Whitney is a documentary directed by Kevin
McDonald. This is a class act production and not sensational crap. We
see Whitney break out in a private church film song. Oh , that glorious voice
as a teen. Then we see her truly break out on Merv Griffin, MTV, etc.
She’d been groomed by her mother, Cissy Houston, a singer in her own right. An
interview with Cissy says, “I trained her to use her mind, heart, and gut. She
had it. It was in her spirit.”
Such a pretty baby, girl, and young woman. The eyes and
smile showed spirit – she sang in Newark, the church of her home town, and
blossomed from there. Just no stopping her. Interviews with her brothers,
sister-in-law, other family, and friends give a true insight into Whitney
Houston. That voice had Clive Davis at Arista Records courting her. He
won and helped groom her into a worldwide sensation. The climb was meteoric.
Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl is the
absolute top version. She conquered the world.
However, the film shows the cracks in the demeanor, the
demons, the inner doubts and sadness. Yes, she married Bobby Brown and
was in love. Yes, she had Bobbi Cristina and tried to be a good mother. But
there’s so much that’s deeper, as she had to travel and sing and meet her fans
and commitments. No excuses. Drugs was always in the picture. The
key was the excess that did occur.
And trying to stay married and deal with Bobby’s ego.
When she became a film star in The Bodyguard, life was dialed up
1000 percent. There was no turning back from disaster.
This documentary is sadly poignant. Just SO much
talent. The clips of her singing at every stage is joyous. And then it
hits rock bottom. Voice gone, that pretty girl with the sparkle in her eye is
gone.
Bring tissues because you can’t help but tear up at the loss
of such talent at age 48. Yes, she made her choices. The film doesn’t excuse
it, but it digs deep and offers insight into how her entourage/family/friends
just couldn’t save her. And they do feel blame and heartache.
But her legacy of music lives on . You can’t help but crank
up her tunes, raise your arms, and sing “I Will Always Love You” or “I Wanna
Dance With Somebody”…at the top of your own off-key voice. Oh Whitney…if
only….
I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteIts a nice post
Wishing you a lovely weekend
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https://www.melodyjacob.com/2018/07/top-searches-for-summer-seasonal-seo.html
thanks. glad you found this
DeleteHi Joanne - sounds something to half watch and to listen to - so one gets the story while listening to the music ... I'm sure I'll watch it sometime ... she had so much talent. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteindeed. This makes you sad for how it turned out
DeleteHer voice was amazing. It is sad that she, like so many other celebrities, turned to drugs as a way of escape only to have it end in tragedy. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteyou'll appreciate the film. It's done well, not sensationalized
DeleteSounds like it captured everything indeed. Sad how she couldn't overcome the drugs.
ReplyDeleteit's hard hearing her mother, Cissy Houston, talk about her.
DeleteIt was so sad when her daughter died too.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed - tragic
DeleteSeems good Joanne. I loved her singing.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deleteher voice will live on....
Delete