[Disney+] As in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" (Lee Daniels, 2020), the showrunner Suzan-Lori Parks builds the character from male influence (father, partners, promoter), not from personal achievements. It's a reductionist vision that damages her musical relevance, as if the character did not have its own entity. Cynthia Erivo imitates Aretha Franklin well, but when she stops singing she surrounds herself with an contagious apathy. Nessun Dorma forever.
I watched all the episodes which were entertaining at best but I just can't see how it's being portrayed as "Genius" yes she had a beautiful voice and artistically talented skills but come on, genius is pushing it a bit don't you think!
The third season of Genius wraps up with a subdued but effective summation of Aretha Franklin's contributions to music.
This anthology started promising with some great performances led by Cynthia Erivo and Shaian Jordan playing old and young Aretha. Coupled with beautiful cinematography and authentic look and feel, it had all the recipes of a worthy addition to Genius anthology series. But the series eventually dragged on, mostly notably by continued riffs between Aretha and her father C.L. Franklin and failed relationships with men.
The most significant failure is not taking moments to deconstruct her music, revealing the genius. In music biopics like Amadeus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson) and Rocketman (Elton John), the very best scenes are artists creating the music, peeling the layers into their genius mind. Despite many recording studio scenes, this series never truly recreates those magical moments.
The final series pivots back to the glory of earlier episodes, anchored by great chemistry between Aretha and Clive Davis (perfectly portrayed by Christopher Redman). The final scene with Aretha singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma finally showcases why she is a genius.
Excellent tv must watch even if you not into gospel there's a real life story there & the young girl is Excellent
Shout by The_ArgentinianBlockedParent2021-09-30T18:12:15Z
If you didn't cry with that ending you have no soul!