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Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

Drama · TV Movie · 1999

An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy still struggled with the challenge of her color, in a time that wouldn't let some stars in by the front door. Yet against the odds she beat out many more famous rivals for the role of "Carmen Jones", becoming the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Marriages and affairs would break her heart, but her heart was strong. Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star - with all the glory and all the pain of being loved, abused, cheated, glorified, undermined and undefeated. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings. Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandrige.

Movie details

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

“Right woman. Right place. Wrong time.”

1999 Drama · TV Movie 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.0 / 10

4K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

83 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy still struggled with the challenge of her color, in a time that wouldn't let some stars in by the front door. Yet against the odds she beat out many more famous rivals for the role of "Carmen Jones", becoming the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Marriages and affairs would break her heart, but her heart was strong. Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star - with all the glory and all the pain of being loved, abused, cheated, glorified, undermined and undefeated. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings. Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandrige.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Introducing Dorothy Dandridge?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Martha Coolidge

Written by

Scott Abbott · Shonda Rhimes

Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Dorothy Dandridge

Brent Spiner

Brent Spiner

Earl Mills

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Otto Preminger

Obba Babatundé

Obba Babatundé

Harold Nicholas

Loretta Devine

Loretta Devine

Ruby Dandridge

Cynda Williams

Cynda Williams

Vivian Dandridge

LaTanya Richardson Jackson

LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Auntie

Court is in session

Put Introducing Dorothy Dandridge on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.