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Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786302555332 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC ISBN: 6302555337 Label: Hbo Home Video Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Hbo Home Video Release Date: December 12, 1994 Running Time: 130 minutes Sales Rank: 8207 Studio: Hbo Home Video Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 1991
Amazon.com: You know how it goes. You hear about what a sensation someone like Josephine Baker was in her prime (in her case, the 1920s and '30s), how she pushed boundaries in such delicate areas as race and sex, how she both thrilled and scandalized Paris with her exotic dancing and personal behavior. You have all these loose strands of legend and random fact, your curiosity is running high, and then you hear that a feature film is being made about the very subject. You watch, and then wonder: what was the big deal about Josephine Baker? The problem with this 1991 TV movie is the same as with a number of HBO films from the 1980s and early '90s: it isn't particularly well written, the production looks rushed, and the entire point is obscured in a whirl of biographical material that doesn't sufficiently develop into insightful, organic unity. What The Josephine Baker Story does do, however, is provide a reference point from which to begin an appreciation of Baker's life. A poor, African American girl from St. Louis, Baker found fame and wealth in Europe as a dancer whose partially nude, unbridled performances invoked wit, sexual liberation, and passion--without, somehow, seeming vulgar or obscene. As Baker, Lynn Whitfield gets into the uninhibited spirit of things, free with her body and enthusiastic about re-creating many of her character's performances (yes, the famed Banana Dance is a highlight). The film superficially suggests that Baker was celebrated as an expressive artist, a healthy force of nature rather than a lewd exhibitionist, but it doesn't go far enough down that road to tell us why she matters. Somewhat better is the script's contrasting emphasis on Baker's celebrity overseas and her second-class status as a black woman in America. In the end, the film's real accomplishment is underscoring how racism truly determines the course of an individual's life, and the way Baker understood that both from the vantage point of a refugee and a victim. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - EXCELLENT!!
I was very pleased with the feedback I received. I knew when it was going to be shipped and what day it was going to arrive. I had absolutely no problems. Everything arrived intact and on time!
Rating: - Goin' Bananas!!
Lynn Whitfield does an incredible portrayal of Josephine Baker. She carries the movie and truely becomes the character. I didn't even know who Josephine Baker was until seeing this, nor did I really care. I like films about interesting characters that face adversity, and a tragic ending, as sad as it is, makes for a good story. This film takes you on a journey through Josephine's life, and what makes it so special is the fantastic acting by Lynn Whitfield, and the singing and dancing numbers are incredible. I think she won an award for this movie if I'm not mistaken. What this world needs ... Read More
Rating: - Great story
An awesome movie even for younger people who didn't know Josefine Baker. I shows very well how she had to deal with the culture clash between Europe and the United States (some of which is still in place today).
Rating: - Beautifully acted piece of fiction
Any time a movie is made about a real person, there will be complaints that certain things are not correct. We all know that events get changed, rearranged or omitted for the sake of moving a story along. But this isn't a complaint about small details being omitted or changed. This is a complaint about a story that is barely true.
I assume that Josephine's story was rewritten to make her a more likable person. By many accounts, she was both barely tolerable and extremely lovable, both brilliant and self-destructive, loving to a point of fault and downright disloyal, extremely insightful ... Read More
Rating: - Viva La Baker!!! Felicidades Ms. Whitfield!!
After waiting years for La Diva Ross to finally bring the Josephine Baker story to the big screen, HBO upended her with this truly moving portrayal of a true American legend's story. In many ways, the screenplay pays homage to Ross' "Lady Sings the Blues" (Billie Holiday-Biopic). However, it is the stunning performance by Lynn Whitfield that ultimately satisfies. The art direction is on point, the costumes are fabulous and the music is addictive (I have searched for a soundtrack to this movie for years...to no avail). Ms. Whitfield won a well deserved Best Actress Emmy (making me still wince for Diana's ... Read More
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