Her wild, sophisticated image and dazzling public fame stand in contrast to her innocence and vulnerability.
The beauty of the documentary “Amy” lies in the immense, well-assembled collection of private and public material assembled by Academy Award-nominated director Asif Kapadia (“Senna”).
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| (l) Jose A. Hermosillo, (r) Asif Kapedia ("Amy," "Senna.") LAFF, 2011.Copyright © 2015 Festival in LA. |
“Amy” innovates with a unique and stunning style by omitting a solo narrator, adding more dimension to the character of Amy Winehouse.
Impulsive and helpless, Amy’s controversy centers on the harmful external factors that led her to drugs, alcohol, and malnutrition.
Since her 2003 debut album “Frank,” her deep vocals and singing style have ranged across soul, blue-eyed soul, blues, jazz, and reggae.
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| Copyright © 2015 Universal Music. |
In 2008, she won five Grammy Awards, becoming the first female artist to win the most in a single night and the first British female singer ever to do so.
She couldn’t attend the awards ceremony in LA due to a failed drug test required by American authorities. Instead, her company held a private party in London.
Amy’s popularity skyrocketed as her private life became tumultuous. Paradoxically, “Rehab” was one of her biggest hits. As the documentary shows, other factors affected her deeply, including media turmoil, her husband’s imprisonment, her foolish parents, and some of her best friends turning their backs on her.
The paparazzi, contracts, performances, and the pressure from her record company made her brief life a living hell. For her, it was too much to handle when she was on drugs, young, beautiful, and famous.
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| Copyright © 2015Universal Music |
The duet with Tony Bennett, her idol and inspiration, was very important to her. During the recording, she aspired to perfection and, in her own opinion, couldn’t perform well enough.
Tony was patient and caring, and he was mesmerized by her powerful voice, which told her: “You are the best jazz singer in the world.”
The song “Body and Soul” is from Bennett’s album Duets II; it was her last recording.
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| Copyright © 2015 Universal Music |
Her presentation in Belgrade in June 2011 was a complete disaster. She couldn’t put herself together, too drunk to stand still and perform in front of a thousand disappointed attendees who booed her off the stage.
“Amy” is a pleasant biopic to watch, enjoyable from beginning to end, and it flows majestically as a narrative feature, but it is a documentary.
“Amy” is mesmerizing and lets you witness the tragic life of “the little Jewish girl” from North London.
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| Copyright © 2015 Universal Music |
In recent years, two groundbreaking documentaries about singers won Oscars: “Searching for Sugar Man,” about the mysterious disappearance of Sixto Rodriguez, and “20 Feet from Stardom,” about the voices behind the most incredible rock stars.
Those precedents make it possible for “Amy” to receive a nomination and lift the statuette at the 2016 Awards ceremony.
“Amy” holds the all-time box office record for a documentary in the UK and has taken America by storm, becoming an independent success.
Not only do her fans and followers support the movie, but so do people who like Jazz and Soul, those who appreciate good music, and anyone who wants to learn more about what happened in an enormous singer’s short life.
We’ll miss Amy Winehouse greatly, and now we can see her and appreciate her music and personal moments to our heart’s content in the accomplished documentary “Amy.”
After reading your review I feel like watching it. It sounds pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, the movie is worth it!
DeleteAfter reading your review I feel like watching it. It sounds pretty interesting.
ReplyDelete