Agrega una trama en tu idiomaThe story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
- Nominado a 5 premios Óscar
- 5 premios ganados y 8 nominaciones en total
- Reg Hanley
- (as James Callahan)
- The Singer
- (as Michele Aller)
Argumento
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaAccording to Diana Ross, Richard Pryor instructed her on how to behave during the scenes of drug use.
- ErroresSome of the African-American male characters and extras sport modern (1972) hair styles with Afros or sideburns which were not in style in the 1930s.
- Citas
Billie Holiday: [after Louis discovers that Billie shoots up] Sure I've taken a few shots, but only when I needed it,
[Louis sighs]
Billie Holiday: but i'm not hooked, Louis. I'm not.
Louis McKay: Only when you needed it. What do you think hooked is? All I had to do is listen to your voice on the telephone and I knew. Who the hell do you think you're talking to? One of those ofay cats you be running around with? I've been on those streets all of my life. I know what that shit is!
Billie Holiday: It's good, ain't it?
[Louis then gets up and takes her suitcase and starts packing her stuff]
Billie Holiday: Wait, Wait, Baby! Oh, no.
Louis McKay: We're going home. Now!
Billie Holiday: [Stopping him] Wait, hey, baby, wait. See, you don't understand. Now, you don't know how it is when people are looking down at you and laughing at you and think that I'm a loser. And if I go home now, I'll think that I'm one, too. I gotta prove it to them. I gotta prove it to myself.
Louis McKay: What're you proving with that needle? That you're not woman enough to make it without a crutch? A magic way out when the going gets a little too rough? I want you to make it, too, baby. But not this way. Not this way.
- ConexionesFeatured in Lady Sings the Blues (Featurette) (1972)
- Bandas sonorasTain't Nobody's Business
Written by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins
Sung by Blinky (as Blinky Williams)
But with all that said I was still horribly put off by the lack of continuity with the spirit of Billie's life. For one thing, Diana's portrayal made Billie look like a blabbering halfwit. Even in the scenes where she's supposed to be stone cold sober she acts like a flake. If you've ever seen footage of the real Billie, you know that the real Lady was a tough, sharp, smart human being. You don't survive on the streets of New York by being an idiot the way she's shown to be in the film.
Next, the performances were shown totally out of context. For example, the song "My Man" is a chilling song about spousal abuse, but in the movie they gloss it up to be a feel-good homage to her guardian angel of a husband Louis McKay. In real life, Louis was as abusive as all of her husbands (hence the song "My Man"). This is just one example of the many incorrect interpretations this movie presents of Billie's music and her life.
OK, but like I said in my 1st paragraph, I can allow the director some poetic license if the movie is worthwhile. Unfortunately this movie didn't deliver. Instead of focusing on the true hardships and trials that plagued Ms. Holiday, we get a whole bunch of clichés about drug use, trying to make it in the business, and how you're supposed to be good to your friends. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be about Billie Holiday or if it was just an ABC afterschool special with clever packaging.
The acting was good (if you choose to accept the idea of Billie Holiday being a weak minded flake), and there were several dramatic moments that were well staged. But here's my biggest gripe: the musical score KILLED this movie! It's supposed to be a 1940s jazz biopic, so why are we getting 70s "star search" orchestrations? You know, like the cheezy swelling violins and pseudo-disco drums when Ed McMahon reads the winner of the competition. Talk about an anachronism, to say nothing of the way it cheapens some otherwise powerful moments.
Lastly, I have to say that fans of Billie's music will be pretty annoyed at Diana Ross's versions. They are two totally different singers. Billie sang in a lower register (except when hitting those high notes which she always did clean & clear WITHOUT vibrato) whereas Diana prefers theatrics in the upper register and doesn't go very low at all. This is really a movie for Diana Ross fans or for casual jazz listeners who have never heard of Billie Holiday. Like another reviewer suggested, if you're truly interested in Billie, you should buy some of her records or try to find some old films of her performances. Her music is the best biography you'll ever get.
- rooprect
- 9 feb 2007
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Detalles
- Fecha de lanzamiento
- País de origen
- Idioma
- También se conoce como
- Lady Sings the Blues
- Locaciones de filmación
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- Ver más créditos de la compañía en IMDbPro
Taquilla
- Total en EE. UU. y Canadá
- USD 6,028,486