Martha Coolidge

(In French, On Cable TV, October 2020) Halle Berry was clearly making a bid for respectability in made-for-HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, so closely was she trying to be Dandridge in this feel-bad biography. As an observer of Classic Hollywood and a confirmed fan of Dandridge’s rare but precious appearances on the big screen, this film was a bit of a sour treat for me—While it often delivers a credible portrait of Classic Hollywood on a modest budget, it also portrays a few beloved figures with scorn for what they did to Dandridge… and it’s hard to disagree. First up, though: Berry is magnificent as Dandridge, one of the first black actresses to earn some renown in 1950s Hollywood. It certainly helps that director Martha Coolidge goes out of her way to re-enact as much of Dandridge’s highlights as she can—watch these scene comparisons for proof. As one would expect, the film does confront the racism that Dandridge encountered—both overt and more pernicious. The film’s biggest criticisms are reserved for two figures that I respect a lot for their film work—Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers dancing duo) for abusing and cheating on Dandridge, and director Otto Preminger for taking Dandridge as a mistress and giving her terrible career advice. All of this is factual—but not exactly glorious for both men. More annoyingly, the film definitely takes a “Dandridge never did anything wrong” approach that closely espouses its progressive values… but seems unsatisfying in explaining Dandridge’s progressive fade and untimely death. Still, buoyed by Berry’s performance, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is a film well worth watching—after all, it’s the closest we’ll ever get to seeing a new Dandridge performance.