to explore the racism and other tensions of the 1920s over the course of just one
afternoon is no small feat but marines black bottom does just that and it does it oh so well
what you want to step on my shoe man said he was sorry how the hell he gonna be sorry we need to
ruin my shoe the story focuses on marina the very formidable and unrelenting mother of the
blues who shows up late for a recording session her band however has arrived on time as they wait
in the rehearsal room playful banter makes way for hard-hitting truths and a poignant climax
we ascertain the veracity of the plot so that you don't have to and here's what we found
try talking to a folk some man's got it worse than others something's excited to be a fool
is marines black bottom based on a true story no marine's black bottom is not based on a true story
while the protagonist is based on the very real african-american blues singer gertrude marina
the script itself was not inspired by actual events in fact the movie is an adaptation of the
eponymous play by august wilson it is one of the 10 plays he wrote as part of the century cycle and
is the only one that is set outside of pittsburgh in chicago with each of these productions wilson
aimed to highlight the experiences of the black community over the century
viola davis who stars as the blues singer said this about the legendary
playwright and the story i think that he captures our humor as black people
he captures our humor our vulnerability our tragedies our trauma and he humanizes us and
he allows us to talk the story unfolds over one fateful afternoon in chicago
the very fictional band has arrived on the scene and discusses everything from the price
of shoes to moz fame i don't criticize other people's music i ain't like you i got talent
but soon the conversation takes a darker turn and we learn more about the many
challenges and indignations that african americans had to face then one character
reveals that his mother was raped by a group of white men when he was just eight whereas another
man talks about how a black reverend was assaulted by members of the white community i just need me
some new shoes these hurt my feet oh don't you be messing around with no shoes to pinch your feet
but what really ties the entire discussion together is moz couldn't care less attitude
especially when it comes to white folks each of these narratives showcases the ongoing plight
of the african-american people but from a supremely different lens the real ma was
an astounding figure influenced by vaudeville minstrel and cabaret she had been performing on
the stage since her teenage years you're gonna fix yourself that bad luck ain't nothing gonna work
out for you bad luck what i care about bad luck however ma was then introduced to the blues and
she went on to become one of the earliest and most prominent singers of the genre after touring with
rabbit foot minstrels she formed her own group with her husband william parini now i'm ready
i can play some good music now it was called rainy and rainy assassinators of the blues in 1923
ma signed a contract with paramount records and recorded 100 songs over the next five years
her moaning style of singing and charismatic stage presence were well known to all she toured with
the likes of thomas dorsey and louis armstrong and even recorded numbers with the georgia jazz band
some of her more prominent work includes bad luck blues jelly bean blues prove that on me and
moonshine blues oh i don't believe we've met hi my nephew sylvester that dead doesn't mean oh hello
in 1924 she began performing with thomas dorsey and his band the wildcats jazz band until 1928
in the film ma is seen as this shrewd and empowered woman
she doesn't care about the opinions of others and is in fact rather unaccommodating in her
own behavior as the story progresses ma is at odds with her manager irvin and the producer sturdivant
she understands that she is just a cash cow for the white men and that they only see their next
paychecks in her however it is pertinent to note that these observations help her stay afloat in
the music industry as well she understands her success and leverages it to do as she pleases
she is not a diva simply because she wants to throw tantrums best thing that ever happened to me
i don't need this [ __ ] ma is actively trying to avoid her career's downfall
after all it comes as no surprise that black artists at the time were thoroughly exploited
despite being famous and successful talking about her character davis said in mahraini
everybody's fighting for their value and the thing that holds us back is being black
you tell sturdivant any more mistakes and i could make my record someplace else
i wanted to show that no show that is not a good term for an actor i wanted that to be a part of
ma rainey i wanted people to see what lay in the heart of her being about them songs i'll give you
oh yeah oh levy uh i thought about it i just don't think the people will buy them
which is i know my worth after all ma was always unapologetically herself
even when it came to her personal life ma was quite vocal about her bisexuality although she was
married for some time many of her songs include lyrics about her fluid sexual orientation reports
also suggest that she was involved in a romantic relationship with a fellow artist bessie smith
so to call ma pioneer would not be wrong she definitely was ahead of her time although her
career fizzled out when her style of music became less popular her contributions to the genre have
not been forgotten talk about mr irvin said we're using maybe i'm studying you mr irvin get him
straightened out and how to do his part i ain't thinking about levy these folks don't mess with
the wrong person this day sylvester cutler going to teach you how to do your part you go ahead and
get it straight these strong and compelling traits are also seen in davis's character on screen
however juxtaposed with her is equally stubborn but mostly naive levy who is the trumpeter
he wants to become a prominent musician in his own right and even panders to the white music producer
in an era rife with racial oppression his failure is almost imminent the various challenges that
levies faces are also explored in the movie but we don't want to spoil it for you entirely
all we can say is that the film is courageous ambitious and riveting just like its protagonists
send them to my address i'll get around to them come on ma
i took care of everything didn't i the cherry on top of the cake is that this
fictional story efficiently makes use of facts to relay the realities of the time
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