Unfortunately, I was quite mistaken to have thought (at first) that "Bloodlight and Bami" was going to be an engaging career-spanning bio-documentary about Jamaican-born pop-diva, Grace Jones.
This obviously flawed and annoyingly uneven vanity production focused in on Jones (born 1948) who was already into her 60s. And, by what I saw - I'd say that it was definitely time for this woman to grace-fully bow out of the limelight and retire, asap.
I, for one, certainly found that Jones's persona could only be tolerated in very small doses. 'Cause (as I soon discovered while watching this 2-hour presentation) - Jones continually tried (way too hard) to be larger-than-life even in everyday activities.
And - Yep. Before long - It all became a bit of a bore. (ho-hum!)
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
2017
Action / Biography / Documentary / Music
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
2017
Action / Biography / Documentary / Music
Keywords: disco
Plot summary
Larger than life, wild, scary, and androgynous--Grace Jones plays all these parts. Yet here we also discover her as a lover, daughter, sister, mother, and even grandmother, as she submits herself to our gaze and allow us to understand what constitutes her mask, The stage is where her most extreme embodiments are realized and her theatrical imagination lets loose: this is where the musical of her life is played out. The film includes Grace's unique performances singing iconic hits such as 'Slave To The Rhythm', 'Pull Up To The Bumper', as well as the more recent autobiographical tracks 'Williams' Bloods' and 'Hurricane'. These personal songs also link to Grace's family life, as the film takes us on a holiday road trip across Jamaica, where her family roots and the story of her traumatic childhood are uncovered. In Jamaican patois, 'Bloodlight' is the red light that illuminates when an artist is recording and 'Bami' means bread, the substance of daily life. Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami weaves together the layers of Grace Jones' public and private life, as she moves effortlessly between different facets: she is gypsy, artist, and partying hedonist, warm and funny, but also a fierce and tenacious businesswoman. The performance continues to move thematically though the film, with ,Love Is The Drug, acting like an aria, bringing the film to its final and most touching scenes. This is a Grace we have not seen before, someone who reminds us of what it is to dare to be truly alive.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Nope. Sorry, Grace Jones.... I Am Not Impressed
Deleted scenes from a documentary (plus some concert footage)
This seemed to be concert footage interlaced with what felt like deleted scenes from a making-of-the-album documentary. I guess you'd need to be pretty much obsessed with Grace Jones in order to get much out of this.
While I'm a great fan of Slave to the Rhythm, this otherwise flawed documentary helped me realise that it's Trevor Horn and the co-writers who are the geniuses when it comes to that particular song.
While Ms Jones has an interesting voice, I'm undecided as to whether she can actually sing (see her very weird reading of Amazing Grace). I'm also dubious as to her creative input; is she really just a clothes horse and a "song horse" with exceptionally diverting presence? (Perhaps Frank Sinatra could have been damned with the same faint praise?)
Grace Jones: Jamaican Roots and Artistic Freedom!
This documentary is quite needed, many has been mesmerized by the antics of Grace Jones. The exotic myth is dispelled, filmmaker Fiennes (related to actor Ralph Fiennes) tries to show Jones's origins via beautiful snapshots of her native Jamaica with on-location candid family and friends interviews. Aside of reliving Jones's childhood memories, the documentary depicts the frustration of an artist trying to keep her creativity free from the media and music industry. The film does a full circle for this iconic pioneer in club music and performance art: Jones's life is humanized!