I must have seen a trailer for this documentary film at the cinema, there were clips and pictures that were familiar when I looked it up, I was most interested in the person focused on anyway. Basically, it follows the life and career of singer, songwriter, and actress Tina Turner, widely referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll". It only goes a little into her childhood, she was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee in poverty, picking cotton with her family, and she gained her love of music and singing in the church choir at Nutbush's Spring Hill Baptist Church. It focuses much more on her adulthood, meeting Ike Turner performing with his band the Kings of Rhythm at the Manhattan Club in East St. Louis. Ike asked her to sing and was impressed with her vocal ability, and became a featured vocalist with his band, eventually becoming a star of the show. Tina's name, which was trademarked, was inspired by Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and her stage persona was inspired by Nyoka the Jungle Girl. Ike & Tina Turner became successful, with the help of Phil Spector, and "River Deep - Mountain High" became a huge hit, and Tina married Ike in 1962. Obviously, Tina suffered 16 years of mental, physical, and sexual abuse by Ike, who was heavily addicted to cocaine, but felt loyal to him from a business point of view. She also turned to the Buddhist-Baptist religion to help her cope with what she went through, and was able occasionally to fight back, but continued to suffer. Finally, in 1978, Tina escaped from Ike, filing for divorce, with Ike retaining all the rights, royalties, and several possessions, she only requested that would keep her stage name. Over the net few years, Tina made numerous television appearances to establish herself as a solo artist, and eventually revealing the pain and suffering she experienced in her relationship with Ike in a magazine. Tina finally achieved her career resurgence in the early 1980s, with her albums achieving record sales, with hit songs including "What's Love Got to Do with It" (previously recorded by Bucks Fizz) and "Private Dancer", and winning many accolades, including Grammys. Tina also went on to become an actress, appearing in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and the story of her life with Ike becoming a movie, What's Love Got to Do with It, starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. It ends with Tina Turner content with her retirement, aged 81, and a live performance from a few years ago of probably her greatest and most recognisable hit, "The Best". With contributions from Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey, Kurt Loder, and many others in the music industry, and family and friends. This story is told with great use of archive footage and pictures, it is fascinating to find out things you may not now about her, before and after her time with Ike, and her achievements in middle age and further, and obviously the songs included are great listening, it is a terrific and interesting documentary. Very good!

I have to adnit that I never really cared to know a lot about Tina Turner. Don't get me wrong, I love her songs as much as any other individual. But that was as far as I was interested - with this documentary about her life - well it wet my appetite to watch the biopic with Angela Bassett who played her many years ago.

Curious to see how that holds up to this one. And this one does not hold back when it comes to her demons. Inner ones but also in form of Ike Turner. There is so much here - a lot will be tough to swallow, especially if you never heard about the abusive relationship and the hold he had over her. Of course he sees things differently as (recorded) interviews with him clearly show.

Tina herself but a lot of other people who know her best (including her mother) have something to say about her. And all is interesting. The pace and the structure of the documentary is also really well done. If you only have the slightest interest (or none as was the case with me, but like her songs),you'll have something really engaging to watch right here.

"Interviewees are limited to a few true insiders, although no one can refuse Oprah waxing lyrical about Tina. The footage of Tina belting out her signature songs has that infectiously raw affection and bears out why Tina is a born superstar on stage, she pulls out all her emotion into her songs, energizes them without restraint, and where does her endless energy comes from? It also controverts the conception that she owes Ike for her career, because she can shine whenever and wherever, give that woman a stage, she is the queen, indomitable, irresistible and utterly genuine."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.