REVIEW: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Illuminates the Black Struggle in the Music Business, Life
Stellar actors play an engaging tempo in their collective performances about one of Black Entertainment's Blues trailblazers, Gertrude Ma Rainey NOTE: Have you ever heard of Ma Rainey? How about Billy Holiday or Bessie Smith? Without Ma Rainey, there would be no Holiday or Smith. For many viewers this movie will be an introduction to the the Blues pioneer. As a biopic, scaled down to one day, coming from the perspective of a playwright, it is impposible for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" to accomplish detailing who she was and what her career meant to music. Some of the details of this review are offered for a a more indepth perspective to recognize a talent who has been overlooked. However, the overall quality of the film is to be lauded. By Mona Austin Artists and management in the music industry have collided on business matters since the industry started. Historically, it has been tougher on Black entertainers, whose talent wss exploited by White-domi...