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Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Port Moody Public Library.
Mar 22, 2021ba_library rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Good documentary on Billie Holiday. I believe it is a British production. It has a rather unusual set-up, combining two stories. A Billie Holiday story and the story of a journalist named Lisa Kuehl who was documenting and interviewing people familiar with Billie so she could write a book about the singer. The director and writer of this documentary obtained Ms. Kuehl’s audiotapes from her book research. Billie was a fantastic singer, and the DVD does a good job of including footage of singer. I found the DVD a bit choppy since I was often uncertain who was talking. Billie had a rather sordid life with many who wanted to use her for their own purposes. She was investigated and followed for her drug use and was eventually prosecuted and convicted on drug charges. But her singing was remarkable, and she had a unique voice in her time era. Her version of the song Strange Fruit was an outspoken statement on racism which she lived with for most of her life. Her singing, like herself, was beautiful and complex and ultimately rather timeless and eternal.