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Rating: 5 out of 5
Recently, I decided to watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I wanted to watch Chadwick Boseman’s last film and see why he didn’t win the Academy Award. After viewing the film, Boseman should’ve won the Academy Award, and Viola Davis should’ve received far more praise. The film revolves around the iconic Ma Rainey. Here is a quick history lesson: Rainey was an American blues singer and influential early blues recording artist. She was given the title “Mother of the Blues.” Rainey influences generations of blues singers with her powerful vocal abilities, energy, lyrics, and “moaning” singing style. This legendary singer started performing as a teenager and became known as “Ma” after her marriage. Her first recording was made in 1923, and five years after that, she made over 100 recordings, including “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” For her contributions, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and honored in 2023 with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, is based on August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same name. Ma Rainey (Davis) is a strong-willed queen of the blues who was recently contracted by a white producer to record an album on July 2, 1927. The story takes place on that date when Ma’s manager brings her to Chicago to record at Paramount’s Recording Studios. Tensions and the temperature are high throughout the long afternoon for the recording session. Ma is late to her session as she knows how to play the game with her white manager and producer, who wants control of her music. As the band waits for Ma in a tiny ass room, Levee (Boseman) starts to speak his mind as he is ambitious and has an eye on things he shouldn’t be looking at, along with replacing Ma in the music game. During the course of waiting, the members tell stories of their past that will change most of them forever. When Ma finally makes her way to the studio, things come ahead for all members.
This film is PHENOMENAL!! I put off watching this film because it was the last film Boseman was in. I’m glad I waited until now to watch it because it gave me an appreciation for the film. This film is fantastic because of how the story is told. Since this is after a play, it’s told and acted in a play form. The beauty of this film is the story and the tension the characters have towards each other or, mostly, Levee. Ma’s band knows their place as they want to get paid.
The first act is mainly between Levee and the other bandmates. Levee is strong-willed and is overconfident. Homeboy thinks he can do everything better than Ma. Levee wants to break away and do the whole solo act. He is teased by the rest of the band about his ability to deal with white men. This is where the tension hits a high point in the act. Levee tells a powerful story about how his mother was gang-raped by white men and how his father decided to take justice into his own hands by killing the men before being lynched and burned. This is a powerful scene as we see Levee’s pride emerge. We see his ambitions and why he tries hard to get what he wants and believes in. The other bandmates stop dead in their thoughts because it’s something that no one wants to hear or even think of.
The film’s second act is when Ma rolls up in the studio. Let me tell you, Ma is a freakin badass. She struts through the hotel as if she owns the place, and like her, shit doesn’t stink. She even has car trouble as she gets in an accident and is ready to whip everyone’s ass. She is such a queen that she rolled in an hour late to her band’s and producer’s annoyance. She immediately clashes with Sturdyvant and her manager, Irvin, by making demand after demand. She wants her stuttering nephew to speak on the track. She is also pissed because there is no Coca-Cola for her. These demands must be met before she performs.
I can’t hate Ma because she knows how to play the game and what is at stake. While speaking with Cutler, she states that her white bosses are only interested in her voice and, besides that, think she is another low-down, pathetic person. You see that Ma is correct and might as well fight for everything she has and be difficult because, in the end, she is nothing but a dollar bill to the white man.
The film hits another turn when Ma is finally ready to sing. Ma sings a fantastic version of her song, but the mood quickly becomes sad as the equipment causes the record not to record. The tension becomes high as the band turns on Levee, thinking he tripped over the wire, but they find out that it was faulty equipment. You can see in this scene that the band is splintered. Cutler tells a religious story, but Levee puts it down as he does the Kanya West and says God doesn’t care about black people. The film’s climax is sad and tense as things come to a head. Ultimately, you are left speechless and will shake your head in sadness.
The two people I want to give significant praise to are Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Both were nominated for an Academy Award, while one was robbed. First, Viola Davis was AMAZING in this role, and her performance was extraordinary. She straight up rolled up and around as a queen. She commanded the screen every time she was on. You felt her presence as Ma and knew that she meant business. She did not mess around, nor was she anyone I would want to piss off.
Finally, Chadwick Boseman was SPECIAL, AMAZING, and TRULY a joy to watch in his final film. He laid it all out on the screen. He gave an outstanding and beautiful performance as the overconfident and ambitious Levee Green. Boseman was robbed and should’ve won the Academy Award, but his performance should be appreciated and watched. The way he showed Levee’s charming, angry, and depressed sides in one film takes mastery, and he did it to perfection and was an equal force to Davis’s character. It was an honor to watch you perform.
No matter what, everyone should sit down and watch this film. I didn’t know about the famous singer, but she should be researched and discussed. She was a queen in her era. The acting in this film carries the film to incredible and high-quality heights. Watching Davis and Boseman perform and grace the screen as their characters were memorable and unforgettable. Spend time watching this film and enjoying the last outstanding performance of Chadwick Boseman.
