What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."

Director:

Liz Garbus

Stars:

Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Nina Simone	...	Herself (archive footage)
Lisa Simone Kelly	...	Herself
Roger Nupie	...	Himself
Al Schackman	...	Himself
George Wein	...	Himself
Stanley Crouch	...	Himself
Andrew Stroud	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dick Gregory	...	Himself
Ilyasah Shabazz	...	Herself
Attallah Shabazz	...	Herself (as Ambassador Shabazz)
Gerrit De Bruin	...	Himself
Eleanor Belinfanti	...	Cast
Gregory Marlow	...	Cast
Elisabeth Henry-Macari	...	Cast: Mrs Mazzanovich (as Elizabeth Henry)

Storyline

On stage Nina Simone was known for her utterly free, uninhibited musical expression, which enthralled audiences and attracted life-long fans. But amid the violent, haunting, and senseless day-to-day of the civil rights era in 1960s America, Simone struggled to reconcile her artistic identity and ambition with her devotion to a movement. Culled from hours of autobiographical tapes, this new film unveils the unmitigated ego of a brilliant artist and the absurdities of her time. At the height of her fame Simone walked away from her family, country, career and fans, to move to Liberia and give up performing. The story of her life leading up to that event poses the question, 'how does royalty stomp around in the mud and still walk with grace?'

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Plot Keywords:

year 1968 | year 1960 | year 1957 | year 1959 | year 1961 | 

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Taglines:

Her Story. Her Voice.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Company Credits

Production Co:

Moxie Firecracker Films, Netflix, RadicalMedia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two Netflix Productions nominated for an Academy Award in the Category "Best Documentary" in 2016. The other one being Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015).

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Quotes

Nina Simone: We will shape and mold this country or it will not be molded and shaped at all anymore. So I think we don't have a choice. How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Ice T/Bella Thorne/Ms. Lauryn Hill (2015)

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Soundtracks

For All We Know
Published by EMI Waterford Music Inc./ASCAP
Courtesy of Warner / Chappell Music, Inc., Bienstock Publishing Company (ASCAP) On behalf of Redwood Music LTD. (PRS)

User Reviews

Mrs. Backlash Blues

The telling of Nina's story through the words of her family and old footage from her as well is truly moving and unsettling. I felt the closing in of the events that lead to her fame, fall, and fatality. It seems as if everyone was affected by the power of her illness which was fueled by the times. I am not sure if one accelerated the other. Growing up in the south and traveling all over the world does something to you. You become enlightened and the junk that was going on in the US over race was ludicrous and enraging. I am not sure if I could deal with that back then either. Nina was truly ahead of her time but got stuck in time due to the violence of those times. I love the way she expressed her disdain for the instrument of her fame and I also loved the attitude she had about her own voice. I grew up listening to this strange voice and at first I could not figure out if it was a man or woman until further into the album. This documentary is a timely tribute to the singer and it also allowed us to see what she was going through and why she fell off the face of the earth for a while. I look at her from a different pair of eyes now and I am grateful to know her story.