SEINFELD BLOG

The Josephine Baker Story

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780783118543
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783118546
Label: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 05, 2001
Running Time: 130 minutes
Sales Rank: 17330
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 1991

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Editorial Review:

Description:
Before Madonna, before Marilyn, there was Josephine. Outrageous, shocking, sensational, she travelled the world to become one of the most loved, truly international stars. ' 'Sizzling hot.' ' (USA Today) ' 'A knockout!' ' (Washington Post)

Amazon.com:
You know how it goes. You hear about what a sensation someone like Josephine Baker was in her prime (in her case, the 1920s and '30s), how she pushed boundaries in such delicate areas as race and sex, how she both thrilled and scandalized Paris with her exotic dancing and personal behavior. You have all these loose strands of legend and random fact, your curiosity is running high, and then you hear that a feature film is being made about the very subject. You watch, and then wonder: what was the big deal about Josephine Baker? The problem with this 1991 TV movie is the same as with a number of HBO films from the 1980s and early '90s: it isn't particularly well written, the production looks rushed, and the entire point is obscured in a whirl of biographical material that doesn't sufficiently develop into insightful, organic unity. What The Josephine Baker Story does do, however, is provide a reference point from which to begin an appreciation of Baker's life. A poor, African American girl from St. Louis, Baker found fame and wealth in Europe as a dancer whose partially nude, unbridled performances invoked wit, sexual liberation, and passion--without, somehow, seeming vulgar or obscene. As Baker, Lynn Whitfield gets into the uninhibited spirit of things, free with her body and enthusiastic about re-creating many of her character's performances (yes, the famed Banana Dance is a highlight). The film superficially suggests that Baker was celebrated as an expressive artist, a healthy force of nature rather than a lewd exhibitionist, but it doesn't go far enough down that road to tell us why she matters. Somewhat better is the script's contrasting emphasis on Baker's celebrity overseas and her second-class status as a black woman in America. In the end, the film's real accomplishment is underscoring how racism truly determines the course of an individual's life, and the way Baker understood that both from the vantage point of a refugee and a victim. --Tom Keogh




Rating: - EXCELLENT!!
I was very pleased with the feedback I received. I knew when it was going to be shipped and what day ... Read More

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Rating: - Goin' Bananas!!
Lynn Whitfield does an incredible portrayal of Josephine Baker. She carries the movie and truely becomes ... Read More

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Rating: - Great story
An awesome movie even for younger people who didn't know Josefine Baker. I shows very well how she had to ... Read More

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Rating: - Beautifully acted piece of fiction
Any time a movie is made about a real person, there will be complaints that certain things are not correct. ... Read More

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Rating: - Viva La Baker!!! Felicidades Ms. Whitfield!!
After waiting years for La Diva Ross to finally bring the Josephine Baker story to the big screen, HBO upended ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.