“Now death. Death got some style. Death will kick your ass and make you wish you never been born. That’s how bad death is. But you can rule over life. Life ain’t nothing” -Levee (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from the August Wilson play, is a tribute to blues music and blues legend Ma Rainey. With raw and unapologetic performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, stories about the hardships of Black musicians are weaved in with Blues while Ma Rainey and her band record at a white-owned Chicago recording studio. Viola Davis brings real-life blues legend, Ma Rainey, to life with impeccable lip-sync performances that display the true emotion behind blues. As band member Levee, Chadwick Boseman shows frustration with not having the spotlight on his music and struggles with his ambition as a trumpet player. With Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts in supporting roles as the rest of Ma Rainey’s band, the ensemble of musicians throughout the film was strong and incredibly engaging to watch. Each actor playing Toledo, Cutler, and Slow Drag respectively had great depth and extreme patience with Ma’s antics. The overall recognition of the time period through design elements and the contained setting of this film makes this story simultaneously theatrical and raw.
Viola Davis has been praised for pretty much every performance she has ever done, but something about her portrayal of Ma Rainey is special. Davis undergoes a transformation to become this iconic musician with caked-on makeup, bejeweled floor-length gowns, and flashy accessories to fully embody Ma’s gaudy stage persona. When Ma Rainey first arrives at the recording studio and there is an issue in the street with her car and the police, the absolute force of Davis’ performance, as well as Ma Rainey’s unapologetic and unwavering nature, hit hard with references to today’s ongoing police brutality issues. Ma Rainey knows she is a star and doesn’t let anyone tell her otherwise. However, she recognizes how her voice and her “star-power” differ from others because of the color of her skin. In the film, Ma Rainey states “They don’t care nothing about me. All they want is my voice. Well, I done learned that. And they going to treat me the way I want to be treated no matter how much it hurt them.” Davis takes the “angry black woman” trope and turns it on its head by teaching the white people around her how she deserves to be treated. Viola Davis continues to impress us with her recalcitrant and sturdy portrayal of Ma Rainey throughout several captivating Blues performances.
