35 years ago, American singer Whitney Houston sang “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. It is also the title of the biopic on the diva, on display since December 21 at the cinema.
After a TV movie in 2015 and a documentary in 2018, the life of Whitney Houston is now retraced in a feature film directed by Kasi Lemmons, ten years following her death in 2012 at the age of 48.
>> To read: Accidental drowning death of Whitney Houston confirmed
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is a musical biopic regarding the late music legend. In the role of the diva: Naomi Ackie. Directed by Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet,” “Talk to Me”) and written by Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Two Popes”), the film takes audiences on a moving and energetic journey through Houston.
>> To see: the trailer of the film
A tube machine
The life of the star with a dramatic music and film career is inspiring. In the life of Whitney Houston, there is first of all the success, phenomenal, then the denigration by a fringe of the black community who accuses her of being sold to whites. Then there is a miscarriage during the filming of the cult film “The Bodyguard”, failed concerts, canceled and drug problems, the probable cause of his death.
Whitney Houston is also a hit machine in the 1980s and 1990s and a recognizable voice among all. A magical voice, in grain, personality and emotion. Unlike other singers with r’n’b voices of this era such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston exudes gospel and jazz colors, which set her apart. An influence inherited from his cousin, the famous soul-jazz singer Dionne Warwick, and from his own mother, gospel singer and singer of Aretha Franklin.
>> A voir: le clip de la chanson “I Will Always Love You” de Whitney Houston
A tragic life
The biopic directed by Kasi Lemmons obviously tells the career of the artist, but it also reveals all of his private life. From her hidden and painful relationship with Jermaine Jackson, Michael’s brother, to the turbulent one with her husband, singer Bobby Brown – a violent, unfaithful husband, who will mark the beginning of her instability and drug addiction. And before that, his lesser known relationship with Robyn Crawford, his lover, friend, and confidante, remained hidden and unknown to the general public, because in the 1980s, homosexuality, and that of personalities in particular, was very stigmatized.
The feature film also evokes the relationship that Whitney Houston had with her father, who was also her manager. Whitney Houston’s incredible life, to record album sales and awards, is a tragedy. The meteoric rise, the growing success, and on the face a joy that fades, until death. His music, meanwhile, continues to cross the generations.
Radio subject: Yves Zahno
Adaptation web: ld
