Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (film)

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Movie
Original title Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2020
Rod
Director George C. Wolfe
script Ruben Santiago-Hudson
production Todd Black ,
Denzel Washington
music Branford Marsalis
camera Tobias A. Schliessler
cut Andrew Mondshein
occupation

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a musical film directed by George C. Wolfe . The film is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson and tells about the African-American musician Ma Rainey , played by Oscar winner Viola Davis , who celebrated her success as the "Queen of the Blues" in the late 1920s and wants to record a record with her bandmates in Chicago .

action

When the musician Ma Rainey , the "Queen of the Blues", wanted to record a record with her bandmates in a Chicago studio in 1927, tensions arose between the African American and the white producers Sturdyvant and Irvin. But there is also friction among each other. The recording turns into a disaster.

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The film is based on the play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson in 1982, which two years later with Theresa Merritt was first performed in the title role on Broadway's Cort Theater. In it, the band members Cutler, Toledo, Slow Drag and Levee came together in Chicago to record a new record with Ma Rainey. While waiting for their arrival, they tell stories, joke, philosophize and argue. In particular, there is tension between the young hot-headed trumpeter Levee, who dreams of having his own band, and the veterans Cutler and Toledo. By the time they arrive at the studio, the recording is already way behind schedule, infuriating white producers Sturdyvant and Irvin. Ma's insistence that her stuttering nephew Sylvester do the introduction to the title track creates further chaos. While the band waits for various technical problems to be resolved, a fight breaks out between Levee and Cutler. Levee is fired by Ma, but in his anger he stabs Toledo to death.

A performance of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 2009

It is in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom one of the ten pieces of Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle / Pittsburgh cycle in which he deals with the experiences of African Americans in the 20th century. The piece set in Chicago in the 1920s is the only piece from the cycle that is not set in Pittsburgh. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom deals not only with the question of race but also with the exploitation of black artists by white producers. The title of the piece refers to a song of the same name by Ma Rainey, which refers to the Black Bottom , the "black bottom ". This American ballroom dance of the 1920s developed from the Charleston and was particularly popular among the African American population in the USA. The US playwright August Wilson, who is one of the most important African-American authors, received the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award in 1987 for his play Fences . A central concern of the playwright was to address the injustice against black people, but not to let them persist in their victim role.

production

Directed by George C. Wolfe . Wilson's play was adapted for the film by Ruben Santiago-Hudson .

Oscar winner Viola Davis took on the title role of musician Ma Rainey. You previously starred in the 2016 Wilson film adaptation of Fences . Chadwick Boseman plays band member Levee. It is the last film role of the actor, who died in August 2020 at the age of 43. Glynn Turman took on the role of Toledo, Colman Domingo played Cutler and Michael Potts played the band member Slow Drag. Jonny Coyne and Jeremy Shamos star in the roles of producers Sturdyvant and Irvin. Taylour Paige plays Dussie Mae.

Filming began on July 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, which was the backdrop for the Chicago of 1927. Tobias A. Schliessler acted as cameraman .

It is in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by an equity production of Netflix . According to experts, the film will be presented at a film festival in autumn 2020.

literature

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Dave McNary: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman Starring in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' for Netflix. In: Variety, June 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ Fences Stars Viola Davis & Denzel Washington Win 2010 Tony Awards In: broadway.com, June 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ Marietta Steinhart: 'Fences'. In the prison of one's own disappointment In: Zeit Online, February 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Maria Sciullo: August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom 'prepping exteriors on Pittsburgh's North Side. In: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ Sharon Eberson: 'Ma Rainey' filming takes over North Side streets. In: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 9, 2019.
  6. ^ Anne Thompson: Netflix's Approach for Oscars 2021: Skip the Festival Circuit. In: IndieWire, May 27, 2020.