

She sang the truth, she paid the price
September 30, 2020
1h 36m
EN
James Erskine
‘Lady Day’ was one of the greatest jazz vocalists the world ever heard. In 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Before her mysterious death in 1978, Lipnack Kuehl had taped over 200 hours of interviews. The tapes have never been heard. Now they form the basis of an atmospheric, multi-layered documentary that captures the many complex facets of a proud black woman, violent drug addict, loyal friend, vindictive lover and unforgettable singer of ‘God Bless The Child’, ‘Saddest Tale’ and the haunting ‘Strange Fruit’.

Billie Holiday
self

Tony Bennett
self

Count Basie
self



James Erskine
23
Charles Mingus
self

Altitude Film Entertainment
GB

New Black Films
GB
REP Documentary
GB

Concord Originals
US

BBC Music
GB

Belga Productions
BE

Polygram Entertainment
US