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Billie

She sang the truth, she paid the price
Sep 30, 2020 · 1h 36m
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Documentary
Music

PLOT

‘Lady Day’ was one of the greatest jazz vocalists the world ever heard. In 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Before her mysterious death in 1978, Lipnack Kuehl had taped over 200 hours of interviews. The tapes have never been heard. Now they form the basis of an atmospheric, multi-layered documentary that captures the many complex facets of a proud black woman, violent drug addict, loyal friend, vindictive lover and unforgettable singer of ‘God Bless The Child’, ‘Saddest Tale’ and the haunting ‘Strange Fruit’.

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CAST

Billie Holiday
self
Tony Bennett
self
Count Basie
self
Charles Mingus
self
Directed by James Erskine

DETAILS

Status
Released
Original language
EN
Budget
—
Revenue
—
Production
Altitude Film Entertainment, New Black Films, REP Documentary, Concord Originals, BBC Music, Belga Productions, Polygram Entertainment
Country
US, GB

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