It's the 1955 Academy Awards in NYC. Dorothy Dandridge (Halle Berry) is the first colored nominee for best actress despite rampant racism. She flashes back to the 40s as Dorothy is performance in the Dandridge Sisters at the Cotton Club. She, her sister Vivian (Cynda Williams) and mother Ruby (Loretta Devine) are all managed by the cruel dictatorial 'Auntie'. She marries fellow performer Harold Nicholas (Obba Babatundé). Their daughter is mentally handicap which ruptures their marriage. Earl Mills (Brent Spiner) becomes her loyal manager. She wins over director Otto Preminger (Klaus Maria Brandauer) for the lead of Carmen Jones.
This is a pretty straight forward biopic of a tumultuous life. It's a worthwhile movie about a fascinating period of history. This could be another TV movie but Halle Berry delivers a terrific performance which raises this above most other TV biopics. It feels personal to her and that adds importance to her work here.
This is a pretty straight forward biopic of a tumultuous life. It's a worthwhile movie about a fascinating period of history. This could be another TV movie but Halle Berry delivers a terrific performance which raises this above most other TV biopics. It feels personal to her and that adds importance to her work here.