What Happened, Miss Simone?

There is a patina of sorrow over this documentary that I was aware of from the very first scene.

Nina Simone, one of the greatest jazz singers, entertainers, and concert pianists ever, felt isolated by and from both the black and the white community though she was admired and original idolized by both. And how could they (we) not? She truly was a grand dame of jazz, with a depth and darkness to her voice that touched all who listened. The film is not short of people willing to praise her talents, but we get a true sense of her personality when she is profuse in her own praise of other artists as well. Ever humble, she is generous to other musicians and quiet about her own accomplishments though thankful to those who helped her along the way.

The greatest treat in this documentary is undoubtedly the vintage footage of Miss Simone performing. It gives you a real sense of how timeless her sound was, how her incredibly rich voice can still reach across the years and fill your heart like velvet. Oh man.

Simone was also a “patron saint of the rebellion”- a woman who reflected the times she lived in, proudly. She was tired of the establishment in more way than one and did her part to expose its hypocrisies, even if it was at the expense of her white audience. She wasn’t afraid to align herself with militants and defined herself as “not nonviolent” even though MLK was a friend of hers; thankfully she had music at her disposal and not guns. When she started playing exclusively political songs, it affected her career. But she believed it was part of the artist’s role to preach what they believed, to have their art contain a message, and hers certainly did, notably with Mississippi Goddamn, a song written in response to and expressing sorrow and anger over the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi and the Baptist church bombing in Birmingham that killed four little girls.

Simone lived in an era where society didn’t appreciate a woman’s genius, let alone a black woman’s. What did it do to her? She struggled with depression and appeared to already be in a downward spiral when Dr. King was assassinated. But when a battle with bipolar threatens – will she be willing to take medication that could rob her of her music?

Simone has been dead for a decade but never ever forgotten. This documentary helps to shed some light on a strong, interesting, multi-faceted woman. It’s nominated for an Oscar this year in a category that feels fairly locked up by Amy, an inferior offering. But the good news is, you can see them both on Netflix right now, and decide for yourself.

15 thoughts on “What Happened, Miss Simone?”

Wendell February 23, 2016 at 10:28 am

Thanks for this review. I keep scrolling by this on Netflix, intending to stop “next time.” Have to make next time this weekend, along with Amy. Great post.

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Brittani February 23, 2016 at 1:59 pm

I have this in my Netflix queue but haven’t gotten to it yet. I’ve only seen Amy out of the documentary field. Great review!

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J. February 23, 2016 at 3:47 pm

I watched this a few months ago and thought it was brilliant. A really great glimpse of a great.

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SLIP/THROUGH - Dan February 23, 2016 at 5:30 pm

Good review. I really enjoyed this doc too. You’re right about how refreshing the more intimate footage was. It was another fascinating look inside, like Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. I heard that Zoe Saldana is playing Nina Simone in a movie. With all of Simone’s insecurites over her appearance, do you think this is good casting? Or will filmmakers modify Saldana’s supermodel features a la Monster and Charlize Theron? I think they missed the mark with casting. This doc is proof of how effectively we can step inside her skin, will a distraction like makeup fx hinder this connection?

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Jay Post authorFebruary 24, 2016 at 7:44 am

Not only her own insecurities, but the fact that she was a very black looking woman in a time when that was a huge barrier (although with saldana’s casting, it’s clear this barrier still exists). I like Saldana a lot, but this seems wrong, and like a missed opportunity.

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1. SLIP/THROUGH - Dan February 26, 2016 at 9:13 pm
  
  I agree. The issue of light skin vs dark skin black people is still a prevalent issue within white communities AND black communities. It seems like Saldana is more light skinned, well I guess more like caramel pecan goodness 😉 I wonder if upon release there will be more controversy?
  
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