Dissecting Halle - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

I hate this damn movie.

Alright, the movie was fine.

I just hate that there is was a time when people like Dorothy Dandridge had the Hollywood experience she had.  It makes me so sad.

Sigh.

Anyhoo, the pic… Introducing Dorothy Dandridge…

I always kinda got the impression –- and I have no doubt made this up in my mind -– that Halle Berry somehow identified with the tragic Dorothy Dandridge.  I think Berry was close to this role.  She actually executive produced the pic.  Berry and Dandridge do share certain things in common:

their beauty - (they actually do resemble one another and have similar coloring)
their plight – lack of good, respectable roles
their problem – their beauty
tragic – there’s something tragic about them both
etc.

I could be making a mountain out of a molehill.  Could be that Berry recognized their physical resemblance and wanted to tell Dandridge’s story and decided to do a pic about it and nothing more.

As I watched this film, the 11th movie of this series, I have really begun to see Halle Berry the actress… who she is… what she does… how she has found success… blah blah blah –- things I will delve into further in the closing summary… when I prepare it… in 2012 (just kidding’ y'all).

Anyhoo, enough rambling.  I especially liked Halle Berry in this role.  She deserved the accolades.  Berry won a Golden Globe Award, a SAG award and an Emmy award for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge.  She was very, very good in the pic.  She played the role convincingly.  One of the things I liked about the film was the casting of Berry.  It was a sensible casting choice, at least from a physical standpoint. 

It would have been almost foolish for some other person to play Dandridge.  I always appreciate when SOMEONE (director, writer, producer, actor, whoever) takes care to ensure the actor charged with playing the role of a real life person, actually resembles the real life individual.  When this physical resemblance is absent, it just never works for me.  Ever.  The distraction of the ongoing analysis of the lack of resemblance takes away from the enjoyment of the film.  When they miscast in this way, it diminishes the credibility of the film, in my view.

When I was watching Berry, I thought I was watching Dandridge.  Berry was good in it -– everything from voice to physical movement.  It was a solid, splendid performance.  I enjoyed it.

I think there were two moments in the movie when I realized I was indeed watching Halle Berry; one was during an emotional scene -– it seemed as if I saw her play that scene the same way in a previous pic.  But this is negligible.

But when I saw that naked caramel ass propped up as Dandridge lay dead on the floor, I was at once reminded that I was indeed watching Halle Berry… do what she does.  It didn’t matter for that split second that the scene may have been credible… that it may have been exactly how Dorothy Dandridge appeared when she was found dead.  That didn’t matter.  The pattern did.  It is unfortunate. 

But these things are insignificant and none of them overshadowed a magnificent performance by Berry in the role.  In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have thought of Halle Berry.  But it’s okay. 

Berry did a lot of things good in this film; appropriate emotional expressions of sadness, despair, anger, indecisiveness.  Lots of good showings in some of her emotional scenes.  I thought they were well done:

When she received her child’s diagnosis
When Harold Nicolas is off to Paris
While she was speaking on the phone (really good, I thought)
When she has to leave her child; and goes on with her mother, to further her career
When she was singing in the club

etc.

Halle Berry understood this character and committed to her.  It was one of Berry’s best performances –- if not her best, I do believe.

[Speaking of executive producing –- wanted to give Halle Berry a shout out for her hand in executive producing, in addition to Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Lackawanna Blues -– a fine, exemplary production; a great piece of entertainment.  Berry could be sitting around counting her stacks but at least she is trying put her dough into decent film projects and I applaud and commend… and thank Halle Berry for that.]

Comments

[regina]

Hey there!
I agree! Finally something I could really applaud Halle for! I think she did exceptionally well in this and also true the resemblances help as well as the somewhat similarities they went through. I seem to recall reading back when this came out that Halle said she felt possessed with Dorothy's spirit, there was a certain dress or something that Halle thought helped her embrace the role...I thought that was a little freaky but if it helps you be a better actress...
Anyway, finally Kudos to Halle!

[theblackactor.com]

@ Regina

Hi Regina; I didn't know that (about the dress). That's interesting -- if not creepy -- but I've heard of stranger things, so if that worked for her, I'm glad. In the end, she was really good in the role. That's all that matters. Yes. Kudos to Halle! :)

[BlackWomenBlowTheTrumpet.blogspot.com]

Hello there!

Halle Barry is a very gifted actress.

I felt that her role in "Queen" was also very compelling.

Stop by my blog sometime and jump into the conversations! My door is always open!

Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa

[introspectivegoddess]

I so totally agree with everything you have written, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is by far one of Halle Berry's most compelling performances. I loved her in this movie I dont think anyone could have played her better. I also agree that she and Dorothy have some similiarites in their personal and professional life... I remember crying at the end of the movie..it just seemed such a waste for someone as beautiful and talented as Dorothy Dandridge to endure so much during her life and never really find happiness for herself...I also believe that her manager was in love with her...you know the one that always called her angel face...and I also remember Halle Berry stating that she wore the actual dress that Dorothy wore to the oscars for her Best Actress nomination..she claimed in Ebony Magazine that the dress lifted off of the floor when she had it hanging up in her home.....I always figured it was Dorothy Dandridge's way of saying Thank You for telling her story....

[theblackactor.com]

@ Black Women... Trumpet

Hmmm. I never did see Queen. I prolly missed a good showing, I guess. I think it was a miniseries. I will not be highlighting it here but maybe I can get it on DVD and take a look sometime. Thanks. Okay, Trumpet; Ima check you.

@ Introspectivegoddess

"I always figured it was Dorothy Dandridge's way of saying Thank You for telling her story...."

Interesting. It's quite possible. I'm really glad the story was told.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Trumpet

Your URL doesn't work.

[Orville]

I agree this movie is what MADE Halle Berry a MOVIE STAR. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge FORCED Hollywood to give Berry RESPECT but she was so convicing in the role. Berry proved she has A LOT of determination she got the TV rights to the movie because I heard Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston had the movie rights. So Berry beat them to the punch by having the movie made FIRST. This movie role CHANGED Berry's life her career REALLY took off AFTER this role and she DESERVED all the awards she won.

[invisiblewoman]

Did not know she produced Lackawanna Blues...hmmm. May actually have to give her props.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Orville

As you know, I agree. I really enjoyed her in this.

@ Invisible Woman

Yeah; I thought that was pretty cool, actually.

[CARMEN]

hi

[CARMEN]

Halle was incredible in this movie. The similarities between the two women is almost eerie.
-both from clevelenad
-born at the same cleveland hospital
-both have one sister that they don't speak to
-both have one daughter
-it was said that Halle was the same size as Dorothy and none of the dresses had to be altered.
-physically, theres a strong resemblance
Who else could've played this roll?? No one.

[CARMEN]

Oh one more thing. Someone said something about the scene where Dorothy passed and she had her rear stuck up in the air. Halle was interviewed when this came out and said it was a body double.

[Kimbrough]

I agree with the resemblance issue. Like that Spike Lee movie about Malcolm X. Man, that Denzel Washington was absolutely Malcolm X. I forgot I was watching Denzel -- all I saw was Malcolm X. The resemblance was remarkable, the speech, diction and mannerisms were flawless. Anyway, I say all of that to agree with your comment about resemblance.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Kimbrough

Thanks for sharing your comments with us, Kimbrough!