'What's Love Got to Do With It?' Needs No Hero

What's Love Got to Do With it?

at the Harvard film archive

April 25, 1994 5;30 p.m.

I was thumbing through a pile of magazines recently, and a curious advertisement for No-Nonsense pantyhose caught my eye. In the middle of the full-page ad floated a sharp-looking image of Tina Turner encapsulated in a women's symbol. The print on the bottom of the ad read, "No-Nonsense American Woman of the Month: To Tina Turner, legendary performer and survivor, for proving that when a woman has talent, strength, guts and courage--nothing can beat her!" Why does Tina Turner exemplify the qualities celebrated by the No-Nonsense Women's Political Caucus advertising committee? A few well-spent hours watching "What's Love Got To Do With it" will provide a substantial answer.

The film, directed by Brain Gibson, is a what-she-went-through-to get-where-she-is chronicle of the professional and personal life of the renowned star. It is a justifiably sympathetic portrayal of a talented woman's inner journey to find her strength of character. The screenplay which is based upon the autobiography I, Tina, traces Turner's rise to stardom through the partnership with her husband, Ike. The book explains how she survived Ike's abusive behavior using her belief in Buddhist spirituality, and recounts the circumstances that taught her to stand on her own both mentally and professionally.

As the movie's title suggests, the film draws a strong link between Ms. Turner's personal and public life. Ike makes Tina think that he is the sole reason for her success. When his drug addiction leads him to acts of violence, Tina is cowed in fear because she subconsciously worries how she will cope with her career without Ike's guidance. The simultaneous growth in both her personal and professional self-confidence enables her to assert her independence.

This film could easily have degenerated into a sensationalist docudrama of Turner's life. Instead, the adapted screenplay displays keen insight into the struggle that comes whit the increasing responsibilities of any fastpaced career. The cleverness of the film comes from this appeal to an audience broader than Tina Turner fans and voyeurs of the rich and famous. It convinces the audience that any one of us could be Tina Turner; one doesn't need to have to be a rock star or have an abusive relationship to understand the complications that a lack of self-esteem can bring to a person's career or personal life. This important discussion underscores that the narrative is important in its own right as well as being an effective vehicle for describing the tumultuous life of a legendary star.

The plot is somewhat predictable and melodramatic, though many of the relationship scenes are poignant. The performance scenes, however, are explosively energetic and entertaining. The film's highlight is the cultural whirlwind tour of the music and fashion of the decades it encompasses. The aesthetic experience generated by the fantastic wigs, glittery and sleek costumes, the recognizable tunes and the panoramic views of the concerts make this film one of the most visually creative of the year.

This film makes a statement by removing the viewers from the seats of the concert audience. The director not only shows us the personal dynamics of Tina and Ike on stage but allows us to see the way their audiences responded to them. The film's camera angle describes Turner's enthusiasm and personal commitment to music by showing us the relations between the performers, the music, the choreography and the audience that we could not appreciate if the performance scenes had been a smaller segment of the movie.

Angela Bassett's performance as Tina Turner was one of the year's finest dramatic performances. The character demanded an more than-20 years evolution in Ms. Turner's life. At the beginning of the movie she portrays the unsophisticated and naive Anaa Mae, who eagerly allows herself to be taken under Ike's wing. As the film progresses, Bassett flawlessly displays Turner's blossoming performances-consciousness and ultimately her development into a self-confident woman who knows her true worth as both a musician and a human being. At different stages in her life, Turner is supposed to look and act like completely different people; Bassett meets this challenge.

Ike is a less complex character to portray, but Lawrence Fishburne's performances is no less believable. His dual nature as wife beater taskmaster , and needy husband are clearly conveyed. The irony of their parallel fears--his fear of his wife's success and overarching name recognition and Tina's own trepidation that come with the increasing responsibilities--is cleverly evoked through the acting, the screenplay and the director's choreography of the dialogue.

The sole disappointment is that the movie ends just when Tina Turner's post-transformation career was getting under way. One of the last scenes shows like threatening Tina at gunpoint in the dressing room before a performance. She coolly tells him she is not afraid of him anymore and that he would not have the guts to her. The movie ends with Tina's climactic assertion of her independence from Ike. I found this frustrating because I was left to wonder for myself who Tina Turner developed into after her liberation.

As a whole, the film's positive outlook and general optimism reinforce the catchy slogan No Nonsense is, after all, No Nonsense. This film of Tina's personal odyssey tells the story of how people come to respect themselves. For this reason, "What's Love Got To Do With It" deserves the status of cinematic epic.