CLASSIC WHITNEY, DYNAMIC ZOE

A cleaned up concert film and a brilliant new musical are both upcoming

Back when I worked in the writer’s room of ‘The Get Down,’ Baz Luhrmann gave a talk on the use of musical sequences in film. The director of ‘Moulin Rouge’ and other musical based projects said any musical sequence shouldn’t go over ninety seconds without advancing the plot. These musical sequences have to move the story forward or they shouldn’t be there. The best sequences in that Netflix series did just that.

I thought of Baz’s dictate while watching Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Perez’ at a screening earlier this week. The musical, which has been the toast of the festival circuit. starts with a scene of a young attorney played by Zoe Saldana crafting an opening statement for her boss. As she sits at a outdoor counter writing the streets of Mexico City come alive and Zoe joins a sea of dancers as she works at her computer, while bemoaning her role in getting a slimy husband off for murdering his wife. This scene establishes the tone and style of ‘Emilia Perez,’ as well as giving us access to the inner life of Zoe’s chaacter who will be our guide through a world of cartels, sex changes and Mexican national trauma.

Audiard, who’s made several exceptional films (A Prophet in 2009, Rust and Bone in 2012 are my favorites), tops himself with a masterful musical which asks “Does changing out external appearance change our soul?” Saldana, who’s been in alien make up in several high profile franchises, here is extraordinary as a singer, dancer and dramatic actress. Absolutely the best work of her career. Trans actress Karla Sofia Gascon is a revelation in a dual role and Selena Gomez proves, again, that there can be a rich artistic life after being a teen idol. ‘Emilia Perez’ is the best film I’ve seen this year. It drops on Netflix next month but will have a theatrical run before that. Do your self a favor and catch it on a big screen.

Karla Sofia Gascon, Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana, the lead actresses of EMILIA PEREZ.

Director Jacques Audiard and his interpreter at a NYC screening of his film EMILIA PEREZ.

Whitney Houston’s life has become the stuff of tabloaid fodder and exploitive documentaries. A cleaned up and remastered concert film puts the focus back on why we care - she was one of the greatest vocalist in pop music history. ‘Whitney Houston: The Concert for A New South Africa,’ shot in Durban in 1994, gives us the singer at the height of her powers, turning pop ballads into vehicles for her impressive range and blowing through dance numbers with bravado. There’s a rich husky quality to her voice that brings gravity to songs that would otherwise float away. She takes a song like “Run To Me” from the ‘Bodyguard’ sound track and makes it a journey through the highs and lows of her vocal range. Listening to Whitney in this concert I heard echoes of other singers (Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Luther Vandross) in a turn of phrase or a riff, but all funneled through her lens and her remarkable instrument. There’s no one in contemporary music today who give comes close to the control and passion of Whitney. And, truth be told, very few others back in the day. Quite simply — what a voice!

This concert film will have theatrical screens around the world later this month, and recordings of the event will be released in multiple formats.