Get On Up
Not the biggest fan of James Brown’s music (with some notable
exceptions) I approached the biopic ‘Get On Up’ with something less than
enthusiasm. The prospect of two and a half hours in the company of the
self-professed “Godfather of Soul” - played here by the superb Chadwick Bose – was
a bit daunting. I have to say, however, that I actually found this a gripping
and eminently watchable film from which I learned a lot about the man and his
music and why he was to become one of the most influential musical figures of
the 20th century.
Growing up in a Georgia backwater, Brown’s early life was
impoverished. Son of an abusive father and negligent mother, the effectively parentless
Brown was brought up by a brothel-owning aunt and learned early to look out for
himself. This independence, coupled with
a talent for alienating people who didn’t conform to his expectations, is a
theme that runs through the film. Predictably Brown ends up on the wrong side
of the tracks and in regular trouble with the law. Released on parole after one
of several jail terms, Brown is taken in by the family of Bobby Byrd, the man
who was to become a fellow bandsman and, as it turns out, his ‘trusty lieutenant’ for many years. By
this time his musical talent, honed in the gospel music of the local church,
was becoming evident. As his career reaches ever greater heights, Brown becomes
even more uncompromising. The film pulls no punches in portraying him as a
violent, manipulative man, bullying both his fellow bandsmen and the women in
his life. An emotionally disconnected perfectionist, this was a man who clearly
did not like being upstaged.
Though generally well received, some critics of this film have
been disturbed by the omission of certain aspects of Brown’s life: his drug use
(merely incidental in the film) and the issue of race, which barely raises its
head. Anyone who knows a bit about 1960s America will be aware of the major
part Brown played in raising black consciousness and this is underplayed here.
As if in lip service, Brown is shown quelling a race riot which threatens to
explode following the assassination of Martin Luther King, but the scene, in my
opinion, is not handled particularly well. There has also been much made of the
film’s apparently ‘scattershot chronology’. In fact, I had no difficulty
navigating my way through the various snapshot scenes and
(uncharacteristically!) was never confused by what was happening and when.
Though there were many flashbacks the narrative was clearly delineated with key
points in Brown’s career punctuating the film’s action. A small number of
critics were completely underwhelmed by the movie. The Guardian’s Tom Shone
calls it a “dreary rags to riches plod”. Hrmm..
I’m not sure dreary is a word I would use.
So, what were Get On Up’s good points? For me James Brown’s music
(rather than the tawdry facts of his life story) was the driving force
throughout. The concert scenes were very authentic and the dancing superb –
Boseman apparently spent between 5 and 8 hours a day for 6 weeks solid
practising the moves. Much of the acting was superb - I particularly liked the
long-suffering character of Bobby, played brilliantly by Nelsan Ellis, while Boseman
perfectly captures the singer’s voice (an at times almost impossible to
decipher Southern twang!), mannerisms and even his walk. There are also several
genuinely touching scenes: Brown’s backstage meeting with his mother (and her
pathetic admission of her inadequacies) towards the end of the film and the
scene in which Brown sings ‘I Need You’ a capella to his friend Bobby – surely
proof of a chink of humanity?
In all, I would say the film did its job, Chadwick Bose was
excellent - though for me still not up there with Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray
Charles - and for the light it shines on Brown and what motivated him, this was
a creditable portrayal of a volatile but, some would say, brilliant musician.
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