Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami is a 2017 biographical documentary film about Jamaican singer Grace Jones, directed by Sophie Fiennes. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently met with generally favorable reviews.
| Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami | |
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UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sophie Fiennes |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Grace Jones |
| Cinematography | Remko Schnorr |
| Edited by | Sophie Fiennes |
| Music by | Ivor Guest |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Trafalgar Releasing (UK) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
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The film's title references the red light that illuminates in a recording studio when an artist is in the process of recording, which Sly and Robbie would refer to as "bloodlight" when working with Jones, as well as bami, a traditional Jamaican flatbread.[1][2]
Background edit
Grace Jones and Sophie Fiennes first met at the screening of a 2002 film about Noel Jones' church, Hoover Street Revival, which Fiennes had directed.[3] The two sparked a connection and decided to make a documentary together, which would end up being over twelve years in the making,[2] interrupted by Jones completing her band and working on a memoir, and Fiennes' pregnancy and other film projects.[3]
The documentary follows Jones as she is visiting her family in Jamaica, recording the Hurricane album, and touring internationally, including in Paris and New York City. Interwoven into the film is also concert footage, with live performances of "Slave to the Rhythm", "Williams' Blood", "This Is", "Warm Leatherette", "Nipple to the Bottle", "Pull Up to the Bumper", and "Love Is the Drug".
Release edit
The film premiered on 7 September 2017 in Canada at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival.[4] It was subsequently screened at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt,[5] Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland,[6] Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in Brazil,[7] Doclisboa in Portugal,[8] and Film Fest Gent in Belgium,[9] among others. In the UK, the film premiered on 25 October at the BFI Southbank,[10] followed by its cinema release on 27 October 2017.[11]
The documentary continued its run of festival screenings, premiering in Italy at Torino Film Festival in November 2017, in Norway at Tromsø International Film Festival in January 2018, in Denmark at CPH:DOX in March,[12] and in Turkey at International Istanbul Film Festival in April, among others. It was then released in the US, debuting in New York on 13 and Los Angeles on 20 April 2018.[13] In May, the film was presented at Docaviv in Israel, Docs Against Gravity in Poland,[14] and Beat Film Festival in Russia in May.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami was released in the DVD and Blu-ray formats[15] as well as digital platforms such as iTunes Store and Netflix throughout 2018.[16][17] The physical release reached no. 2 on the UK Music Video Chart.[18]
Reception edit
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami met with generally favorable reviews. It has an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes[19] and holds a weighted average of 75/100 on Metacritic.[20] In a The Big Issue review, it was referred to as "bold and fascinating".[21] Los Angeles Times praised the film as a "rich, delicate tapestry of a life, where each thread is lovingly woven together to create a full picture".[22] Fiennes' approach was described as "cinematic and rousing"[23] as well as "moving and revealing".[24]
In a more mixed review, The Independent stated that the documentary is "fascinating and enjoyable" yet without explanatory voice-over or archive footage, it only gives "half a picture of its subject", leaving the audience to "clamour for more information".[25] Similarly, Empire referred to it as an "engaging, visually striking" and "fitting tribute to a music icon", but opined that it is "only partially successful" in an "attempt to uncover the 'real' Grace Jones".[26] Some reviewers also described the film as "devoid of backstory, context"[27] or "background of any kind".[28]
References edit
- ^ "In conversation with... Grace Jones, on Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". YouTube. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Grace Jones on Her 12-Year Documentary and Studio 54 Antics". YouTube. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Grace Jones & Sophie Fiennes | 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' Q&A". YouTube. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Greg Evans (5 September 2017). "'Grace Jones' Trailer: Pic Opens Toronto Docs Section". Deadline.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Maha El Nabawi (28 September 2017). "El Gouna Film Festival: Egypt's new annual film fest gets underway". www.thenationalnews.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Giorgia Del Don (15 September 2017). "Zurich Film Festival honours women". cineuropa.org. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Felipe Ribeiro (28 September 2017). "Festival do Rio 2017: Confira quais filmes estão concorrendo ao Prêmio Félix" (in Portuguese). www.adorocinema.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". www.doclisboa.org. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Archived: Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". www.filmfestival.be. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Alistair Foster (26 October 2017). "Grace Jones jumps around dressed as a bush for red carpet premiere of her new documentary". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Carmen Gray (21 October 2017). "Sexism and the music doc: 'Grace Jones has had her 15 minutes'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Anastasia Shekshnya (9 February 2018). "CPH:DOX reveals the music programme for 2018!". cphdox.dk. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Wilson Morales (9 April 2018). "Clips To Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami, In Theaters April 13". www.blackfilm.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami – 15. Festiwal Filmowy Millennium Docs Against Gravity". docsag.pl. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Search Results | HMV Store". hmv.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Is 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' on Netflix UK? Where to Watch the Documentary". newonnetflix.info. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50: 04 March 2018 - 10 March 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Edward Lawrenson (27 October 2017). "Bloodlight and Bami, review – a glimpse behind the mask of Grace Jones". The Big Issue. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Katie Walsh (19 April 2018). "Review: 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' delivers textured profile of music/fashion icon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Fionnuala Halligan (8 September 2017). "'Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami': Toronto Review". www.screendaily.com. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Olly Richards; Dan Cairns (29 October 2017). "Film reviews: Breathe; Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Geoffrey Macnab (26 October 2017). "Film reviews round-up: Call Me By Your Name, Grace Jones documentary Bloodlight And Bami". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Liz Beardsworth (23 October 2017). "Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami Review". Empire. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Kevin Maher (27 October 2017). "Film review: Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". The Times. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ G. Allen Johnson (26 April 2018). "Cinema-verite direction gets in the way of showing the true Grace Jones". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
External links edit
- Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami at IMDb