🍿 #2: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Jan 14, 2021

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Fact of the week

Despite playing the title role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Viola Davis' performance clocked just 26 minutes and 41 seconds of screen time.

Review: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Star rating:

3.5

Worth a watch?

Yes

Where to watch:

Netflix | Watch the trailer

Blurb:

Set in a 1927 Chicago recording studio, the audience is witness to rising tensions between “Mother of Blues” Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player Levee and the white management trying to keep everything ‘under control’.

The review (NO spoilers):

The late Chadwick Boseman takes centre stage (as per his character’s aspirations) with his breathtaking performance in this screen adaptation of August Wilson’s play of the same name.

Viola Davis marks a powerful presence in this film but her character’s domineering personality lacks a certain depth, which makes Boseman’s already multifaceted performance even more striking.

Although there is a hint of vulnerability under Ma Rainey’s demeanour, we see a much wider range of emotion in Levee, which Boseman does a fantastic job of displaying - sometimes simultaneously.

The film itself is something of a rollercoaster, both emotionally and dramatically. In many ways, the film feels like a play and is probably better suited to being performed on stage, which is something I find typical of screen adaptations.

However—as someone who turned off Black Panther 10 minutes in and never got into the MCU movies—the real takeaway of this film is the realisation of Boseman’s talent. Sadly this was his last film and I have no doubt that he would have gone on to do amazing things. For that alone, this film is well worth a watch.

Scroll down for the critic’s cut and what’s coming in the next issue.

If you liked Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom…

The Sapphires

2012 | Amazon Prime | Watch the trailer

Inspired by a true story, The Sapphires explores themes of music and racism. Set in 1968, this film follows Aborigines singing group The Sapphires as they tour Vietnam entertaining US troops.

There’s a much lighter tone compared to MRBB but this is something of a hidden gem. Pardon the pun.

The critic’s cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:

Although the white exploitation of black art is not the focus of this film, the final scene left a sour taste in my mouth as we see a big band recording the same song Levee had been writing and singing throughout the film. The same song, which Mel Sturdyvant (owner of the recording studio) paid him just $5 for, as they weren’t “the right songs”.

As it was this prejudice that (in)directly led to the death of Toledo, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was an expression of how racism has ultimately led to black on black crime… (Can you tell I studied English Lit?)

Regardless of whether or not this is the case, it does show Sturdyvant and Ma Rainey are more alike than either would care to admit. Rainey herself has, like Sturdyvant, reached a position of power and rather than help aspiring artists (ie. Levee), she doesn’t believe the stage to be big enough for anyone but herself.

However, protecting one’s ego is very different from being flat-out racist.

In the next issue:

Pieces of a Woman

Release Date: 9th January 2020 | Watch the Trailer

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