Chadwick Boseman's swan song 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' trailer debuts on Netflix; watch

Late actor Chadwick Boseman's final film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom has released its first trailer giving us a glimpse into the 1920s in the US which was characterized by the 'Jazz age' otherwise. The trailer shows the struggles of black recording artists, especially in the face of brutal prejudices in the society, where Academy Award-winning actor Viola Davis plays the role of Ma Rainey, a trailblazing blues artist of the time, finds challenges in the ambitious trumpeter of her own band, Levee (played by Boseman) who changes the old-fashioned blues with a contemporary spin.

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The trailer of the film shows Viola Davis as a domineering and a rather unsparing character while Boseman's onscreen presence speaks of determination to go against the current, much like the late actor did. The film was reportedly shot in Pittsburgh in July and August 2019 while the late actor was going through treatment for colon cancer. Chadwick Boseman's death at the age of 43  in August this year came as a shock to his fans, who revered him as 'Black Panther' in the Marvel superhero films because he managed to hide the diagnosis and treatment of advanced cancer from everyone. His performance as Levee in the Netflix film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, therefore, has an added sentimental value for audiences across the world.

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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set in 1927 Chicago, centering on the tension and conflict between Rainey and the white ownership of the clubs where she performed. Boseman’s character is Levee, who is fictitious, but Rainey was one of the first Black professional blues singers, and also one of the first blues artists to record her performances. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was one of her hit recordings, written for a dance by the same name.

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Based on August Wilson’s award-winning 1984 stage play, the Netflix adaptation is directed by George C. Wolfe and it premieres December 18 on Netflix. The story is the second of 10 plays in Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle,” which explores the Black American experience of the 20th century in multiple decades. Apart from Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, the Netflix film also features Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Glynn Turman, Dusan Brown, and Taylour Paige.

Have a look at the trailer here:

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