MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

US, 2020, 94 minutes, Colour.
Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown.
Directed by George C Wolfe.

Before his death in 2005, African-American? playwright, August Wilson, had written 10 plays covering the history and drama of African-Americans? in American society. His drama, Fences, was filmed in 2016, featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Viola Davis, who is the star of this film, acting with Denzel Washington who is the producer of Ma Rainey and has ambitions to film all of August Wilson’s plays.

The setting is 1927. The central character is Ma Rainey, singer of the blues in the South for 30 years, touring the clubs, popular amongst her peers, singing with her band. The opening sequences create this atmosphere, Ma Rainey, heavily made up, perspiration, bulky, but singing her heart out and responding to the appreciative crowds. She is accompanied by her band – although one of them, a young man, Levee, does his own riffs, spotlight on him, which Ma commands immediately off him. He is played by Chadwick Boseman in his last film before his untimely death, age 43, of cancer.

(Boseman made an impression in many films but portrayed three significant Americans, lawyer Marshall Thurgood in Marshall, baseball Jackie Robinson in 42, singer James Brown in Get On Up. And, of course, he is best known as Black Panther.)

The screenplay keeps the structure of the play after these club openings, confining the action to a day in Chicago, the band arriving at The Rhythm record Studio, settling in, waiting for Ma who eventually turns up, imperious and demanding, especially after a small car accident in the street which her producer solves by paying off the police.

The screenplay relies heavily on the dialogue – while the subject is music, the treatment is very much in words.

If one were to speculate on the meaning of the phrase “brooking no opposition�, Ma Rainey exemplifies it par excellence. Her wish, her whim, her command, and that is definitely that. She does some recordings, eventually, making considerable fuss about her nephew introducing one of the songs despite his stammer and repeated attempts. A young girl, her friend, pretty but vapid, accompanies her.

However, the film is also about the members of the band, especially Levee, a young man with a horn, ambitious, writing songs, trying to do deals with the white agents, vain with buying his yellow shoes, an eye for the girls, especially Ma’s young friend. The other members of the band have been around for some time, Cutler (Colman Domingo) is the genial leader, wise with his dealings with the men and with Ma. Then there is Toledo (Glynn Turman) and old pianist who has experienced life but likes to read and ruminate about life’s meaning. There is also Slow Drag, who tends to keep in the background.

The owner of the record studio is a white man, exploiting the black singer and her band. Her manager is also white, six years successfully managing but living in the stress of obeying her every whim. But, the final drama concerns Levee who has been prominent, pushing himself forward, trying to do a deal with the manager about his songs, being paid off, tense, finally erupting violently.

The final sequence is highly ironic and needs to be seen – what happens to Levee’s songs and how the studio manager exploits him as well.

1. The title? The song? A portrait of Ma Rainey? Her band, Levee

2. Based on a play by August Wilson? His perspectives on African- American history? Struggles? An emphasis on music? The blues? The screenplay and its being stagebound, much dialogue, confined sets, interactions? Some opening out into the streets?

3. The musical score, the blues, the songs, Ma Rainey and performance, the backup singers?

4. The introduction to Ma Rainey, Viola Davis and her performance, make up, costumes, her physical appearance and size, performance, contact with the audiences? The range of audiences and their admiration, enjoying the beat of the music? The supporting dancers?

5. The day in the Rhythm Record Studio? The arrival of the band, Irving and his welcome, Sturdyvant and his management? Waiting for Ma? Going to the rehearsal room? The physical aspects of the room, bear, the piano? Irving providing the sandwiches?

6. The portrait of the band members? Cutler, his presence in personality, musical skills, leading the group all? Interactions with each? Toledo, his age, experience, his life story, reading and philosophy, his wife, music, her leaving him? Interactions with each? Slow Drag, his presence in the group, contribution?

7. The introduction to Levee, as a key character in the film? Coming to the front and playing his riffs during performance? Ma Rainey taking the spotlight from him? Antagonism? His age, experience, member of the group, writing songs, his skills, ambitions, to have his own band? Irving and the promise to record his songs? His wanting his own contributions to the songs, the reaction of the band, the reaction of Ma? His contribution to the playing?

8. Levee as a personality, eye for the women, Ma and his eye on Dussie Mae? Her flirting? The sexual interaction? Interrupted? His denials? The harsh interactions with Ma? Her ultimately firing him? His breaking through the locked door, symbolic of racial oppression, only to find walls and an opening to the sky?

9. Ma, arriving the car, Dussie Mae, her relationship with her? Promoting her nephew, Sylvester? Wanting him to introduce the song? Ma, conscious of her abilities, memories of her singing as a child, growing up with music, her moving speech about the importance of music and life? Dominant, decisive, brooking no opposition? Able to control the band, her strong words? Irving as her manager, doing whatever she asked, getting the Coca Cola, allowing Sylvester to record, re-record, the broken cord and time, allowing 15 minutes? Her performance? Her appreciation of the band, talking to Cutler? Strict on payment, knowing she was exploited, her tactics and defences? The success of the recording, payment, the incident with the car and her making demands, the police, Irving paying them off? A portrait, though partial portrait?

10. Dussie Mae, in Ma’s entourage, inexperience, standing at the microphone, ambitions, bored, attracted to Levee, the sexual encounter?

11. Sylvester, young, driver, his stuttering, the reaction of the band, the producer and the wasted time and money, the several takes, the breakdown of the recording, Sylvester’s ultimate success?

12. The grim ending, Levee and his reaction to the producer, giving him the money, the songs? His reaction, his pride, Toledo and his stepping on his shoes (and the importance of the early sequence of his buying the shoes, yellow shoes, pride? Toledo’s apology, Levee knifing him – repeating about the shoes, holding him, dead?

13. And the final irony of the white group singing the jellyroll song and the producer recording it?

14. August Wilson and his perspectives on the lives and struggles of African Americans?