Back To Black hopes to remind audiences that Amy Winehouse was a talent not just a tragedy
Take a peek at how Back To Black is trying to revive Amy Winehouse's reputation.
Sam Taylor-Johnson, who is the director of the upcoming biographical movie about the late Amy Winehouse, called Back to Black, is aiming to restore the power of the incredible singer through this film.
According to Yahoo UK, the director of Nowhere Boy and Fifty Shades of Grey expressed that the focus on the tragedy and the feelings of the woman being a victim were becoming more important than understanding her as an individual.
In 2011, Amy Winehouse, a highly praised musician and lyricist, died at the young age of 27 due to alcohol poisoning. Since then, her father, Mitch Winehouse, has been portrayed as the antagonist in the press and accused of being a significant factor in her tragic demise.
Mitch spoke out against the documentary Amy directed by Asif Kapadia in 2015. He told The Guardian that the filmmakers aimed to portray him in a negative way. However, Mitch gave his support to Back to Black, which highlights his daughter as the main focus of the documentary. It portrays her as a talented musician with a love for jazz, and it tells the story of her life cut short by tragic circumstances.
At the 2008 Grammy Awards, Mitch Winehouse was seen with his daughter Amy Winehouse. She had been nominated for six categories and remarkably won five of them. The occasion was captured in photos by Getty Images for NARAS.
According to Back to Black producer Alison Owen, it was high time for a movie to showcase Amy's musical legacy from her own perspective.
In my opinion, Amy was the most exceptional musical prodigy of the current century. However, the sad event of her demise had overshadowed her extraordinary musical abilities. Our intention is to bring the focus back to her music and help people reminisce about her remarkable talent and achievements.
The unfortunate picture of her had gained popularity in society, and we aimed to eliminate it and inject energy into the music.
According to Back To Black producer, Alison Owens, Amy is the most exceptional musician of the current century.
As a result, any characters who could be seen as 'bad guys' in the movie do not receive a lot of attention. Although it can be observed that the individuals around Amy made errors- including her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, portrayed by Jack O'Connell in the film- they are depicted as having imperfections, being oblivious at times, and even naive instead of being intentionally malevolent or serving their own interests.
Eddie Marsan, who portrays Mitch Winehouse, states that the film does not depict Mitch or Blake as villains. However, it does not try to glamorize their actions either. The movie highlights the errors made by these characters. Nevertheless, the story is narrated from Amy's point of view, which allows viewers to understand why she fell in love with Blake and why she cherished her dad. According to Marsan, this approach honors Amy and is more profound than painting characters as either completely good or bad.
The film Back To Black features Marisa Abela portraying Amy Winehouse, while Eddie Marsan takes on the role of Mitch Winehouse. This film is produced by Studiocanal.
Have you ever noticed that when something terrible happens, like the death of a beloved person such as Amy, we tend to point fingers and assign blame? According to Marsan, this could be because of the deep impact that person had on our lives. Losing someone who was so significant creates a shared feeling of distress and sorrow.
Eddie Marsan, the actor portraying Mitch Winehouse in the movie "Back To Black," clarifies that the film does not portray Mitch or Blake as the villain while also not hiding any flaws they may have.
When you experience a traumatic event, a helpful strategy is to construct a story that helps you understand what happened. In cases of a particular type of trauma, it can be comforting to assign blame to someone – believing that if your daughter marries someone like Blake, or if you behave like Mitch is supposedly expected to behave, then you can avoid experiencing the same trauma that you or your family member experienced. This brings a sense of comfort and reassurance.
In 2007, Amy Winehouse attended the Coachella Music Festival with her partner Blake Fielder-Civil. A picture was taken of them during the event by Michael Buckner.
However, Marsan explains that addiction doesn't operate in a predictable manner. It's haphazard, it lacks order, it's tumultuous, and merciless. We've all gone to school with individuals who went on to accomplish great things in college and have an admirable lifestyle, but unfortunately, their sibling perished due to addiction.
We are all familiar with those tales. They always have devoted guardians, so that's not quite how addiction operates. What I admire about this movie is how it portrays addiction as the antagonist, alongside the intrusive paparazzi.
Matt Greenhalgh, the writer of the movie scripts for highly regarded music biopics like Nowhere Boy (which centered on the teenage years of John Lennon) and Control (which was about the lead singer of Joy Division, Ian Curtis), expressed that the team behind his latest project aimed to avoid causing any more distress to the family involved.
The condition of addiction is unpredictable, not predetermined, disordered, unkind and unforgiving. Eddie Marsan, known for his portrayal of Mitch Winehouse in the film Back To Black, describes addiction as a tumultuous and challenging experience.
Everyone involved in the film wanted to ensure that Mitch and Amy's mother Janis approved of the project. However, it remains unclear to what extent Mitch participated in the process, despite his support.
Alison Owen stated that Mitch and Janis were equally engaged in the family's discussion, as they desired to hear their recollections. However, they did not possess any legal or contractual authority to approve or disapprove.
It is a natural and polite desire to want to ensure that everyone is pleased with the concept, and I believe they recognized that we were genuine Amy enthusiasts who had everyone's well-being in mind, which made us the ideal individuals for the task at hand.
Check out the preview for Back To Black.
According to Taylor-Johnson, having Mitch or Janis involved in the making of Back to Black was not required as the music rights were already secured. However, it was deemed crucial to honor Amy's family by involving them in the process.
Taylor-Johnson explains that she was producing a movie about their daughter. She met Mitch and Janis to listen to their stories and invited them to visit the set on a filming day. However, it was crucial for her to have creative control over the film and not involve anyone else, including the studio. So she made it clear that this was the film she was making, and she would shut out any external interference.
It was crucial for me during the creative process because once you begin to listen to the opinions of others, it can greatly impact your perspective on how you capture characters and scenes. Therefore, I had to assert myself by informing everyone that I'm the one in charge of making this movie.
Marisa Abela and Sam Taylor-Johnson were spotted on the set of Back To Black. (Studiocanal)
Marsan discovered that Mitch's participation was significantly advantageous. He could interrogate him extensively (he chuckled and said, "I was quite a nuisance, to be honest" ) about his upbringing, relatives, ancestors, and numerous other topics. He even requested snapshots of his alma mater, as well as information on his preferred eatery and the location of the nearby cinema.
Marsan stated that he is more of a researcher than an actor. Additionally, he shared that the person he portrayed in a film provided him with a playlist of their childhood music. Marsan also requested that the same person sing Fly Me to the Moon so that he could replicate their voice for the movie.
He displayed an immense amount of generosity and possessed a high level of self-awareness. Additionally, he was exceptionally candid and truthful in his actions. He did not desire for the film to portray him in a sanitized manner as it would not benefit Amy in any way. However, he also did not wish to be depicted as a demon.
Mitch does not wish for the film to portray him in a censored or polished manner according to Eddie Marsan, the actor who portrays him in Back To Black.
Marsan takes immense pride in the fact that Back to Black not only pays tribute to Amy, but also draws attention to addiction problems through the medium of film.
Marsan states that Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous incorporate anonymity into their recovery programs for good reason. This is because privacy is necessary for people to heal and overcome their addictions. Unfortunately, Amy never had the chance to experience this benefit.
The paparazzi constantly chased and shamed her while she battled addiction... My desire for this movie is for it to cultivate empathy towards those who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. That's my wish.
On the 12th of April, Back to Black will be showing in cinemas across the United Kingdom.
Discover More About Back To Black
In a recent post from the Independent, it was reported that Billie Piper revealed how Amy Winehouse was being bullied when she was in school. According to Piper, who was a close friend of the late singer, Winehouse experienced a lot of hardship during her childhood, especially in school where she was often ridiculed by her peers. Piper's claims have sparked a lot of discussion on social media, with many people expressing their sympathy for Winehouse and their disdain for those who bullied her. Despite the fact that Winehouse is no longer with us, her music continues to inspire many young people around the world, and her legacy remains an important part of our cultural heritage.
The Back to Black producers have received criticism from Amy Winehouse fans for not making use of the late singer's vocals. This news has been reported by The Telegraph and will take approximately 5 minutes to read.
