Diana Ross delivered an outstanding performance as legendary singer Billie Holliday in “Lady Sings the Blues.” Though the film was criticized for playing fast and loose with the facts of her life, director Sidney J. Furie (“The Ipcress File” 1965) created a very entertaining film that has excellent dialogue, numerous musical numbers, great acting, and indefinable “atmospherics” that often make a great motion picture. He was aided by a well-written screenplay by Terence McCloy, Chris Clark, and Suzanne de Passe, adapted from Holiday’s 1956 autobiography of the same name.
The supporting cast behind Diana Ross (in her feature film debut) includes Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James Callahan, Isabel Sanford, Scatman Carothers, Ned Glass, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Yvonne Fair, Jester Hairston, Lynn Hamilton, Pauline Myers, Milton Selzer, and Robert Gordy, brother of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.
The many Billie Holliday songs in the film performed by Diana Ross were indeed a treat, produced under the supervision of composer, arranger, and conductor Michel Legrand. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Actress (Ross), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Scoring. “Lady Sings the Blues” was a modest hit at the box office, due to the large budget, for Motown Productions and Paramount Pictures.
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
cinema
My Review
Diana Ross delivered an outstanding performance as legendary singer Billie Holliday in “Lady Sings the Blues.” Though the film was criticized for playing fast and loose with the facts of her life, director Sidney J. Furie (“The Ipcress File” 1965) created a very entertaining film that has excellent dialogue, numerous musical numbers, great acting, and indefinable “atmospherics” that often make a great motion picture. He was aided by a well-written screenplay by Terence McCloy, Chris Clark, and Suzanne de Passe, adapted from Holiday’s 1956 autobiography of the same name.
The supporting cast behind Diana Ross (in her feature film debut) includes Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James Callahan, Isabel Sanford, Scatman Carothers, Ned Glass, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Yvonne Fair, Jester Hairston, Lynn Hamilton, Pauline Myers, Milton Selzer, and Robert Gordy, brother of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.
The many Billie Holliday songs in the film performed by Diana Ross were indeed a treat, produced under the supervision of composer, arranger, and conductor Michel Legrand. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Actress (Ross), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Scoring. “Lady Sings the Blues” was a modest hit at the box office, due to the large budget, for Motown Productions and Paramount Pictures.