BBC Four
Not part of a collection.
The documentary tracks the diva's difficult progress as she emerges from the tough, testosterone-fuelled world of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, to fill nightclubs and saloons across the US in the 50s and early 60s as a force in her own right. Looking at the lives and careers of six individual singers (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Annie Ross), the film not only talks to those who knew and worked with these queens of jazz, but also to contemporary singers who sit on the shoulders of these trailblazing talents without having to endure the pain and hardship it took for them to make their highly individual voices heard above the prejudice of mid-century America.
Peggy Lee
Self (archive footage)
Sarah Vaughan
Self (archive footage)
Nina Simone
Self (archive footage)
Ella Fitzgerald
Self (archive footage)
Annie Ross
Self
Melody Gardot
Self
Billie Holiday
Self (archive footage)
Chris Rodley
Director
Mark Cooper
Executive Producer
Chris Rodley
Producer
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Versus
Sign in to play →
The 'Claw
2017
Fear Itself
2015
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
The Dark Knight
2008 · 12 wins
Demolition Man
1993 · 10 wins
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982 · 9 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 8 wins
Jurassic Park
1993 · 8 wins
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