Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.
- Released: 2020-11-25
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- Genre: Drama, Music
- Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Jeremy Shamos, Dusan Brown, Joshua Harto, Quinn VanAntwerp, Antonio Fierro, Roger Petan, Daniel Johnson
- Director: George C. Wolfe
Comments
- dannylee-78082 - 15 July 2023
Coca-cola
The ignorant me thought this was a biographical movie about Ma Rainey, but it's actually an adaptation of August Wilson's play of the same name. I remember briefly studying "Fences" in school so I wish that I had this insight before I started the movie. August Wilson's play focuses on the African American experience and the movie did exactly that. I have to say that I was a little confused how much of the movie is focused on Levee instead of Ma Rainey because of my ignorant expectation. Regardless, it's still a solid movie.
It essentially boils down to black and white power dynamic with two black musicians. One has power (Ma Rainey) and the other doesn't (Levee). One has achieved her musical dreams and other one was chasing for it. Levee is driven by his trauma with white people committing heinous crimes against his family and we are not sure what Ma's motivations are. The contrast between these two people and their demeanors are very interesting. Both care about their craft and music but their outcomes are so different. Levee's tragic final moments might suggest that some African Americans may be so driven by their trauma but also trapped by it, seeing how Levee clearly has anger issues perhaps due to unresolved trauma. His song is taken advantage of by powerful white man (who can also be very NOT powerful when dealing with a powerful black artist) and is recorded (rather blandly) by a white band. Music has come a real long way seeing how black artists dominate the music market at the current moment.
Because this is based on a play, a full literary analysis could be done but it was just a very interesting film with strong performances. I've only seen Chadwick as Black Panther and seeing him all skinny in his posthumous film pouring his heart out was touching. The rest of the cast was more than solid and the initial banter between the members was captivating and was an excellent example of how a play should be put on the screen. Praise Denzel Washington for producing this! - SnoopyStyle - 17 April 2022
powerful
It's 1927. Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is a strong-willed blues singer who is popular with her black audience. She leaves the south to do a recording in Chicago with white producers. Levee Green (Chadwick Boseman) is the brash younger session trumpet player who dreams of doing his own songs.
This is a powerful movie dealing race relations in America. These are big performances. Davis and Boseman are only the tip of the iceberg. There are great performances up and down the line. One thing I do notice. The movie doesn't show the most overt racial violence. The racist cop's initial confrontation with Ma Rainey isn't shown. The Coca-Cola incident is cut short without the actual purchasing. The film seems to be leaving these incidents to the imagination of the audience like the stories being told by the black characters. There is an unexpected power in it. In its main theme, these and other incidents have all piled up in Levee's head like it's piling up in my mind. They push him over the edge in the climatic scene. One can really sense Levee's collapse into darkness. It's a powerful pivotal scene and the heart of the matter. The boy has just had enough and it's heartbreaking.
