Reader Response: Lady Sings the Blues

In general, I really enjoyed the Billie Holiday movie. I of course love Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams, and I thought Diana Ross was a great character to play Billie Holiday for this movie. Especially to portray the emotional and psychological impact that drug abuse had on Billie Holiday’s life.

For me it was really difficult to see Diana Ross be ravaged by drug abuse, mostly because of her star power. When I firsts viewed Ross in the movie, I did not see her as Billie Holiday but as Diana Ross. But after a while I think Ross’ performance was so good in the Billie Holiday movie that I was convinced that she was Holiday. Although the star power of Diana Ross was still there for me.

Music in this movie of course was very important. The one song that I believed had significant emotional appeal was the one that began at the beginning of the movie. The lyrics that played, “there ain’t nothing I can do” not only played at Holiday’s worse moments during her life but it echoes her situation and personal position in life. The song played when she was sexual harassed by the drunk, while she was in jail, and when she had to wash stairs at the brothel.

Furthermore, I think that the movie was able to reveal some significant information about the roles that black women were able to participate during Holiday's life and career. At the beginning of the movie black women were either maids, servants, prostitutes or showgirls.

In addition, in Holiday's young adult life, in order for women to be successful or make money, black women had to use their bodies sexually, either by being a show girl or a prostitute. Because Holiday's identity growing up was constructed by these realities, it makes sense that they would still effect and influence her.

The important symbolism of these positions is that in the night club black women are defined by their bodies and sexuality. For example, Holiday at the beginning of the movie cannot even be a prostitute because her body was not sexual. She could not perform as a showgirl either for the same reasons. The manager at the club would not even hear Holiday sing because her body did not advertise sexuality; he was not able to market her body.