The death of Tina Turner was announced yesterday, putting an end to one of the most imposing figures in pop culture, having an impact on sounds such as soul, rock or eighties synths and being relevant for several decades (not everyone can boast of it ). It is also the end of the story of a survivor, since behind the scenes had to suffer the devastating experience of abuse and gender violence.
Tina was able to get out of that hell, and showed that her star did not depend on another Sun to shine. Her overwhelming talent and her musical legacy were joined by appearances in films that, while infrequent, had her impact, both in the musical maverick ‘Tommy‘ as in George Miller’s great dystopia in ‘Mad Max 3. Beyond the thunderdome’. Although perhaps the most impressive film of her career has her as the protagonist, although she is not the main actress. That’s the biopic’Tub‘.
That’s not love
A conformist translation to make the title of ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ more marketable, with which the director brian gibson He takes one of those songs that were a turning point in his career to tell of his need to break with his harsh reality. One of the most impressive musical biopics, less anchored in hagiography formulas and with a powerful story that had to be told. And it can be seen through Disney +.
The film tells us about her beginnings, when she was still known by the name of Anna Mae Bullock, and how her contact with Ike Turner opens the doors to a promising musical career. The successes are coming from the hand of her creative partner and also her sentimental partner, and the renowned Tina Turner becomes a force of nature on the stage. However, the same man who accompanied her to the top of her would be in charge of making her existence miserable through sentimental, economic and physical abuse.
Based on her devastating autobiography, Turner had a difficult relationship with the film, feeling that it portrayed her as a victim. Actually, ‘Tina’ is kept interesting by being a movie about someone prevailing over abuse. Even though it is somewhat softened so as not to completely kill its commercial prospects, the film does not shy away from showing extremely harsh episodes of violence that are duly constructed from the first contacts and through the characters. In addition, it is right not to reduce the abuse of the singer to the hands of Ike Turner, showing other acts of abuse carried out within the industry.
‘Tina’: domination and abuse
The film also does not fall into the easy story that you have to stand up to these abusers to end the situation. In ‘Tina’ we see a collection of moments that include manipulation and also self-deception to justify this domestic violence, revealing the true terror. Some of the most poignant dramatic moments come when Ike insists the singer would be nothing without him, but she fights for her name anyway because he’s aware of how she’s the one who gives him strength. This duel leads ‘Tina’ to become an even darker ‘A Star Is Born’, where the pygmalion is an illusion.
Angela Bassett gives a masterful performance bringing Turner to life, not limiting herself to imitation but capturing that force of nature in which he became a stage, as well as conveying his vulnerability when she gets off him. Laurence Fishburne is not far behind turning into a satin-clad devil, with a magnetic charisma that serves as a mask for his violent and domineering inner self. These two great actors have just turned ‘Tina’ into a remarkable film worth revisiting to finish understanding how Tina managed to prevail.
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