Billie

Name: Billie
Genre: Music, Documentary
Released: December 4, 2020
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, Tony Bennett

2020

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Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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Billie

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Movie Details & Credits

Greenwich Entertainment | Release Date: December 4, 2020 | NR

Starring: Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, Tony Bennett

Summary: Billie Holiday had one of the greatest voices of all time and changed the face of American music. She was a woman of breath-taking talent and global popularity while also stirring controversy. She started a notable rebellion singing “Strange Fruit” which exposed the realities of Black life in America and earned her powerful enemies. Raw,Billie Holiday had one of the greatest voices of all time and changed the face of American music. She was a woman of breath-taking talent and global popularity while also stirring controversy. She started a notable rebellion singing “Strange Fruit” which exposed the realities of Black life in America and earned her powerful enemies. Raw, emotional and brutally honest, Billie is filled with never-before-heard interviews from musical greats like Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms and Count Basie.… Expand

Director: James Erskine

Genre(s): Music, Documentary

Rating: NR

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Kim Hughes

Dec 3, 2020

The new documentary Billie is for music nerds what hieroglyphics on a cave wall are for anthropologists: not so much a revelation as clear confirmation of a more nuanced life than previously known. It also has one heck of a back story. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Dec 4, 2020

Billie is the far and away the most definitive Billie Holiday biography ever put on screen, a film that celebrates her magic and examines the demons that haunted her, chemical and human. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Nov 12, 2020

James Erskine’s film showcases the unforgettable Holiday voice: her elegantly casual, almost negligent readings of melodies, with a sensual moan or purr that was on the verge of a sob. Read full review

The Film Stage Christian Gallichio

Dec 3, 2020

When the film is focused on showcasing Holiday, it’s a truly captivating documentary. Read full review

Noel Murray

Dec 7, 2020

Billie isn’t just about the stories we tell about great artists. It’s also about why we tell them — and whether we can ever really get them right. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Dec 3, 2020

If Billie gives short shrift to its subject’s artistry while underscoring her life’s squalor, it still offers pockets of valuable insight. Read full review

Phil de Semlyen

Jan 26, 2021

The two parallel stories never quite gel, more often pulling focus from each other just a major revelation seems to be in the offing. Read full review

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