On L List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
3/24
3/24:
Lady Sings the Blues is a depressing biopic about Billie Holiday all the way through.
Diana Ross of The Supremes had no acting experience prior to the film, and it's a stunning debut for her. She
has many sad moments. Now, you know Billy Dee Williams, but this is the one, along with
Brian's Song, that made him a household
name. Richard Pryor is impressive as Piano Man; it's too bad about his character at the end.
Unfortuntely, the direction isn't great, but John A. Alonzo's cinematography saves the overlong film which was
falling apart in the final hour. There isn't much of substance while Diana Ross is going in circles with her
character's drug problem. Eventually, it's a common story as seen in hundreds of films like
Bird. The editing is on the lazy side by using newspaper articles to speed up
the narrative.
Lady Sings the Blues was financed by Berry Gordy, the man who brought the Motown sound (Detroit had
nothing to do with it; it's just a city where the recording studio was situated) to America. Films like
Shaft and Super Fly created the
Blaxploitation genre that featured tough-looking, crude black characters. But Billy Dee Williams is all class
in the mold of Clark Gable, a rarity in Hollywood during the 70's. Hence, I can see how he's a role model for
black males and why black women wanted to be with him.
As for the story of Billie Holiday on screen, little of it is true. A heroin addict, she was more plump-looking
in real life than Diana Ross and didn't rename herself professionally after seeing it on some newspaper. Her
musical career was more complicated than what the film showed. She was married twice before making it a third
with Louis McKay, a mob enforcer, in 1957 but died a couple of years afterwards.
What's not known is that Billie Holiday had an affair with Orson Welles while he was making
Citizen Kane. She called him the best she had been with. On the other hand,
the film makes it seem like she was banned from performing in New York completely, but it's only the places
where alcohol was sold. However, it did take away a majority of her earning potential that left her destitute
on top of having been swindled by Louis McKay during her final years. Additionally, Billie Holiday had a drinking
problem and was in relationships with abusive men including all of her husbands.
All in all, Lady Sings the Blues should be seen for Diana Ross' impressive performance.