Get On Up

The Godfather of Soul, James Brown

You knew it had to happen.  It’s been nearly eight years since the iconic “Godfather of Soul” singer performer James Brown passed.  The first-ever feature film, Get On Up, pays tribute to the singer.  Get On Up recently premiered at the historic Apollo Theater in New York City.  It’s hard to believe Brown’s career spanned six decades. The film takes us down memory land, reminding viewers of his larger-than-life performances, showmanship, intricate dance steps, pompadour hairstyles, and my favorite: his regal cape routine.

SPOILER ALERT

I forgot when I completed my first Nike Half-Marathon last year that music helped keep me motivated and cross the finish line to obtain my Tiffany necklace. However, little did I realize that my signature playlist or soundtrack included any James Brown music from the iTunes James Brown radio station. The James Brown station features other artists during the seventies, referred to as funk music. This is the music that helps motivate me to start and finish one hour nearly every day on my stationary bike.

To achieve 10,000 steps daily, I rediscovered my love of the music I grew up listening to—Mr. Dynamite is my motivation.

With interest, I read my daughter’s BFF at O, The Oprah Magazine Live Your Best Life  August article about the film.  Arianna’s article on James Brown broke down the numbers behind The Hardest Working Man in Show Business: 800 – The estimated number of songs in Brown’s catalog. 91 – Number of Brown’s hits that made the Billboard Hot 100 7 – Rumored number of pounds Brown could sweat off during a live show. 3 – Number of Brown’s alleged addictions: painkillers, PCP, and the Playboy Channel (for costume ideas of these dancers on stage) 14 – Number of karats in the gold plating on Brown’s casket

SPOILER ALERT:

Now, the movie Get On Up, the biopic about the Godfather of Soul, has been thirteen years in the making, with many changes to the storyline and directors. Spike Lee was the original director, replaced by The Help director Tate Taylor. Enter Mick Jagger, the producer who cleared all the key rights and read the script. Jagger partnered with producer Brian Glazer to get up on the filming of James Brown’s biopic.

The movie chronicled his humble beginnings, as well as his determination and perseverance to succeed despite only having a 7th-grade education. Thank God Brown sang way better than he spoke because many times during the movie, I couldn’t understand what he was saying with his southern drawl.

Handsome and relatively unknown actor Chadwick Boseman brings life to the film even though I thought Brown’s life was disjointedly presented.  It was hard to stay focused when the film moved back and forth between James being young and older to follow the storyline even (though important turning points were covered).  However, I must say Boseman mastered Brown’s mannerisms, especially the long walk to the concert he was performing in the red suit.

Brown’s best friend, Bobby Byrd, is well-portrayed by actor Nelson Ellis.  Viola Davis plays an excellent role as a mother to Brown with their estranged mother-son relationship because she abandons him as a child.  I love how Octavia Spencer, as the brothel-running auntie, spoke unique thoughts to James, inspiring him to be great despite his circumstances of living and rallying patrons for her.

The make-up and hair artist team should be commended for actor Boseman’s portrayal of Brown; Godfather of Soul owned the pompadour hair. The clothes accurately reflected his flashy lifestyle, band, and second wife, played by Jill Scott. Hats off to Sharen Davis, a costume designer known for her work on Django Unchained (2012), The Help (2011), and Looper (2012).

Get On Up included real-life parallels to his music that reflected the times in which he sang, especially during the civil rights movement. He boldly sang “Say It Loud – I’m  Black and Proud” during the turbulent civil rights era. Other notable songs included the following:

Get Up (Get Into It, Get Involved, Don’t Be a Dropout) During the 1960s, when dropout rates were high in African American communities, royalties from songs were donated to dropout prevention programs.

1968: He stopped a riot in Boston during the aftermath of the assassination of MLK  after three nights of violence in Boston- Brown provided a televised free city-wide concert in Boston to maintain public order. “We together, of we ain’t?” he said to the crowd as they started to get restless.

1968: Dashiki-clad Brown included young African American children in his song, “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.”

1968: He changed the rules when he asked then-president Lyndon B. Johnson to entertain the African American troops in Vietnam

The film included the good, the bad, and the ugly of James Brown’s life and career. Plans are in motion to turn the self-made man’s 60-acre estate on Beech Island, South Carolina, into a museum for educational tours. The public museum would be an excellent final tribute to Mr. Brown (who, at his death, was worth 100 million dollars).