Bessie (2015)

Directed by

Dee Rees

Genre

biographical film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 55m

Rated

16

Rating

6.4 of 10 from 129 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film follows the life of blues singer Bessie Smith as she rises from a struggling young performer to become a famous star. It shows her personal struggles and relationships along the way.

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What happens

Bessie is a 2015 HBO TV film about the American blues singer Bessie Smith, and focuses on her transformation as a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues". The film is directed by Dee Rees, with a screenplay by Rees, Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois. Queen Latifah stars as Bessie Smith, and supporting roles are played by Michael Kenneth Williams as Smith's first husband Jack Gee, and Mo'Nique as Ma Rainey. The film premiered on May 16, 2015. By the following year Bessie was the most watched HBO original film in the network's history. The film was well received critically and received four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Television Movie. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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