Directed by James Erskine, this portrait of legendary singer Billie Holiday is based on more than 200 audio interviews conducted by journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl in the 1970s. Kuehl died in 1978 before completing her manuscript and this is the first time the audios are being heard publicly. Billie Holiday will always be remembered for her exceptional talent, but sadly her name also triggers thoughts of her well-publicized addictions and arrests, and while that will always be a part of her legacy, the filmmaker emphasizes that Holiday lived life on her own terms rather than as a victim.
One of the earliest scenes is colorized footage of Holiday memorably singing “God Bless the Child.” Images of a reel-to-reel tape player place the audio transcriptions in the 1970s and throughout we listen to interview snippets recorded by those familiar with Holiday, including childhood friends, music producers, nightclub owners, attorneys, and other Holiday contemporaries, such as crooner Tony Bennett (he wonders “why all girl singers crack up”), pianist Jimmy Rowles, trombonist Melba Liston, jazz artist Count Basie, and entertainer Memry Midgett, to name just a few. Radio interviews with Holiday allow us to hear her speaking voice that becomes less strong as the years go on. Amidst all the vintage footage, black and white photos, newspaper headlines, and other clips is performance footage of Holiday singing “My Man,” “Fine and Mellow,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “Strange Fruit.”
The program does not shy away from addressing her drug use (“she was an extremist”), abuse, imprisonments, sexual life, failed marriages, and FBI targeting, but also shows a softer side of Holiday, revealing how racism played an important role in her memorable rendition of “Strange Fruit,” a protest song about lynching that one club owner calls a “shocking piece of material.” Sadly, we see the once glamorous entertainer who favored diamonds and fur coats appear more dissipated in her final television performance. She died in 1959 at age 44 with only $750 “to her name.” Somewhat weirdly the program occasionally veers away from the main story to focus on journalist Kuehl, presenting family home movies and onscreen comments from her sister who questions the ruling that Kuehl died by suicide. These interruptions are slight intrusions in an otherwise compelling look at the jazz legend who should never be forgotten. Highly Recommended. Editor’s Choice. Aud: C, P.
Included in our list of Best Documentaries 2021.
