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From SeeingBlack.com Movies/TV
Of course, because of Jackson’s death due to cardiac arrest on June 25, and because his death was ruled a homicide, “This Is It” will be viewed by many of us with a heightened sense of double consciousness. How much was his reported use of drugs such as propofol and lorazepam impacting his energy, singing, dancing and concentration? What is edited out of the movie by the producers of his sold-out 50-city concert tour? Serious MJ fans may be less concerned with these questions than with the opportunity for this up-close portrait of the King of Pop as he rehearses his hit repertoire. And “This Is It” may give those of us who weren’t #1 fans an increased appreciation for what it means to be a pure entertainer—to be someone like Jackson who dedicates his life to musical, dance and video expression. Rehearsal footage is broken up by interviews with the dancers, singers, musicians, producers and technicians who served as Jackson’s final audience. Most of those interviewed are fawning and even reverent of Jackson but their comments are still evidence of his profound impact worldwide as a popular culture icon. The icon is a slim, very pale man with straightened hair pulled back into a ponytail. If I knew nothing about Michael Jackson and I was seeing him for the first time in this movie, I would not know he was a Black man—and some scenes might make me question his gender. I might have hints from his performances but Jackson, in his life and in this film, made his body and art into the physical manifestation of “We Are the World.” He could be anything or anybody. The visual appeal of “This Is It” is ratcheted up several notches by the inclusion of several new music videos that were in production for the tour. One video, a plea for the planet, offers an apocalyptic image of a rain forest destroyed by bulldozers. Another, for “Smooth Criminal” inserts Jackson into vintage Humphrey Bogart footage. The film also features the filming of several scenes for a new “Thriller” video. No expense seems to be spared in preparing for the worldwide tour. Though that tour never came to be, there is at least this document of how Michael Jackson was planning to wow the world one more time. Click here to post a comment or your own review. Read and search hundreds of reviews on SeeingBlack.com's Movies/TV channel and archive. You can order Esther Iverem's critically praised We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 (Thunder’s Mouth Press, April 2007)at Amazon.com or purchase at your favorite bookstore. It makes a wonderful gift! Thanks! Do you shop at Amazon? Please shop through our link and support SeeingBlack.com! © Copyright by SeeingBlack.com |
