The Josephine Baker Story

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Actor(s):

Lynn Whitfield, Rubén Blades, David Dukes, Louis Gossett Jr., Craig T. Nelson

Director(s):

Brian Gibson

Label: Hbo Home Video
Publisher(s):

Hbo Home Video

Studio: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Binding: DVD
MPN: D90571D
Format(s): Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Rating: R (Restricted)
List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $5.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Description

Before Madonna, before Marilyn, there was Josephine. Outrageous, shocking, sensational, she travelled the world to become one of the most loved, truly international stars. ' 'Sizzling hot.' ' (USA Today) ' 'A knockout!' ' (Washington Post)

Amazon.com

You know how it goes. You hear about what a sensation someone like Josephine Baker was in her prime (in her case, the 1920s and '30s), how she pushed boundaries in such delicate areas as race and sex, how she both thrilled and scandalized Paris with her exotic dancing and personal behavior. You have all these loose strands of legend and random fact, your curiosity is running high, and then you hear that a feature film is being made about the very subject. You watch, and then wonder: what was the big deal about Josephine Baker? The problem with this 1991 TV movie is the same as with a number of HBO films from the 1980s and early '90s: it isn't particularly well written, the production looks rushed, and the entire point is obscured in a whirl of biographical material that doesn't sufficiently develop into insightful, organic unity. What The Josephine Baker Story does do, however, is provide a reference point from which to begin an appreciation of Baker's life. A poor, African American girl from St. Louis, Baker found fame and wealth in Europe as a dancer whose partially nude, unbridled performances invoked wit, sexual liberation, and passion--without, somehow, seeming vulgar or obscene. As Baker, Lynn Whitfield gets into the uninhibited spirit of things, free with her body and enthusiastic about re-creating many of her character's performances (yes, the famed Banana Dance is a highlight). The film superficially suggests that Baker was celebrated as an expressive artist, a healthy force of nature rather than a lewd exhibitionist, but it doesn't go far enough down that road to tell us why she matters. Somewhat better is the script's contrasting emphasis on Baker's celebrity overseas and her second-class status as a black woman in America. In the end, the film's real accomplishment is underscoring how racism truly determines the course of an individual's life, and the way Baker understood that both from the vantage point of a refugee and a victim. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Goin' Bananas!!

Lynn Whitfield does an incredible portrayal of Josephine Baker. She carries the movie and truely becomes the character. I didn't even know who Josephine Baker was until seeing this, nor did I really care. I like films about interesting characters that face adversity, and a tragic ending, as sad as it is, makes for a good story. This film takes you on a journey through Josephine's life, and what makes it so special is the fantastic acting by Lynn Whitfield, and the singing and dancing numbers are incredible. I think she won an award for this movie if I'm not mistaken. What this world needs now is more Lynn Whitfield, where is she?

Great story

An awesome movie even for younger people who didn't know Josefine Baker. I shows very well how she had to deal with the culture clash between Europe and the United States (some of which is still in place today).

Beautifully acted piece of fiction

Any time a movie is made about a real person, there will be complaints that certain things are not correct. We all know that events get changed, rearranged or omitted for the sake of moving a story along. But this isn't a complaint about small details being omitted or changed. This is a complaint about a story that is barely true.

I assume that Josephine's story was rewritten to make her a more likable person. By many accounts, she was both barely tolerable and extremely lovable, both brilliant and self-destructive, loving to a point of fault and downright disloyal, extremely insightful and downright delusional. Baker showed strong signs of what we now know is bipolar disorder. But rather than showing us the story of a woman whose inner demons and manic depression nearly swallowed her whole, we get poor, poor Josephine constantly falling victim to a series of unfortunate events and being blacklisted because of her participation in the civil rights movement. Nothing is ever Josephine's fault - not her exile from the United States (thanks to her pro-communist comments), nor her failed marriages (to men whom she abused and were abusive in return), nor her eventually losing Les Milandes (which was saved on four separate occasions before finally being sold).

Additionally, this film suggests that Baker was driven by racism and the desire to prove to a Jim Crow America that a black woman could be as successful and beloved as a white woman. I'm sure this was partially true. However, Baker had an streak of self-hatred in her, best evidenced by the constant changing of her father's race to depict herself as being biracial. (At one point, she went on record as saying he was a Spanish Jew.) Josephine despised light skinned blacks (possibly out of jealousy), shunned dating men of color (except for her first two husbands, whom she left and later denied existed), and rarely patronized African-American businesses until the U.S. government had all but deported her due to her fierce anti-American statements. One has to wonder if her sudden leap into the civil rights movement was spurned by her suddenly becoming persona non grata in the United States. Ironically, Baker had virtually nothing to say about the poor treatment of French Africans in her own country, possibly because there was no publicity in it.

Baker's relationships with husbands Abatino and Boulliard, husbands three and five, are misrepresented to the point of parody. Her film career, along with her pre-Paris career, is completely ignored. Her role in the civil rights movement, along with the Resistance, is so understated that it's offensive. Additionally - and this is why this film is a beautiful failure - there is little depiction of Josephine's hard work, insight, intelligence and drive. This film shows us an interracial version of "My Fair Lady," with Pepito more or less shaping the performer that Baker became. In fact, nearly all of Baker's success is due to whites in this movie, completely omitting the numerous African-Americans who worked so hard with and for Baker. Even Baker's family, who lived with Baker in France (brother Richard and his children, along with sister Margaret), are conspicuously absent from this film.

This isn't to say that the film should have trashed Baker, or portrayed her as a self-loathing loony bird who just so happened to sing and dance. Rather, I wish it had shown us a more multifacted character, a perpetual phoenix who spent her entire career destroying herself just to rise again, stronger and hotter than ever. There is no question that Whitfield deserved her Emmy award, but Josephine deserved more than what this movie gave her. TJBS is largely panned among Josephine Baker fans, with good reason. If you want to watch a wonderfully acted movie about a half naked, booty-shaking singer, this movie is fine. If you want to know about a legend whose work still impacts the entertainment industry over 30 years after her death, look elsewhere.

Viva La Baker!!! Felicidades Ms. Whitfield!!

After waiting years for La Diva Ross to finally bring the Josephine Baker story to the big screen, HBO upended her with this truly moving portrayal of a true American legend's story. In many ways, the screenplay pays homage to Ross' "Lady Sings the Blues" (Billie Holiday-Biopic). However, it is the stunning performance by Lynn Whitfield that ultimately satisfies. The art direction is on point, the costumes are fabulous and the music is addictive (I have searched for a soundtrack to this movie for years...to no avail). Ms. Whitfield won a well deserved Best Actress Emmy (making me still wince for Diana's efforts).Don't miss great supporting roles from Ruben Blades and the late David Dukes). It would be difficult to fully tell the story of La Baker.....but this one comes close.

'The Josephine Baker Story' Is A Treasure In My Movie Collection

Ever since I was 9 years old and watched the French documentary 'Chasing A Rainbow' I was emmediatly fascinated by Josephine Baker. It was like The Beatles in a way-she has one of the greatest celebrity stories in know history!And it wasn't until several years later did I realize that this movie had been made but it was an HBO exclusive and I didn't have cable.It came out on VHS and was hard to find for awhile but when it came out on DVD,I waited awhile and at the strong recommendation of a friend went for this.Considering how much I enjoyed Introducing Dorothy Dandridge I naturally assumed this would be at least just as good.Well 'The Josephine Baker Story' is BETTER then just as good.As noted in other reviews this film takes a look at Josephine Baker the women rather then the performer.That is covered too but Josephine (portrayed by the lovely and dynamic Lynn Whitfiend)is given a real humanity outside her larger then life persona.One thing I learned about Josephine from this was that I COULD SEE why she'd want to get out of her area of St.Louis.From the point of view of her it looked to be a terrible violent place that should've never been bestowed on anyone of any color. She dreamed of a fairy tale life and after playing the baffoon long enough in America she blissfully went to Paris along with her fellow artist and buddy Sidney Bechet.And so La Baker's assault on France begins-her and other members of Le Revue Negre' dancing in the streets of the city,her being painted and adored by many. But as her pseudo count "husband" Pepito pointed out,she needed to truly break out.So over the years,through returns to her own country she realized that the racism she'd once tried to escape needed to be dealt with and,in middle age (through her famous Rainbow Tribe and activism)she did conquer racism with a somewhat heavy handed,if well meaning fist-in her own words "If I see a roach I step on it".She did lose much perspective (and another husband in the kindly Joe Boullian) when she began to become obsessed with adopting every foundling child she heard about.As she had many times before she endured a beating to leave her chateau Les Milandes but made a triumphant comeback,slying admitting in a phone call at the premire of her final revue in 1975 that she was'nt "behind the times" as she cited Mick Jaggers presense at the revue and concluded with what sounded like a slightly altered "Josephine-ized" version of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are-A-Changin"-it was quite a road to that from "Je Deux Amour".There are many many highlites here to mention-one being the dramatic and exciting interpretation of Josephine's performance in the (allegedly) unfilmed Le Revue' Negre',her banana dance and (my favorite) the beautifully filmed scene where a glowing Pepito (Rueban Blades) watches as a wistful young Josephine records her theme song "Je Deux Amour" in the early 1930's.As stated some things are missing but there are some poignant moments,such as a distraught Josephine learning of her inability to bare children while in the hospital in North Africa.So even though it is not a biographically flawless movie (it would've taken a MINI SERIES to put all of Josephine's amazing story) this is a must see for any fan of Josephine Baker or even the curious.Because even if you know her story to heart as I do this superbly acted and beautifully photographed movie will show you who she was while she lived her own history.One reason why we have the art of film in the first place.

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