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The United States vs Billie Holiday Fails to Take Into Account the Life of the Woman We Still Love
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Review: Andra Day burns hot and cool as jazz great in The United States vs. Billie Holiday Kevin Crust © (Takashi Seida / Hulu) Andra Day in the movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday. (Takashi Seida / Hulu)
Starting with its title, there is no shortage of conflict in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” director Lee Daniels’ dispiriting portrayal of the federal government’s targeted pursuit of the great jazz singer from 1947 until her death in 1959 at the age of 44.
Referring to the notorious 1947 court case that landed her in prison for a year on a narcotics possession charge at the height of her career, Holiday reportedly said, It was called The United States of America versus Billie Holiday, and that s just the way it felt.
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Starting with its title, there is no shortage of conflict in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” director Lee Daniels’ dispiriting portrayal of the federal government’s targeted pursuit of the great jazz singer from 1947 until her death in 1959 at the age of 44.
Referring to the notorious 1947 court case that landed her in prison for a year on a narcotics possession charge at the height of her career, Holiday reportedly said, “It was called ‘The United States of America versus Billie Holiday,’ and that’s just the way it felt.”
Based on a chapter from British journalist Johann Hari’s 2015 book “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs” and written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”), the movie takes its cues from the actions of Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund). His obsession with Holiday as a threat to national security is near
Indie Focus: Andra Day shines in The United States vs Billie Holiday
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The United States Vs. Billie Holiday follows the jazz icon’s persecution by the U.S. government for speaking out against lynchings. The force behind civil rights’ anthem “Strange Fruit,” Holiday chose to sing the jarring song about their brutality despite being warned that doing so would place her career and freedom in jeopardy.
The Blues singer is portrayed in the Lee Daniels’ film by a dazzling Andra Day. The project takes the viewer through a number of Holiday’s traumatic experiences, her body tousled about throughout the two-hour picture. In one scene, she’s being pummeled by a deceitful and financially abusive lover. In another, she’s shivering in a communal prison shower after the criminalization of addiction is weaponized against her. But more than an uncovering of the mental and physical blows Holiday took during her lifetime, the film reminds us of the experiences she never got to have.
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