I make it my mission every year to try and watch as many, if not all, of the films nominated in all categories at the Oscars, so it was no surprise that I would watch this documentary film nominated, and the subject of it was going to be interesting as well. Nina Simone, real name Eunice Kathleen Waymon, was born 21 February 1933, this film depicts the life of the American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist, charting her rise to fame, and her hardships during her stardom. During her childhood Nina became a classically trained pianist, and eventually got her break, using a new name, to disguise her identity from her family. Nina made an early appearance alongside Hugh Hefner for a Playboy television show, and rose to fame with her various stage and television appearances, with a broad range of music styles, including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop. During the 1960s however, black people faced prejudice, Nina was a great supporter of the work of activist Martin Luther King, until he was murdered. Nina incorporated her own messages for civil rights into the lyrics of her songs, but this meant many were not played on radio, but she picked herself back up. Nina was known for her temper and frequent outbursts, sometimes occurring during her performances, and she had to struggle not just with racism, but domestic abuse and political turmoil. Eventually, at the height of her fame, Nina decided to walk away from her family, country, career and fans, to move to Liberia and give up performing, she did however return for one last performance many years later. Nina Simone published her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, in 1992, recorded her last album the same year, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the late 1980s, but died in her sleep on 21 April 2003, after suffering from breast cancer. With contributions by Lisa Simone Kelly, Nina's daughter; civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory, Stanley Crouch, Al Schackman, Ambassador Attallah Shabazz and Ilyasah Shabazz. Featuring her most famous songs, including "I Loves You, Porgy", "I Put a Spell on You", "Ain't Got No, I Got Life" (from the Muller advert) and "My Baby Just Cares for Me". Made up of autobiographical tapes, archive footage of news with Walter Cronkite, references to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and interviews by those who knew her best, this is a fascinating (in both good and bad ways) story of one of the most famous African-American singers, it makes you realise she was not just a great artist but a troubled soul, a most watchable biographical music documentary. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Documentary. Very good!
Review of What Happened, Miss Simone?
