and various others who either knew Dandridge or looked up to her. The documentary does a great job at covering her life story within the short 50-minute running time. The most interesting stuff is her relationship with director Otto Preminger, which some claimed ruined her career. The film talks about her apparent suicide from overdose and the fact that she had less than $2.50 to her name when she died. Clips from most of her movies are shown as well as her appearance at the Oscars. The film has a few flubs like crediting her with the first kiss between a black and white person on screen but overall it's good.