Angela Bassett in 'What's Love Got to Do With It'
April 12th 2008 05:51
Angela Bassett as Tina Turner
Before movies like Ray and Walk the Line, there was a Oscar-nominated musical biopic called What's Love Got to Do With It (1994). The film, based on Tina Turner's personal life and career, made a splash at the time, but it's relatively little-seen these days. The film was noted for its dramatic depiction of Tina's rise to stardom and her tempestuous--ultimately abusive--marriage with Ike Turner. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne give incendiary performances in their respective roles as Tina and Ike, and both were nominated for multiple awards, including Academy Awards.
What's Love Got to Do With It sounds like a typical showbiz tale: a small-town girl makes it big, deals with men and jealousy, and has the strength to carry on. But the movie is saved from being clichéd by the sheer force of its protagonists' passion (or perhaps what Ike and Tina called "rough", à la "Proud Mary"); it never descends to melodrama. I say "protagonists" because, although Tina is the main character, Ike 'discovers' Tina at a 1950s nightclub, starting her on a path to both success and heartbreak. Indeed, the movie is about his metamorphosis almost as much as it is about Tina's. His ego bruised by Tina's success, Ike's drug-fuelled rampages are brutal to watch; yet as strange as this sounds, Bassett and Fishburne's chemistry is so powerful that the scenes of verbal and physical abuse are as affecting--though unsettling--as their musical numbers. A good example of this is when Tina is forced to perform onstage, even though she had just had a baby:
In the 1970s, Tina finally leaves Ike following a beating, during which she fights back for the first time. The film doesn't show every punch or kick that Tina gives, because it's not about the physical fighting back; it's not that kind of movie. (I'll admit, though, that the first punch is pretty satisfying.) Wisely, more time is given to the epiphanic moment when Tina realises she must leave her abuser. Note that Bassett doesn't resemble Tina in any way, yet her performance is so nuanced, so complete, that you forget you're not watching Tina. From her high-energy dances to the scenes where Tina embarks on a new life and solo career, Bassett's performance is as dynamic as the legendary singer herself.
Fittingly, the film ends with a performance of "What's Love Got to Do With It", which marked Tina's 'comeback' to the popular music scene after her divorce from Ike. For me, the best thing about the ending is that when the movie transitions to footage of Tina in concert, it took me a second to realise it--both the first time I saw the movie, and just now, when I re-watched it:
After being lauded for her forceful performance in What's Love Got to Do With It, Bassett's career was supposed to have taken off. But aside from roles in Waiting to Exhale and the interesting but flawed Strange Days, Bassett's career hasn't entirely lived up to the initial promise. According to IMDb, her upcoming movies include parts in biographies on The Notorious B.I.G. and Toussaint L'Ouverture. These should be meaty roles. I hope that 2009 is the year we see Bassett return to the spotlight in a major film.
| 77 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Irene
Women In Cinema
Grammar Matters
I'm sure that Ike & Tina wrote most of their own music, whereas Tina relies on top 40 songwriters in her solo career (why?).
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
Comment by Irene
Women In Cinema
Grammar Matters
The scene in the hotel was funny, with Tina and Ike walking in bloodied like nothing was the matter.