“Tina” the definitive Queen of the Rocks documentary
Despite his incredible technical accomplishments, the personal triumph of W.C Tina Turner Like her status as a feminist hero, they have a mostly non-musical basis; And more than that, heard in perspective, the most famous songs of his career – like the titles Mary proudalso nutbush city limitsAnd What should love doalso (simply) the best– They sound more like autobiographical fragments of the soundtrack to life than mere fragments of the repertoire. Yes, Turner was the first woman to join the macho club of rock stars, at the age of 45, which for nearly all of the women in the union meant a regression; He sold nearly 200 million records without having to write his own songs but commanding those written by others with exciting authority. But if her sly voice and stage presence — electric wigs, skirts too short and heels too tall, her typical trance-state dance moves — are Picture the power and excitement that rocks emitat the same time inseparable from His epic story of surviving abuse and violence.
“I’ve suffered systematic torture and death in my life, but I’m over it,” the singer says at the start of the documentary. pelvisPresented at the Berlinale, out of competition. She was mainly conveyed through her own words, which come from a specially conducted interview and from one she gave in 1981 to People magazine – then speaking for the first time about her ordeal -, The film offers a sweeping review of life punctuated by plentiful musical interludes and marked by the terrifying, pathetic presence of Ike Turner.
power and electricity
She was only 17 when she attended an Ike and the Kings of Rhythm concert and managed to get the conductor to hear her sing. Soon, remember pelvisHe had already married her, changed her name—the original was Anna Mae Bullock—and crafted her image to present her on stage as a wild beast. Since the publication of The Ike and Tina Turner Revue Foolish in love (1960), that young woman burst onto the music scene not only with a vocal demeanor that combined the emotional strength of blues queens like Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton with the electricity of rock and roll, but also with a way to get ahead. the stage—often flanked by the chorus girls from the band, the Ikettes—that broke the rigidity of the choreography Motown was known for. In front of the audience, Tina seemed to exorcise the agony she had experienced in private.
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The singer admits at one point in the film that she was “brainwashed”, and immediately remembered herself comforting her husband after he had been beaten, Covered in blood, fear and guilt. Throughout the footage, episodes during which Ike breaks her nose, throws hot coffee in her face, or punishes her with ties and shoes while raping her are also recalled. Also mentioned is her heroic suicide attempt in 1968 by taking 50 Valium.
sadist
Meanwhile, yes pelvis He avoids the broad line, acknowledging that Ike Turner was not only an intolerable sadist, but also a pioneer who was rarely given the credit he deserved; Many historians, in fact, credit him with composing what is considered the first rock and roll album, Rocket 88 (1951), although it was signed by singer Jackie Princeton. The film portrays him as a person who is tormented because his merits are always imputed to others, Including his wife thinking about him during the mega anthem recording High deep mountain river (1966), and seeing how producer Phil Spector—another brilliant cadre—put it aside to focus on Tina’s voice, it’s almost easy to sympathize with him. The couple divorced in 1976. After the final beating, she ran away with her face made of Christ and 36 cents in her pocket, and never looked back. In the early 1980s, after releasing several records that no one would buy, his career seemed to be over. Then thanks private dancer (1984), the world surrendered at his feet. This album brought with it awards, concerts in large stadiums, and the memorable role of the villain in Mad Max: Beyond Thunder (1985) and the love story with her current husband, the musical director Erwin Bach. Yet none of this frightened the two ghosts who had darkly haunted her all this time: her husband, whom the press kept asking about until she retired in 2009 – she died two years earlier – and her mother, who also suffered. Bad in the dealings of her husband and that she left the house when her daughters were girls. As she admits in the movie between tears, Turner has never felt loved by her, and this isn’t the first time she’s spoken about it. In fact, everything said here has already been told in the three biographies published by the singer Biography of Tina (1993) and the musical show of the same name (2018) which has traveled to theaters in various cities around the world. Not only does this limit his documentary value—particularly given how little he contributes on an official level—but it will call some into question Turner’s motives. Whatever these are, on the other hand, He got the right to talk about his life as much as he wanted.
