What Happened, Miss Simone? (Nina Simone Doc)

Heartbreaking and inspiring. Good watch, now streaming on Netflix.

 

Will see it tomorrow in the one theater in town showing it. Do not have the capability to stream, nor do I care to.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I want to see this.

 

Personal preferences are an interesting aside.

Netflix is the producer in this case, which certainly explains the early availability.

 

If Academy Award consideration is on the table, I believe a film has to run in an LA public admission theater for one week to be considered.

 

Just watched it...heartbreaking is a good way to describe it. Wasn't aware of her militant civil rights stance...explains why I never heard of her when I was growing up in North Carolina no less.

 

I watched it last night as well. I was aware of the rough outline of her life but the details (including numerous excerpts from her diaries) are indeed heartbreaking. This is a very well made film with lots of solid research, wonderful photos and very moving performances. I feel like I need to watch this every day for a month.

 

Rolling Stone's take:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/10-things-we-learned-from-new-nina-simone-doc-20150629

 

I might just melt into a puddle if I did. They covered some of the rougher bits without lingering. Good, even-handed portrayal. Sticks with me, just like the woman and her music.

 

And a dissenting opinion as to the quality of the film:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/the-irresponsibility-of-what-happened-miss-simone-20150629

I have to wonder if she saw the same movie I did. The film I saw painted a well-rounded portrait of Simone, and put the blame for abuse squarely on her husband. He didn't get to "tell her story." This reviewer apparently wanted a reverent hagiography of a movie. What I came away with was a moving, three dimensional picture of the woman. The music performances chosen were very effective.

 

Fine bio that should have been made sooner. Her fan (?) base is dwindling. The daughter is very impressive and the direct opposite of her mom & dad. Could watch her all day. Always wondered how much of Nina's behavior was part show biz. Still not sure. One of her last concerts was here in LA at the Wiltern. Missed it.

 

I agree. Odd review. What was clear to me from the movie was that the original damage was done by the white women who isolated Nina from her life and used her immense energy and power to create their perfect little black performer. A woman in an abusive relationship is hardly an original story. What amazed me is how those early cuts, the seeming abuse at the hands of the whites who took her in and told her what she had to be to be a success in their eyes, stayed with Nina all the way through her life. What was hinted at was that maybe she lived long enough to resolve that conflict and appreciate herself for the artist she actually was rather than what she was told she needed to be. So sad.

 

Watched it last night and thought it was VERY good.

20 odd year ago i was in paris with my girlfriend of the time - we went to a bar/club on a hot summer night - the place was packed, apperently Nina Simone was going to turn up and play - we waited quite awhile but it got to hot and crowded and we left - i now wish i had stayed!

 

I saw it not too long ago. I enjoyed it. My only real beef with the film is that it was too short. I would've liked more interviews. Her daughter impressed the hell out of me. I'd like to see what she does next. I, too, could've listened to her talk all day. Why hasn't a hollywood biopic not been made yet?

 

Last I heard they were trying to make a biopic starring Zoe Seldana and that got made fun of because they look NOTHING alike. But that is just one of many reasons I find biopics to be rather silly.

I watched this documentary with my wife and it was interesting but we both were captivated by the performances and felt that some of the rest was at turns enlightening, drawn out, or oddly paced. Sure I knew most of the information before watching as I'm a big fan of her music so perhaps it would make more impact to those less familiar with her life and music. Either way, wouldn't it be cool to release a DVD of all of those performances but complete?

 

Just saw this and thought it was great. Extremely well balanced when it came to her militant stance, spousal abuse, and her mental illness. In many filmmakers' hands, these aspects would have taken over, but this remained a film about an extraordinary musician.

 

Funny my take was exactly the opposite. She was taken in and nurtured by two white women, even in the Jim Crow South era. In fact Ms. Simone even commented on the white teacher's kindness. Interestingly the path they attempted to groom her for was the one she really craved, that of a classical concert pianist. They also provided her with the resources to fund a couple of years at Julliard. They treated her talent with great respect and devoted a lot of time and resources into nurturing it.

It was the rejection by Curtis in Philadelphia that seemed to be her most bitter disappointment. It made me think that perhaps NY was more progressive than Philadelphia in those early days.

It is common for child prodigies to be treated like Hot House flowers, and raised in a world of isolation and discipline that consists of constant practice. People rarely appreciate the discipline and practice which are required to achieve artistic excellence. It is easy to believe the talent is a gift from God and a Muse just speaks through artists. The truth is art is; like athletics, it requires intense training and practice to develop raw talent. It doesn't just come to you at no cost. The payoff in Ms. Simone's case was spectacular. Her artistry was singular, emotionally powerful, and compelling.

She was accomplished and achieved financial, commercial, and artistic success. She was beloved by millions and supported by people of all races in her out-spoken Civil Rights stance. Even though it did not receive commercial radio play, Mississippi Goddamn was powerful and one of the songs most associated with her and her long-term success. Her anger and outrage about bigotry was shared by enlightened people everywhere. I grew up in NC and she was admired in our house both for her music and her Civil Rights activism.

She only began to lose audience when she became more unpredictable and also embraced a message of hate. She became closely associated with extremists that her ex-husband described as "terrorists."

I think she was ill-used by the Black Panthers. Her performances became more erratic and ultimately no one; her husband or political commrades, cared about her emotional health and personal well-being. Her husband seemed to treat her like a cash machine, and the Black Panthers used her celebrity to promote themselves at her expense.

The combination of her mental instability and her internal rage and frustration caused her to implode. I think she was exhausted, in addition to suffering a nervous breakdown and that was why she left the Country, abandoning her only child.

I found the film to be brutally honest and even handed. I have been a long time fan of Ms. Simone but I never knew much about her personal history. I vaguely knew mental illness had derailed her career but I didn't know any details. The film is tragic in a way but it did shed light on Ms. Simone's life and provide a new audience with a taste of her musical brilliance. Hopefully people who see the film will explore her recorded back catalog. I commend the family and the film makers for providing a film as honest and raw as Ms. Simone's music. I think she would have wanted it that way, she never shied away from the truth. I'd recommend it to anyone not just Nina Simone fans.

 

I'm sure I'm injecting my own bias. I appreciate her skills as a pianist, but I find her vocals and ability to inhabit and interpret lyrics to be the way she moves me most directly. I had the impression from watching the film that she was a bit put off by ever having to sing in the first place. At least her first impulse was to present herself as a painist. I hate to think that she might have seen that as a failure rather than a discovery of her most powerful instrument.

 

She could really deliver a song. Her voice was very expressive and she could phrase a song in a way that made you hear it in a new way. She seemed to be speaking or singing straigt from the heart.

But for me her piano playing was just as important as her voice. She played with such fluidity and ease that it melded with her voice to a convey a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. I can generally recognize her piano playing as quickly as her voice.

Anyway, she was a great talent and it was a moving film.

 

I just watched this last week for the first time, and have watched it all the way through twice. I had never heard her before; just not that interested. For whatever reason, I decided to check it out on Netflix, and I was blown away. Her piano playing with her voice were absolutely amazing. It made me a fan.

 

And netflix still has not put this out on dvd/blu ray

 

The Amazing Nina Simone »

Another Doc gets an interesting event in Vancouver. 3 Simone films in a year?

 

Looks interesting.

 

Can't decide if it's worth $35 for a ticket.

 

Finally! Coming to blu-ray and DVD!

https://www.amazon.com/What-Happene...F8&qid=1469585560&sr=1-3&keywords=nina+simone