Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (film)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
File:Ma Rainey's Black Bottom film poster.jpg
Official release poster
Directed by George C. Wolfe
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Based on Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
by August Wilson
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Branford Marsalis
Cinematography Tobias A. Schliessler
Edited by Andrew Mondshein
Production
company
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • November 25, 2020 (2020-11-25)
Running time
 94 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $20–22.5 million[2][3]

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the 1982 play of the same name by August Wilson. The film stars Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts. Inspired by the career of Ma Rainey, an influential blues singer and the title character, the film dramatizes a turbulent recording session in 1920s Chicago.

Produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf, the project was originally announced alongside Washington's Fences in 2013 as part of his ten-picture deal with HBO. The adaptation eventually moved to Netflix, and filming began in Pittsburgh in 2019. Boseman died during post-production in August 2020, making Black Bottom his final film appearance; the film is dedicated to his memory.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom began a limited theatrical release on November 25, 2020, before beginning to stream on Netflix on December 18. The film received universal acclaim. Critics lauded the performances of Davis, Boseman, and Turman as well as the costume design and production values. It was named as one of the ten best films of 2020 by the American Film Institute.[4] The film received five nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Actor (for Boseman), Best Actress (for Davis), and won two awards: Makeup and Hairstyling and Costume Design.[5] Additionally, the film received eight Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations and nine NAACP Image Award nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture,[6] with Davis and Boseman both winning lead acting awards. Davis and Boseman also won lead acting awards for their performances at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, making history as the first Black actors to win in leading categories in the same year;[7] both received nominations at the Golden Globes, with Boseman posthumously winning Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.

Plot

Ma Rainey is a highly regarded, strong-willed blues singer who has recently been contracted by white producers. The story takes place on July 2, 1927, when a recording session is scheduled for Ma by her manager Irvin to take place at Paramount's Recording Studios in Chicago. Seasoned Georgia Jazz Band members Toledo, Cutler, and Slow Drag arrive on time without Ma which frustrates her producer, Mel Sturdyvant. They are soon joined by Levee Green, the band's overconfident trumpeter, who has shown Sturdyvant his original compositions in the hopes of breaking away from Ma and getting his own record deal. The rest of the band disapproves of this.

Ma arrives an hour late with her lady friend, Dussie Mae, and her nephew, Sylvester. Immediately, she clashes with Sturdyvant and her manager Irvin, making numerous demands. Insulted that the Coca-Cola she requested has not been provided, Ma refuses to begin the recording session; assigning Slow Drag and Sylvester to get her one. Later, she insists to Sturdyvant that the opening words of the album be spoken by Sylvester, who has a pronounced stutter. As a result, the group has to do multiple takes of the song “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," much to everyone's frustration.

Ma confides to Cutler that her white bosses are only interested in her voice, and would otherwise regard her as "just a dog in the alley" which he understands and sympathizes with. Meanwhile, Levee and Dussie Mae have sex in the practice room before being interrupted by Slow Drag.

The group finally manages to get through the first track after multiple takes, but discovers an equipment failure has caused it not to be recorded. The band blames Levee, who they think tripped over a wire while eyeing Dussie Mae, though it is revealed to have been damaged already. Their argument leads the religious Cutler to tell a story about a preacher he once knew who got stranded in a small town and was humiliated by a group of white men who tore up his Bible and forced him to dance. Levee brushes off the story; saying that if there was a God, he would care for black people, which he never has. Cutler attacks Levee in anger, leading Levee to pull out a knife in retaliation while still mocking Cutler and his beliefs.

The group finally finishes recording, but Ma fires Levee soon afterward; believing his reckless ambition and uncompromising attitude to be detrimental to the band. Levee meets with Sturdyvant about his original songs, but discovers that he will only purchase the songs; insisting that there is no market for them. Levee suffers a mental breakdown and, after Toledo accidentally steps on his new shoes, Levee fatally stabs him in the back with the knife. Cutler and Slow Drag leave in horror as a regretful Levee cradles Toledo's corpse. Later, Sturdyvant records Levee's songs with a band consisting entirely of white musicians (supposedly Paul Whiteman's Orchestra).

Cast

Production

Denzel Washington initially had a deal with the television network HBO to produce nine of the playwright August Wilson's plays into films, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom among them.[8] By June 2019, the deal had been moved to Netflix. Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts had been cast in the film, with George C. Wolfe set to direct.[9] In July 2019, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Dusan Brown joined the cast of the film.[10] Maxayn Lewis did most of Rainey's singing for Davis.[11] Jeffrey Wright was originally expected to join the film.[12]

Filming commenced on July 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, with sets converted into 1927 Chicago, and wrapped on August 16, 2019.[13]

On August 28, 2020, Boseman died of colon cancer during post-production, making Ma Rainey's Black Bottom his final film appearance. The film is dedicated to him.[14][15][16]

Release

The film was theatrically released in select theaters on November 25, 2020,[14] before beginning to stream on December 18, on Netflix.[17] Netflix also released a 31-minute making-of documentary Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A Legacy Brought to Screen alongside the film.[18] Upon its digital release to Netflix, the film was the most-watched item over its opening weekend.[19]

Reception

Critical response

142px
Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis garnered widespread critical acclaim, with many critics describing Boseman's final performance as the best of his career. Both received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 301 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Framed by a pair of powerhouse performances, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom pays affectionate tribute to a blues legend — and Black culture at large."[20] According to Metacritic, which compiled 46 reviews and calculated a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, the film received "universal acclaim".[21]

For the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang wrote "Boseman, evincing the same integrity he clung to his entire career, refuses to soft-pedal the destination. He imparts to this seething, shattered man the gift of a broken soul, driven by anger and trauma, and makes him all the more human for it. His final moments of screen time are among his darkest, and also his finest."[22] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a "B" grade and praised Boseman and Davis's performances, saying: "All of this would be more concerning if Ma Rainey's Black Bottom didn't turn on Wilson's crackling dialogue and a jazzy pace on par with the music. Above all, the movie amounts to a solid resurrection that doesn't muck up the bulk of what made the play click in the first place."[23]

Peter Travers, reviewing the film for ABC News, said: "Davis plays the real-life Ma Rainey, the Georgia singer dubbed the Mother of the Blues. Boseman invests body and soul into Levee, the hot-headed trumpeter who dares to lock horns with Ma in a shabby Chicago recording studio where they're paid to make music the way the white bosses want it. The time is 1927, but the bristling racial tensions feel as timely as ever."[24]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
AACTA Awards March 7, 2021 Best Actor – International Chadwick Boseman Won [25]
Best Actress – International Viola Davis Nominated
AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards March 28, 2021 Best Actress Nominated [26]
Best Director George C. Wolfe Nominated
Best Screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Time Capsule Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nominated
Best Ensemble The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nominated
Academy Awards April 25, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [27]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Won
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Sergio López-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson[lower-alpha 1] Won
Best Production Design Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 4, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [28]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
American Film Institute Awards February 26, 2021 Top 10 Movies of the Year Won [29]
Art Directors Guild Awards April 10, 2021 Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film Mark Ricker Nominated [30]
BET Awards June 27, 2021 Best Movie Nominated [31]
Best Actor Chadwick Boseman (also for Da 5 Bloods) Won
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Black Reel Awards April 11, 2021 Outstanding Motion Picture Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Dany Wolf Nominated [32]
Outstanding Actor Chadwick Boseman Won
Outstanding Actress Viola Davis Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor Colman Domingo Nominated
Outstanding Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Outstanding Ensemble Avy Kaufman Nominated
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Dusan Brown Nominated
Outstanding First Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design Ann Roth Nominated
Outstanding Production Design Mark Ricker Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics December 13, 2020 Best Ensemble Cast The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Won [33]
British Academy Film Awards April 11, 2021 Best Actor in a Leading Role Chadwick Boseman Nominated [34]
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Won
Best Makeup and Hair Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Mia Neal Won
Casting Society of America April 15, 2021 Feature Studio or Independent – Drama Avy Kaufman, Nancy Mosser and Scotty Anderson Nominated [35]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 21, 2020 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [36]
[37]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Original Score Branford Marsalis Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Awards April 13, 2021 Excellence in Period Film Won [38]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards March 7, 2021 Best Picture Nominated [39]
Best Acting Ensemble The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nominated
Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Production Design Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton Nominated
Best Hair & Makeup Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry, Sian Richards, Deidra Dixon and Jamika Wilson Won
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Won
Dorian Awards April 18, 2021 LGBTQ Film of the Year Won [40]
Best Film Performance – Actor Chadwick Boseman Won
Best Film Performance – Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle December 21, 2020 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [41]
Best Actress Viola Davis Runner-up
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Runner-up
Best Ensemble The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards April 2021 Outstanding Film – Wide Release Nominated [42][43]
Gold Derby Awards April 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [44][45]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Ensemble The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nominated
Best Production Design Mark Ricker Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Won
Best Hair & Makeup Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Mia Neal Won
Best Sound Skip Lievsay, Paul Urmson and Dane Lonsdale Nominated
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Chadwick Boseman Won [46]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Viola Davis Nominated
Gotham Awards January 11, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [47]
Hollywood Critics Association March 5, 2021 Best Actor Nominated [48]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Production Design Mark Ricker Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Nominated
Best Ensemble Cast The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Nominated
Best Hair & Makeup Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry, Sian Richards, Deidra Dixon and Jamika Wilson Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards January 27, 2021 Best Original Score in a Feature Film Branford Marsalis Nominated [49]
Independent Spirit Awards April 22, 2021 Best Feature Nominated [3]
Best Male Lead Chadwick Boseman Nominated
Best Female Lead Viola Davis Nominated
Best Supporting Male Colman Domingo Nominated
Glynn Turman Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle February 7, 2021 Actor of the Year Chadwick Boseman Won [50][51]
Actress of the Year Viola Davis Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 20, 2020 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [52]
Best Actress Viola Davis Runner-up
Best Supporting Actor Glynn Turman Won
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards April 3, 2021 Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Carl Fullerton and Debi Young Won [53]
Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Mia Neal, Larry Cherry, Leah Loukas and Tywan Williams Won
Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards April 16, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film Skip Lievsay, Paul Urmson, Lidia Tamplenizza and Michael Feuser Nominated [54]
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Musical for Feature Film Todd Kasow and Tim Marchiafava Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards May 16, 2021 Best Performance in a Movie Chadwick Boseman Won [55]
NAACP Image Awards March 21, 2021 Outstanding Motion Picture Nominated [56][57]
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Chadwick Boseman Won
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Viola Davis Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Glynn Turman Nominated
Colman Domingo Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Taylour Paige Nominated
Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture George C. Wolfe Nominated
Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album Branford Marsalis Nominated
Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Won
National Society of Film Critics January 9, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman 2nd Place [58]
Best Actress Viola Davis 2nd Place
Best Supporting Actor Glynn Turman 2nd Place
Online Film Critics Society January 25, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [59]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival February 11, 2021 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress Viola Davis Won [60]
Producers Guild of America Awards March 24, 2021 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Denzel Washington and Todd Black Nominated [61]
San Diego Film Critics Society January 11, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [62]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Nominated
Satellite Awards February 15, 2021 Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [63]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Chadwick Boseman Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards April 4, 2021 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Chadwick Boseman, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts and Glynn Turman Nominated [64]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Chadwick Boseman Won
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Viola Davis Won
Seattle Film Critics Society February 15, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Nominated [65]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Ensemble Cast Avy Kaufman Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Roth Won
Set Decorators Society of America Awards March 31, 2021 Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film Karen O'Hara, Diana Stoughton, and Mark Ricker Nominated [66]
St. Louis Film Critics Association January 17, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [67]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated
Best Production Design Mark Ricker Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association February 7, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Runner-up [68]
Best Actress Viola Davis Runner-up
Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 22, 2021 Best Actor Chadwick Boseman Won [69][70]
Best Actress Viola Davis Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards March 21, 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Ruben Santiago-Hudson Nominated [71]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  64. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  68. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  70. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  71. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  1. ↑ First African-American women to ever win the award.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Ma_Rainey%27s_Black_Bottom_(film)&oldid=726469427"