Ella Fitzgerald - Something to Live For
starring: Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown Jr., Norma Miller, Harry Edison, Tony Bennett
directed by: Charlotte Zwerin
directed by: Charlotte Zwerin
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9781572527669
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 1572527668
Label: Winstar
Manufacturer: Winstar
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Winstar
Release Date: January 25, 2000
Running Time: 86 minutes
Sales Rank: 51933
Studio: Winstar
Theatrical Release Date: 1999
Related Items:
- Jazz Icons: Ella Fitzgerald Live in '57 and '63
- Ella Fitzgerald - Live at Montreux 1969
- ELLA FITZGERALD: THE LEGENDARY FIRST LADY OF SONG
- Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography Of The First Lady Of Jazz
- The Frank Sinatra Show with Ella Fitzgerald
- see more
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
The neo-pop divas of the late 20th century may have turned up the glamour, and a few even introduced formidable technical prowess, epitomized by Mariah Carey's seemingly helium-induced falsetto (the bane of canine fans everywhere) or Celine Dion's breast-beating, stentorian climaxes. Yet only a few verses from an earlier, charter member of the first-name-only club provides instant perspective: when Ella opened her mouth, that perfectly pitched, luminous voice could leap octaves without breaking a sweat, its tonal purity and immaculate phrasing creating that illusion of 'effortlessness' achieved only through true artistry.
Writer-director Charlotte Zwerin performs similar sleight of hand with this beautifully composed documentary, originally produced for public television's American Masters series. Created nearly four years after Ella Fitzgerald's death, Zwerin's film uses the lush voice and superb repertoire of 'the First Lady of Song' to provide continuity while assembling convincing, if composite, narrative quotes gleaned from various interviews. The latter are noteworthy given the singer's lifelong modesty and insistence on privacy. Archival footage of early performances, as well as later television appearances, capture Ella's pilgrimage from Depression-era New York, through her discovery at the Apollo Theater and subsequent emergence as a swing vocalist and on to her long career as a matchless pop and jazz stylist.
Tony Bennett is a sympathetic narrator, while added affection and insight are provided through interviews with some of the myriad jazz titans that accompanied her. Yet, ultimately, it's Ella's music, generously featured throughout, that proves most eloquent. As one of her definitive Gershwin favorites put it, ''Swonderful.' --Sam Sutherland
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- simply the best - The Queen of Swing"She could swing. She was a natural" She was the queen of swing. She liked lyrics because they ... Read More
Rating:
- No productAfter several months the DVD still didn't arrive and therefore I will be extremely hesitant to by ... Read More
Rating:
- Wonderful glimpse of "the First Lady of Song" This DVD is a magnificent review of the life and career of the incomparable jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald! ... Read More
Rating:
- The First Lady of Song, from teenager to legend.This exciting, 86-minute video of Ella Fitzgerald's life and career, directed by Charlotte Zwerin, highlights ... Read More
Rating:
- "SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR" IS ELLA'S VOICE!!!!!Luckily I was able to see Ella In Concert numerous times throughout the 70's and 80's and was honored to have ... Read More
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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.