The Pains of Fame

To those peering into the windows of Fame, the yearnings for Fortune and exclusive privileges is intoxicating. However, the people residing in this sort of home only wish they could replace the glass walls with concrete.

The dangers that come with notoriety and fortune have been mentioned in a variety of movies. There are movies like Ray that focus on real-life figures who become addicts in order to cope with fame-related stress. Other movies, like Starry Eyes, follow the trials of fictitious characters whose insatiable appetites for money and attention lead them to exercise disagreeable practices like sacrificing fellow human beings. The common theme of all these movies is that fame solves some problems while worsening others.

The upcoming true story, Nina, is another movie that incorporates this theme. In this movie, a once-famous jazz musician/civil rights activist named Nina Simone (played by Ms. Zoe Saldana) meets a long-time fan named Clifton Henderson (played by David Oyelowo) in a rehabilitation center. With the assistance of Mr. Henderson, who later becomes her manager, she confronts her demons, as she prepares her return to the big stage.

If you do not know who Nina Simone is, you can read more about her on the Nina SimoneWiki Page. I also include a sample of her work called ‘To Love Somebody’.

Nina Simone: To Love Somebody

The aspect of the movie that differentiates it from other movies is that the main character is a jazz musician and civil rights activist. The typical characters portrayed in these kind of true-life, drug-related movies are actors, as well as rock and pop musicians. Jazz musicians are rarely considered by movie companies as entertaining enough to make a movie about. Let alone jazz musicians who were once active participants in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The decision by RLJ Entertainment to fund a movie like this will pay dividends in the long run.

Why? It is a great movie for a wide variety of viewers---musical enthusiasts, musicians, actors, women and activists alike. I wonder if Nina will sway politicians, actors and musicians to take a more proactive stance towards combating the kinds of addiction that come with fame and fortune. I guess we will have to wait until April 22, 2016 (when it hits U.S theaters) to find out. In the meantime, we will just have to make do with the trailer.

Nina Official Trailer #1 (2016) - Zoe Saldana, David Oyelowo Movie HD

Special thanks to MovieClips Trailer for sharing the trailer. Please show your appreciation to the company by visiting the MovieClips Trailer You Tube page and liking the trailer. Also, special thanks to Nina Simone fan-based Youtube page for sharing the song. Please go to the Nina Simone You Tube page and like the song as a show of appreciation. Until next time….