Product Details

• Actors: Debbie Allen, Jean-Claude Baker, Josephine Baker, Donald Bogle, Arsenio Hall
• Directors: Mark Israel
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Unapix / a-Pix Ent.
• VHS Release Date: July 20, 1999
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1575238381
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,532 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From an early age, Josephine Baker knew what she wanted and did whatever it took to get it. Whether building her career or her family, Baker heeded no one's advice but her own, becoming one of the world's highest-paid performers, adopting 12 children into her "Rainbow Tribe," losing her fortune, then returning triumphantly to the stage just days before her death in 1975. Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker, narrated by Arsenio Hall, captures Baker's sex appeal, energy, determination, and the important legacy she left behind for women performers in all media. Blending rarely seen dance clips, archived interview footage, and commentary by choreographer Debbie Allen, actress Lynn Whitfield (who portrayed Baker in The Josephine Baker Story), and two of Baker's sons, this exquisitely choreographed video reveals more sides to Baker's life than one would have thought possible in an hour. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

From the back cover

Born to a life of poverty in 1906, Josephine Baker eventually went on to become one of the most celebrated black performers of her time. Josephine was working by age 5, living on her own by age 7, and twice divorced by age 14. She left behind the race riots of St. Louis for New York and went onward to Paris, where she became a celebrated performer with her "Banana Dance" at the Follie Bergere. Now a wealthy woman and a sensation in France, Josephine nevertheless faced racism and harsh criticism in the U.S. leading her to become active in the civil rights movement. Josephine's life was one of incessant work and constant action--married several times and mother to 12 adopted children, Josephine's life was awarded the French Legion of Honor, and she traveled around the world to rapturous applause.

Lifetime's Intimate Portrait takes you into the living rooms and private lives of the women who move the world. Whether she's an actress, singer, diplomat, mother, daughter, or diva, she's an intriguing and charismatic woman with surprising facets. Meet your heroines, the people who've achieved professional success and survived personal tragedy in this amazing series of up-close and personal portraits.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NO ONE LIKE HER!, December 9, 2000

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Move over Tina Turner, Beth Midler, Patti LaBelle and Madonna! Before either one of you were born, there was Josephine. She set the standard and paved the way for performances that blew her audiences' aesthetic minds. She was the rage of Paris and Europe. Audiences bowed at her feet and gave praise to her name. Josephine was it!

Josephine Baker. Just who was this woman? Born of a Black washer woman and white man in St. Louis, MO, Josephine led a hard life. The St. Louis racial riots of 1917 left an indelible impression on this young girl who would grow to resent the racism of her country throughout her life. Josephine was wild, independent and would do what was necessary to move out of her condition.

Her tenacity, creativeness and sense of adventure in performing eventually landed her in Paris which she took by a storm. She brought with her a style, grace and energy which is shown in vintage footage of her early years. You will enjoy the performance of this woman whose feats can't be duplicated today.

Baker was more than just an entertainer. She was always outspoken against racism and believed in living life on her own terms. France honored her as a war hero and she adopted children of different races to prove that all humanity can live in harmony. This was before the civil rights movement came into being at full force.

Enjoy this woman's triumph on stage. Allow yourself to get angry at the United States for its rejection of this great Black woman. Be forgiving of her varied foibles and mistakes. Yet remember this, THERE IS ONLY ONE JOSEPHINE!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars " Unforgettable ", July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was a fan of Josephine Baker's and I had the liberty of seeing her walk down the Champs Elysees at the age of seven in 1956 or '57. And I must tell you that she was a sight. She had a certain magic about her that cannot be duplicated. Everything about her was just perfect. And ever since I saw that beautiful sight it has been sketched and burned in my head ever since.So when I heard that Lifetime was doing a biography of Josephine Baker I was drawn to it imediately. And when I saw this documentary I literally broke down and cried. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Madame just watching her walk down the street and enjoying the view was quite enough. She was just unforgettable. And there is no one today or tommorrow who can touch her ,or ever will.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars wonderful footage with trite commentary, March 7, 2001

By 

D. Michelle Emanuel "emanueldm" (Oxford, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker [VHS] (VHS Tape)

With its commercials edited for home viewing, this video is the perfect length for a high school class screening. I wanted to present a unit on Josephine Baker in conjunction with Black History Month, and this was a good investment for my classroom.

The documentary footage of the video is fantastic, with images of St Louis during the riots of the 1920s, stills of Baker in New York City, and performances by Baker in Paris (with a strategically placed black bar, making the video suitable for younger audiences). Particuarly interesting are clips a 1951 interview with Baker upon her return to the United States. Also included are clips from the 1991 HBO film, "The Josephine Baker Story".

The video's commentary, however, was somewhat disappointing. Both Lynn Whitfield, who portrayed Baker for HBO's biopic, and choreographer-producer Debbie Allen are interviewed along with several of Baker's adopted children, and assorted biographers. But Arsenio Hall, the video's narrator, is a mysterious choice for an interview, as he has no discernable connection to the performer. His trite descriptions of Baker as having "a Jerry Lewis, Jim Carrey-like quality, though she was not a standup. She was a dancer," are especially irritating, as they bring no real information to the biography. They are merely filler. And Debbie Allen damages her credibility as a source by peppering her commentary with "Honey!" and "Child!" These glitches, however, are tolerable in the context of the documentary footage.

The life of Josephine Baker is a fascinating story which deserves a serious documentary, with a narrator who can correctly pronounce "Les Folies Bergères". But until we have that, this will have to do.