Showtime Pic Knew 'Bojangles'
By LINDA HAUGSTED -- Multichannel News, 2/5/2001
Actor-dancer Gregory Hines adds an extra hyphen to his title-for executive producer-with Showtime's Bojangles, a superlative biopic on the life of tap legend Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
The dancer-who died in 1949 and was accorded one of the largest funerals in New York history-lived a fascinating life, as scriptwriter Robert Johnson retells with both sympathy and harsh scrutiny.
Robinson is probably best known for his tap duets with Shirley Temple in the films that the tot headlined. But he was a groundbreaking performer.
As a vaudevillian in the 1920s, he was the first African-American performer to demand to be allowed to perform solo, without burnt cork on his face. He was also scorned later in life for his inability to demand film roles more dignified than those of butlers or slaves.
Filmed simply with a competent cast, his story would be compelling. But the filmmakers also apply visual tricks that add creativity to the tale.
The movie begins with footage of the great man's funeral, including a procession that extended from Manhattan through Harlem and passed an estimated 1.5 million people. Live action is superimposed on the newsreel footage.
Characters include his agent, Marty Forkins (Peter Riegert), and Robinson's long-suffering first wife, Fannie (Kimberly Elise), who offer their varied memories of the performer.
Another dynamite cinematic gambit is a shot-for-shot recreation of another piece of historical film, that of Robinson on the stage doing his famous stair-step tap routine. If you don't appreciate the effort Hines took to get it right, stay through the movie's credits: the sequence is run again, next to Robinson's original. You can enjoy two generations of masterly footwork.
Though the filmmakers' affection for their subject is obvious, Robinson's flaws are not hidden. He was a self-destructive gambler with an abusive temper and womanizer. But he was also a hell of a dancer who didn't deserve to die broke. Hines does a masterful job inhabiting his skin and reanimating his art.
Bonjangles has already debuted on Showtime. Repeat showings will air Feb. 7 at 8 p.m and Feb. 19 at 1:35 p.m.
