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Summary:

"The Many Faces of Billie Holiday invites viewers to see the many faces of this 'dark lady of the sonnets', as one poet called her, and to appreciate her undying art more deeply. Most presentations feature Lady Day as the sad victim of hard times and drugs. The simple fact of her life that matters above all others is that she was a great artist who, with Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing. Mining a treasure trove of completely new information, the producers set the record straight -- and beautifully. In a voice that is Billie-like in its rasping wiseness and its ring, stage and screen star Ruby Dee read from Holiday's autobiography Lady Sings the Blues."--back of container.

Table of Contents:

• Opening (0:48)
• Raw genius (7:04)
• Growing up in Baltimore (7:09)
• Swingin' Lady Day (8:29)
• Strange fruit (10:43)
• Swing street (11:26)
• An influential life (12:18)
• Credits (:55).

Contributors:

Byron, Toby , producer

Seig, Matthew , director

O'Meally, Robert G., 1948- , author

Saylor, Richard , producer

Dee, Ruby , singer

McRae, Carmen , singer

Ross, Annie, 1930-2020 , singer

Clayton, Buck, 1911-1991 , singer

Edison, Harry, 1915-1999 , singer

Waldron, Mal, 1925-2002 , singer

Gabler, Milt, 1911-2001

Murray, Albert

Holiday, Billie, 1915-1959 , singer

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971 , singer, instrumentalist

Goodman, Benny, 1909-1986 , instrumentalist

Young, Lester, 1909-1959 , instrumentalist

Webster, Ben, 1909-1973 , instrumentalist

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004 , instrumentalist

Smith, Bessie, 1894-1937 , instrumentalist

Smyrl, David Langston , narrator

Languages:

English
French
German

Language Notes:

Narration and interviews in English with optional French and Dutch subtitles.
English with optional French and German subtitles.

Related Series:

Masters of American music series

Subjects:

Holiday, Billie, 1915-1959

Jazz singers — United States — Biography

African American women — Biography

African American musicians — Biography

African American musicians — Interviews

Jazz vocals

Jazz singers

African American women

African American musicians

United States

Genres:

Biographical films

Nonfiction films

Feature films

Interviews

Biographies

System Details:

DVD, NTSC, region 0 (all regions), 4:3 aspect ratio; PCM mono. 2.0.

Performers:

David Smyrl, narrator ; Ruby Dee, Carmen McRae, Annie Ross, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Mal Waldron, Milt Gabler, Albert Murray and others; performances by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Artie Shaw, Bessie Smith, and many others.

Production Credits:

Editor, Susan Peehl ; director of photography, Herb Forsberg.

General Notes:

Originally broadcast on television in 1990.
"Newly digitally remastered"--container.
Also published as a book by Robert O'Meally.
Cable ACE Award: Best documentary cultural or performing arts special, 1994.

Physical Description:

1 videodisc (59:00) : sound, black and white, color ; 4 3/4 in.

Physical Characteristics:

plastic; metal; polychrome; monochrome

Audio Characteristics:

digital; optical; mono

Video Characteristics:

NTSC

Digital Characteristics:

video file; DVD video; all regions

Call Numbers:

MDVD 01093

Other Standard Numbers:

Universal Product Code: 880242570987
Publisher Number, Medici Arts: 2057098

OCLC Numbers:

535270985