MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (2020)

December 21, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. As an Executive Producer, Denzel Washington has pledged to bring 10 August Wilson plays (collectively known as ‘The Pittsburgh Cycle’ or ‘Century Cycle’) to cinema. The first was the Oscar-nominated FENCES (2016), and George C Wolf directs this, the second. Ruben Santiago-Hudson has adapted Wilson’s 1984 play into a feature film vehicle for some of the finest on screen acting we will see this year.

Viola Davis (Oscar winner, FENCES) stars as Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, the “Mother of Blues”, and the recently deceased Chadwick Boseman co-stars as Levee, her ambitious trumpet player. Ms. Davis delivers a towering performance, and Mr. Boseman leaves us with his career best. The film opens in 1927 rural Georgia with two African-Americans running through the woods under the cover of darkness. If your mind goes where my mind did, we are both wrong. They are headed to a shack acting as a nightclub, and we get our first look and listen at Ma belting out a tune. It’s a powerful image and one that expertly sets the tone.

Soon we are in Chicago as Ma’s band makes their way to a recording studio. Cutler (Colman Santiago, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, 2018) plays the trombone and is the de facto leader, Toledo (an excellent Glynn Turman, “Fargo”) is the piano player, and Slow Drag (Michael Potts) plays the bass. The three older men all arrive on time at the studio and are waiting on trumpet player Levee (Boseman) and Ma. When Levee does show up, he struts into the rehearsal room and flashes his new shoes. The generational difference is immediately evident, and the fiery banter is superb. Levee is charming and cocky, while the older men are wise from experience and have undoubtedly seen dozens of Levees throughout their years. Cutler’s strong religious beliefs become known and Toledo’s sage advice falls on deaf ears.

Ma literally crashes into the scene, and we quickly understand that this woman will apologize for nothing, and has earned the right to call her own shots – even if that’s only true in this one corner of the universe. She understand the power her record sales give her, and she seizes every possible upper hand – whether it’s which arrangement to sing on a song, allowing her stuttering nephew to record, or even demanding a cold coca-cola before singing. Ma speaks in third person and her attitude is not that of a warm, grateful person, but rather of a woman who understands what she has earned. When she says, “All they want is my voice”, we know exactly what she means.

More collisions occur, this time figuratively. There is a collision of swagger between Ma and Levee. The collision of generations with Levee and the band. Finally, there is the collision of Levee and the white man. Ma wants to sing her songs on the record the way she sings them for her fans, while Levee is pushing for the “new” up-tempo sound. Levee’s ambition for songwriting and putting together his own band clashes with the older musicians who are satisfied to be working, and Levee tries to play the game by playing up to the white men in power, only to be taught the lesson that his bandmates tried to warn him of.

Wilson is known for his speeches, and the key players get their moment. Toledo describes blacks as “the leftovers”, while Ma describes white people listening to the blues … “They hear it come out, but they don’t know how it got there.” These are powerful moments, yet standing above them are the two soliloquies we hear from Levee. The first is about his background of family and introduction to white men, while the second is truly an other-worldly cinematic moment – he contests the unwavering religious beliefs in what ultimately proves to be the most tragic way. It’s a scene which will be Mr. Boseman’s long-lasting acting legacy.

Supporting work is provided by Jeremy Shamos as Ma’s agent Irvin, Taylour Paige as another line in the sand between Ma and Levee, Dusan Brown as Ma’s nephew, and Jonny Coyne as the studio owner/producer. This is not so much a story, but rather inspiration for us to assemble the various pieces into the backstories of these characters. It’s a way for us to better understand what they did to get here, and how they are handling it now. Step on the shoes at your own peril. When someone overcomes so much in life, they aren’t likely to back down gently. The music is terrific, the message is strong, and the performances are unforgettable.

Now streaming on Netflix

watch the trailer

Leave a Comment » | Drama | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

FENCES (2016)

December 23, 2016

fences Greetings again from the darkness. Just about any use of words you can think of serves some part in this screen adaptation of renowned playwright August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony award winning stage production. It first hit Broadway in 1987 with James Earl Jones and Mary Alice in the leads, and the 2010 revival starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis – both who reprise their roles for the movie version. It’s also the third directorial feature from Mr. Washington (The Great Debaters, Antwone Fisher).

The story takes place in mid-1950’s Pittsburgh and is a family drama character study centered on patriarch Troy Maxson (Washington), a former Negro League star and ex-con, who now works days on a garbage truck before coming home to his wife Rose of 18 years (Ms. Davis) and their son Cory (Jovan Adepo, “The Leftovers”). The Friday night after work ritual finds Troy holding court in his backyard with his best friend and co-worker Bono (Stephen Henderson), as they share a bottle of gin and pontificate on the injustices that have landed them in this place and time.

Another regular Friday occurrence is the drop-in of Troy’s son by his first wife. Lyons (Russell Hornsby) is a musician who shows up on payday for a “loan” from dad. To say there is tension between the two would be an understatement, and it’s the complex relationships between Troy and everyone else that is the crux of the story. Another player here is Troy’s brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), who periodically wanders by talking about battling demons and hellhounds. See, Gabriel suffered a severe head injury during WWII and now has a plate in his head but no real place in society.

Troy is a proud and bitter man, unwilling to acknowledge that the world is changing. Instead he holds firm to his belief that the white man will always hold back the man of color. It happened to him in baseball (though actually he was too old by the time Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers) and he refuses to believe Cory can succeed in football despite his being recruited by a college. Troy jumps between charming and caustic, and his fast-talking bellowing style can be entertaining, enlightening, condescending and intimidating … sometimes all of the above within a few sentences.

There is magic in the words of Austin Wilson, and as a film, this is a true acting clinic. The performances keep us glued to the screen in each scene. Denzel is a dominating presence, and the single best moment belongs to the terrific Viola Davis. Her explosive release conveys the agony-of-the-years, the broken dreams, and the crushing blow of broken trust. As a viewer, we aren’t sure whether to stand and applaud her or comfort her with a warm hug. The only possible criticism might be that the stage roots are obvious in the film version. The theatrical feel comes courtesy of the sets which are minimal and basic with no visual wow factor. But this minor drawback only serves to emphasize the characters and their interactions.

It’s pointed out to us (and Troy) that fences can be used to keep things out or keep things in. During his pontificating, Troy uses a couple of phrases more than once: “Living with a full count”, and “Take the crooked with the straight”. He often waxes philosophical, and it’s through these words that we realize both he and Rose took their sense of duty and responsibility so seriously that they both lost their selves in the process. Making do with one’s situation should not mean the end of dreams and hopes, and it certainly gives no one the right to hold back anyone from pursuing the path they choose. While watching the actors, don’t miss the message.

watch the trailer:

 

 

1 Comment | Drama | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson