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Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
12 October 1972 (USA)
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Tagline:
Diana Ross IS Billie Holiday more
Plot:
The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Billie Holiday
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Singer
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Drug Addiction
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Jazz
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Drugs
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Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars.
Another 2 wins
&
3 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Lost Ross Album To Be Released
(From WENN. 8 May 2006)
Richard Pryor: 1940-2005
(From IMDb News. 10 December 2005)
(From WENN. 8 May 2006)
Richard Pryor: 1940-2005
(From IMDb News. 10 December 2005)
User Comments:
Seriously flawed
more (35 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Diana Ross | ... | Billie Holiday |
 | Billy Dee Williams | ... | Louis McKay |
 | Richard Pryor | ... | Piano Man |
 | James T. Callahan | ... | Reg Hanley (as James Callahan) |
| Paul Hampton | ... | Harry |
| Sid Melton | ... | Jerry |
| Virginia Capers | ... | Mama Holiday |
| Yvonne Fair | ... | Yvonne |
 | Isabel Sanford | ... | The Madame |
| Tracee Lyles | ... | The Prostitute |
| Ned Glass | ... | The Agent |
| Milton Selzer | ... | The Doctor |
| Norman Bartold | ... | The Detective #1 |
| Clay Tanner | ... | The Detective #2 |
| Jester Hairston | ... | The Butler |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
144 min | West Germany:125 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to Diana Ross, Richard Pryor personally instructed her on how to behave during the scenes of drug use.
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Quotes:
Louis McKay:
I'm going out for a while. And when I come back, I don't want to find you here.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jeff Gordon/Avril Lavigne (#28.9)" (2003)
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Soundtrack:
Tain't Nobody's Business
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (35 total)
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Before watching this I knew that it wouldn't be factually correct. I knew that Diana Ross would sing in her own style without trying to imitate the real Billie Holiday. And I knew that this film was hated & protested by Billie's real life associates and family. I watched it anyway expecting to enjoy it the same way I enjoyed Amadeus even though it stepped all over the real Mozart. I mean, c'mon people, if we want history we should go to a library, not a movie theatre.
But with all that said I was still horribly put off by the lack of continuity with the spirit of Billie's life. For one thing, Diana's portrayal made Billie look like a blabbering halfwit. Even in the scenes where she's supposed to be stone cold sober she acts like a flake. If you've ever seen footage of the real Billie, you know that the real Lady was a tough, sharp, smart human being. You don't survive on the streets of New York by being an idiot the way she's shown to be in the film.
Next, the performances were shown totally out of context. For example, the song "My Man" is a chilling song about spousal abuse, but in the movie they gloss it up to be a feel-good homage to her guardian angel of a husband Louis McKay. In real life, Louis was as abusive as all of her husbands (hence the song "My Man"). This is just one example of the many incorrect interpretations this movie presents of Billie's music and her life.
OK, but like I said in my 1st paragraph, I can allow the director some poetic license if the movie is worthwhile. Unfortunately this movie didn't deliver. Instead of focusing on the true hardships and trials that plagued Ms. Holiday, we get a whole bunch of clichés about drug use, trying to make it in the business, and how you're supposed to be good to your friends. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be about Billie Holiday or if it was just an ABC afterschool special with clever packaging.
The acting was good (if you choose to accept the idea of Billie Holiday being a weak minded flake), and there were several dramatic moments that were well staged. But here's my biggest gripe: the musical score KILLED this movie! It's supposed to be a 1940s jazz biopic, so why are we getting 70s "star search" orchestrations? You know, like the cheezy swelling violins and pseudo-disco drums when Ed McMahon reads the winner of the competition. Talk about an anachronism, to say nothing of the way it cheapens some otherwise powerful moments.
Lastly, I have to say that fans of Billie's music will be pretty annoyed at Diana Ross's versions. They are two totally different singers. Billie sang in a lower register (except when hitting those high notes which she always did clean & clear WITHOUT vibrato) whereas Diana prefers theatrics in the upper register and doesn't go very low at all. This is really a movie for Diana Ross fans or for casual jazz listeners who have never heard of Billie Holiday. Like another reviewer suggested, if you're truly interested in Billie, you should buy some of her records or try to find some old films of her performances. Her music is the best biography you'll ever get.