Billie

Locations
Call Number: DVD 782.421 Bi, Adult DVD / Nonfiction / Biography / Holiday, Billie
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Originally released in 2020.
Originally released as a motion picture in 2019.
Wide screen.
Extras: Trailers.
Billie Holliday, Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Sylvia Syms.
Documentary on the famed jazz singer Billie Holiday, and her would-be biographer.
DVD; NTSC, region 1; Dolby digital 5.1 or 2.0.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

An honest look at Lady Day submitted by chrisdearing on August 8, 2021, 9:57pm This is an unvarnished in-depth documentary of Billie Holiday's difficult and extraordinary life. It portrays her in an honest and revealing way - I learned a great deal about her as an artist and a woman. Knowing more about kind of person she was and the life she lead helps to understand the emotions behind her music.

Who Was Billie Holiday? submitted by Meginator on August 21, 2021, 9:58am This documentary plays into the recent trend of making the origins of its information very clear, and this distinction feels particularly important in telling the story of Billie Holiday, specifically, given the conflicting and often controversial narratives about her life. Constructed from a series of audio interviews that writer Linda Kuehl (who later died under potentially suspicious circumstances) conducted in the early 1970s while working on a biography, the film juxtaposes reminiscences and opinionated commentary with still images, stock footage, and videos of Holiday performing. Because of its overtly subjective approach, the film avoids making pronouncements, although the filmmakers’ own point of view is often quite clear. This film digs deeply into the life of Billie Holiday, as remembered by those who knew her, and its inconclusive take on her life seems well-suited to the subject.