Entertainment

Film Review: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’

Published

11 years ago

June 25, 2015

By Dwight Brown
NNPA Film Critic

Sometimes artistry and insanity are so intertwined you can’t distinguish between them. That was the challenge for singer Nina Simone; dealing with worldwide fame and a madness she couldn’t shake. As you look back at her life, from a child prodigy, to a dinner theater piano crooner, to renown recording artist and a sufferer of mental illness, the mystique of Nina Simone wanes and the reality of her life comes into view. For those who loved her music, but knew something was wrong with her, questions are answered and mysterious demons put to rest thanks to this thoroughly enlightening documentary.

Born in 1933 in Tryon, N.C., by age 4, Eunice Kathleen Waymor was playing Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy. Her talent came naturally, her virtuosity honed by practicing almost all day. In her hometown, mentors collected money so she could afford lessons. She played in her Sunday church choir. As she looked for a higher education, her hope was to study at a prestigious music school, but her application was turned down. She thought she was rebuffed because she was Black, and that slight/humiliation caused an anger that festered for years.

Eunice found herself playing piano in a club in Atlantic City to make ends meet. When the owner insisted that she sing, she obliged, fine-tuning a deep contralto that would be her signature sound. Around that time, she became Nina Simone. Record deals, touring, marrying a NYPD sergeant named Andy Stroud who would become her manager/music producer – it all helped her career evolve. But there was always something troubling her. Fits of anger, lots of it focused on her daughter Lisa; rage at inattentive audiences. She became a militant and a composer of protest songs during the ‘60s Civil Rights Movement. Then was estranged from the United States, with stints in Barbados, Liberia and Europe. Nina Simone left behind her a trail of personal chaos, yet fans flocked to see their Nina.

Veteran documentarian Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA), with cinematographer Igor Martinovic and editor Joshua L. Pearson, pulls you into the brilliant storm that is Simone very early in the film’s opening sequences. The music. The lady. The voice. The masterful piano playing. The spirit. Quickly, from never-before-heard audiotapes recorded over 30 years, through archival footage, interviews with her daughter, her booking agent and the chanteuse herself, you feel as if you are in the presence of greatness. You go on the emotional rollercoaster that was her life. Her intelligence is evident in every frame. The mental illness that consumes her becomes more and more pronounced as the footage rolls on. It’s awkward. Off-putting. Scary. Yet, you’re glued to the screen.

Sometimes it is the juxtaposition of the diametrically opposed parts of her life that are the most intriguing. The contradictions: Simon performs on Hugh Hefner’s short-lived TV series Playboy’s Penthouse; with the sophistication of an opera singer, she sings “I Love You Porgy” to a room full of nattily dressed White people. Frames later, she’s at a militant political rally talking about killing Whites as if it was just a forgone conclusion.

There is something so enthralling and yet sad about this nightingale who purred through jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop, singing her hits: “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” “Sinnerman,” “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” “To Be Young Gifted and Black”… Legends like Nina aren’t suppose to die…

“What makes me happiest, is when I’m performing and people out there feel me and I touch them,” Simone said to a room full of fans. Through What Happened, Miss Simone? fans can still feel her.

Visit NNPA Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

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Oakland Post: Week of October 7 – 13, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

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October 4, 2026

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From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

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2 weeks ago

September 27, 2026

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Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”