Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
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
What Ron Said
Under Blue Skies
Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool
Skin Deep
« Je ne suis pas chinetoque » : Histoire du racisme anti-asiatique
Blue Giant
Trollkarlen
One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
TV Junkie
Handsworth Songs
Petit-Frère
Southern Rites
Our American Family
Hurry Up Tomorrow
Zoned In
Keith Jarrett: Standards II
So This Is God's Country?
Jazzman
Black February: Music Is an Open Door
Nuno
Thriller 40
Ozzy: No Escape from Now
One Direction: This Is Us
Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon
Live Aid
Adele One Night Only
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
The Last Waltz
The Up in Smoke Tour
Elvis on Tour
That's Entertainment!
Janis: Little Girl Blue
Amazing Grace
20 Feet from Stardom
It Might Get Loud
Katy Perry: Part of Me
Western Stars
That's Entertainment, Part II
Justin Bieber's Believe
Howard
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
A Creepshow Animated Special
2020
SGT. Will Gardner
2019
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
A Creepshow Animated Special
2020
SGT. Will Gardner
2019
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.