Why Is It So Hard to Show Black Womenâs Musical Genius Onscreen?
Oscar-nominated performances this season put the emphasis on the trauma, not the artistry, of Billie Holiday and Ma Rainey. The most insightful movie might just be âSoul.â
Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. The Oscar-nominated movie focuses on her anxieties rather than her artistic contributions.Credit.David Lee/Netflix, via Associated Press
April 20, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
Oscar history has been made, again. For just the second time, two Black women â Viola Davis (âMa Raineyâs Black Bottomâ) and Andra Day (âThe United States vs. Billie Holidayâ) â are nominated for best actress in the same year. This last happened in 1973 when Cicely Tyson (âSounderâ) and Diana Ross (âLady Sings the Bluesâ) were up for the Academy Award, only to lose out to Liza Minnelli for her starring role in âCabaret.â While we do not know who will take home the gold statue on S