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Plot

Dorothy Dandridge was a singer, nightclub entertainer, and actress who became the first African-American woman to receive an Academy award nomination as Best Actress (for her standout performance in 1954's Carmen Jones; she lost to Grace Kelly). However, despite her striking beauty and obvious talent, Dandridge was a sexy, glamorous black femme fatale at a time when Hollywood pin-up queens were supposed to be giggly blondes. The film industry didn't know what to do with her, and while her nightclub act was a bit too smooth for the Southern roadhouse circuit, as a black performer she wasn't allowed to stay in many of the hotels and resorts where she performed. Dandridge also had a sad personal life, filled with tragedy and romantic disappointment, and she died of an overdose of pills in 1965, at the age of 41. This made-for-cable biographical drama stars Halle Berry as Dorothy Dandridge, supported by Brent Spiner, Obba Babatunde, and Klaus Maria Brandauer.
MPAA Rating:
for language and sexual content.
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
120min.
DVD Release Date:
02/08/2000
Director(s):
Martha Coolidge
Starring:
Halle Berry , Brent Spiner , Obba Babatunde , Loretta Devine , Cynda Williams
Themes:
Drug Addiction,Success is the Best Revenge,Alcoholism,Rags To Riches,Actor's Life,Rise and Fall Stories
Tone:
Elegiac,Matter-of-Fact,Nostalgic,Poignant,Reflective,Earnest
Keywords:
Black [race],Oscar,actor,career,disappointment,entertainer,nightclub,overdose,race/ethnicity
Language:
English