May 11 (Lunar calendar: March 22), 2023 Thursday | Dawnxisoul393art
Today, we watched the film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" directed by Denzel Washington. In the 1920s, in an album studio in Chicago, the band members preparing to record were waiting for the pioneering performer and the legendary "mother of blues" Ma Rainey (played by Viola Davis). At the end of the recording, Ma, who was fearless and hot-tempered, had a contest of will with her agent and producer over her music control. The band's talented young trumpeter Levi green (played by Chadwick Boseman) was determined to occupy a place in the music industry. When the band waited in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, Levi urged other band members to tell their own stories to reveal the truth of society. In the 1920s, the United States was in the period of black migration, a large number of black Americans came from the south to the north in search of a new life.
Ma also brought her royal band to Chicago to record new records. Levi was ambitious and hoped to break a world in the white world with her own music like Ma. Ma clearly understood that the white people's respect for herself was a desire for her talent. Ma's performances in the south were almost full. Although most of them were black, we could see how many people traveled across mountains and rivers to see her performance, and its charm and popularity could be seen. However, in the north, those black people dressed elegantly and neatly do not worship this aggressive and arrogant visitor, but were more strange and disapproved, Ma immediately realized that she was indeed an ordinary black woman in the north. So when her agent finally urged her to sign the contract, she hesitated for a moment and agreed, because she knew that as a member who wanted to start a new life in the north, she had to make some compromises.
Like all talented artists, Ma also loved her industry, singing, and blues. She knew Blues better than anyone and what Blues meant to blacks. Ma put forward harsh requirements for her agents and record owners, but once she started recording, she would immediately immerse herself in her music. In fact, Ma was very kind to the orchestra in private. After recording, she smiled and praised everyone. It could be seen from the respect of the members of the orchestra for her. They knew Ma, her love for blues, and her contradictions and struggles. They respected Ma's personality charm and pursuit of music from the bottom of their heart. However, even such a strong woman couldn't beat the world after all. She could only survive in the squeeze of the world. Such a talented musician who was sober, smart, strong, dares to fight in her own way, but could only survive in blues.
Levi was complacent because he was appreciated by the owner of the record store. However, his arrogance had aroused the dissatisfaction of other members of the orchestra. With the progress of the recording process, the members of the orchestra gradually understood Levi's tragic past in the closed rehearsal room. After the abolition of slavery, blacks did not get the freedom and equality they wanted, in the 1920s, that was a history engraved in their bones. We followed Levi's descriptions of his memories, gradually pulling in the emotions, and then letting them out with Levi's tears that burst from Levi's eyes. It seemed that in the process of Levi's tears, we experienced his terrible experience as a child with him. Several supporting roles in the film were shaped through their own stories and the stories they told. These stories and experiences told us that behind the brilliance and beauty of these players, they had long been branded with discrimination by the world. However, some chose to let things go and others chose to rise up.
Illustrated by dawnxisoul393
The old people of the orchestra all chose the former. Only Ma and Levi chose the latter. At the beginning of her debut, Ma's cunning and unkindness made us think she was an arrogant woman who was arrogant and arrogant. However, as the plot progressed, we found that Ma was a rare sober person. With her unique voice, she had won the reputation of a Blues Diva and was respected even in the white world. She had gained the strength and status to compete with the white people, but she was not blinded by this vanity. Levi was a talented trumpeter. Due to family changes in his childhood, he was determined to stand out in the direction of music and be respected by the world. Although Levi and Ma were talents, they look down on each other, and an ordinary recording activity had become tense. The tragic experience of Levi's parents, the stories and firm beliefs told by other musicians, thanks to the outstanding performances of Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, and others, the whole story was full of movement and tension.
Finally, Levi's creative crystallization was ruthlessly denied by the boss of the record company, which directly defeated his psychological defense line, with full impact. The last scene of the film was very ironic. The boss invited a group of white musicians to record Levi's music, so it was not that the boss did not recognize the commercial value of his music, he just wanted to pay less for it. After all, Levi was not Ma, and his performance was not unique, so he would never reach the status of Ma. On the other hand, the musicians were expressionless when playing, just to finish the task quickly. The performances of several actors were excellent. Chadwick's role was very complex, but his performance could be switched freely in multiple styles. His investment in performance, enjoyment in creation, satisfaction in introducing his music to others, disdain for peers, and anger at family experience were completely integrated with his role.
Glynn Turman, as Toledo, was the film's best supporting actor. Toretto's performance was also quite good, and he was also one of the three band members who had a relatively good relationship with Levi. After the song was recorded, Levi took the initiative to greet him instead of others, and when persuaded to fight, he pulled Levi and also persuaded Levi's opponent. But ironically, he ended up being killed by that kind of pathetic pride because he inadvertently stepped on Levi's shoes. Shoes were a very important image in the film, which meant dignity. Levi payed special attention to his "dignity" every time he was teased by the band members. Until the end, when he felt that everyone didn't care about his dignity, he also completely lost his dignity. Compared with Chadwick, Viola's role was not complex, but her performance was also very natural, and she more accurately conveyed the situation of blacks in that society. The voice was the only capital Ma could hold hostage to the boss, in fact, her demands and irrationality were not difficult to understand. This society forced her to become such a person.
Illustrated by dawnxisoul393
When Ma left the studio twice without hesitation, she finally chose to compromise, because when the agent was begging her to finish her work, her dignity had been at least partially restored. In essence, both Ma and Levi were compromising to this society, but Ma could still struggle with her voice, while Levi had almost nothing. The portrayal of the two main characters was very successful, and their performance naturally added a lot to the film. Chadwick can complete such an excellent role at the last moment of his life. Many lines in the film should be describing himself, from how step by step to Hollywood, to know that his life was about to end, he knew what he was doing, even though seriously ill still persisted in his dedication and love for film, cancer can take away his life, but those works and roles will not disappear.
Blacks created blues with their suffering soul and desire for freedom. Blues came from oppression, but it was used for self comfort. Blues came from black flesh and blood, but it was also a panacea to heal their hearts.
Original by dawnxisoul393,
Comments
Post a Comment