or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
69 used & new from $2.10
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)

Starring: Halle Berry, Brent Spiner Director: Martha Coolidge Rating: R (Restricted) Format: DVD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
Price: $5.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
41 new from $2.49 28 used from $2.10
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
VHS Tape 42 used & new from $0.47
Charlie's Angels: The Complete First Season
Fall TV Event: Save up to 57% on Popular Series
It's time to "fall back" into the TV habit and save up to 57% on popular television series. Find familiar faces in old favorites such as Charlie's Angels, Hart to Hart, Bewitched, and more.

Frequently Bought Together

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge + The Josephine Baker Story + Lady Sings the Blues
Total List Price: $26.94
Price For All Three: $23.95

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge DVD ~ Halle Berry

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Josephine Baker Story DVD ~ Lynn Whitfield

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Lady Sings the Blues DVD ~ Diana Ross

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Special Offers and Product Promotions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 4.2 out of 5 stars (43)
$5.98
The Josephine Baker Story
5% buy
The Josephine Baker Story 4.6 out of 5 stars (25)
$5.98
Carmen Jones
4% buy
Carmen Jones 4.6 out of 5 stars (60)
$7.99
Eve's Bayou
2% buy
Eve's Bayou 4.5 out of 5 stars (71)
$7.99
Explore similar items

Product Details

  • Actors: Halle Berry, Brent Spiner, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Obba Babatundé, Loretta Devine
  • Directors: Martha Coolidge
  • Writers: Earl Mills, Scott Abbott, Shonda Rhimes
  • Producers: Halle Berry, Joshua D. Maurer, Larry Y. Albucher, Moctesuma Esparza
  • Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Hbo Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: February 8, 2000
  • Run Time: 120 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: 0783116748
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,691 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #57 in  Movies & TV > Television > HBO > HBO Films

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

  • For more information about "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dorothy Dandridge was a Hollywood trailblazer. A confident sex symbol in the 1950s, she was the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, but the electrifying stage chanteuse and dancer was forbidden to even enter the nightclubs and show rooms she performed in except from the stage. As portrayed by Halle Berry, who shepherded Dandridge's story to the screen, Dandridge is a sure, insistent star who battled racist studios and Jim Crow laws to maintain her dignity in public while stumbling through a private life marked by bad relationships and abusive lovers. Berry gives her best performance to date, brimming with ambition and moxie offstage, charming audiences with the slinky, sure moves of a nightclub veteran onstage, and convincingly "becoming" Dandridge in dramatic re-creations from Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess. Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) is sweet and sympathetic as her supportive, lovesick manager, and Klaus Maria Brandauer is, in Dandridge's words, a "big old bulldog" as director Otto Preminger. Director Martha Coolidge balances private troubles with professional milestones and setbacks and pulls no punches showing the institutional racism of late 1950s Las Vegas or the brutality of a vicious alcoholic husband. Originally made for HBO, this drama lacks the big-budget spectacle of traditional Hollywood biographies but offers in its place sharp writing, intelligent direction, and strong, sensitive performances. --Sean Axmaker


Product Description

An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy struggled with the challenge of her color in Hollywood. She beat out many more famous rivals for the role of ' 'Carmen Jones' ', and became the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award (R). Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones

DVD ~ Harry Belafonte
4.6 out of 5 stars (60)  $7.99
Lady Sings the Blues

Lady Sings the Blues

DVD ~ Diana Ross
4.3 out of 5 stars (118)  $11.99
Why Do Fools Fall in Love

Why Do Fools Fall in Love

DVD ~ Halle Berry
3.7 out of 5 stars (31)  $5.79
Eve's Bayou

Eve's Bayou

DVD ~ Jurnee Smollett
4.5 out of 5 stars (71)  $7.99
The Women of Brewster Place

The Women of Brewster Place

DVD ~ Oprah Winfrey
2.7 out of 5 stars (49)  $7.99
› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(11)
(10)
(5)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

43 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (11)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Dorthy Dandridge, February 1, 2000
By Harry Lit "Castrobear" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Hale Berry gives a stellar performance in a film that fairs slightly higher than your average TV movie. For this reason, Berry's performance makes this a must see film. Although HBO has taken many liberties with Dandridge's true-life story, the TV film accuretly captures the period, not all bright and colorful. Racism is the focus of a career that was cut short due to bigotry... The musical numbers are first rate as are the dance numbers, it's just the ho-hum soap opera approach that boggs the story down....
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The powerful story of a groundbreaking artist, April 19, 2003
"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," directed by Martha Coolidge, tells the story of the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Halle Berry turns in a powerful, multifaceted performance in the title role. The film moves back and forth in time to explore Dandridge's career as singer and actress, her troubled personal life, the racism she battled, the personal demons that tormented her, and her relationships with significant figures in the entertainment industry.

Although a bit soap opera-ish at times, this is a compelling and well-made film. It is full of excellent production values--great sets and costumes really help tell this tale. Musical numbers are skillfully woven into the overall story.

But it's the fine performances that really make this biopic special. Berry is superb in the challenging title role. Fiery and vulnerable, Berry creates a full-bodied cinematic portrait of this compelling woman. She gets solid support from a superb supporting cast that includes the versatile Loretta Devine as Dorothy's mother. Klaus Maria Brandauer brings elegance and gravitas to his role as director Otto Preminger. I was especially impressed by Brent Spiner in the pivotal role of Earl Mills, Dorothy's manager; if you only know Spiner from his role as Mr. Data from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," you are in for a revelation in this film.

There are some powerful scenes in this film, and it really holds together overall as a unified whole. "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" is a fitting tribute to Dandridge herself, and is a compelling slice of African-American history and Hollywood history.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Dandridge, March 5, 2001
This movie was spectacular from a "made for t.v." movie stand point. Halle Berry was an exceptional choice to play the role of Ms. Dandridge. All my life, I have been a fan of Dorothy dandridge and I was happy to see a film depicting her life. It was very well put together but focused little on what Dorothy was known for, her movie career. Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated for an Acamedy Award. She had many stellar and standout performances including "Porgy and Bess", "Island in the Sun", and "Carman Jones". I would have liked to see more of the film cover her outstanding film career. The film did however show her fight against racism in the music as well as film inmdustry. She was a one of kind woman and this film is definitely worth watching if not owning.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 		 Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dorothy & Halle are One
This makes me appreciate Dorothy Dandridge. It's well composed and shot. Halle really pulls out all stops. This is the film that should have gotten the Oscar. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Blackburn

5.0 out of 5 stars INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE
I LIKE THIS MOVIE, I THOUGHT HALLE BERRY DID A GREAT JOB IN HER PERFORMANCE OF DOROTHY. DOROTHY WAS A BEAUTIFUL & TALENTED ACTRESS THAT WAS LIVING IN A TIME WHERE SHE WAS NOT... Read more
Published 6 months ago by JOYCE LEGRAND

3.0 out of 5 stars Dorothy Dandridge
At the beginning I thought... hey this might just be good... oh Halle Berry... though she bears a remarkable resembelence to the real actress(RIP)... By the end of the movie... Read more
Published 8 months ago by S. Reiter

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Dorothy Dandrige
Halle Berry what can I say. This is a superb movie and a must see...
Published 8 months ago by Prittyricki

5.0 out of 5 stars so sad towards the end of her tragic,beautiful life,she finally realizin EARL MILLS truly loved her,just to die,R.I.P.
BEAUTIFUL BEYOND WORDS DORO WAS AND NUFF SAID INSIDE "AND OUT"BOTH THE
WHOLE SEXY SYMBOL PKGE.AMAZING TALENTED CAN MOVE BEAUTIFUL BELLA MAMITA FO
SURE. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Shakaarii Melendez

4.0 out of 5 stars Halle and Dorothy are practically the same person!
Halle Berry and her role model, Dorothy Dandridge have a striking resemblance to one another. Dandridge's best friend, Gerri Benton, has said this, and so have many other... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mikeisha Best

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Dorothy Dandridge
I love both Dorothy Dandridge and Halle Berry. I have "Carmen" in which Dorothy stars so I was eager to see how Halle Berry handled the role. Read more
Published on November 12, 2007 by Inela Vern

4.0 out of 5 stars Sad story
This poor women went through so much pain and heartache during her life. I can't believe how ignorant people where then about skill color.... Read more
Published on October 27, 2007 by rosco

5.0 out of 5 stars again impressed
I continue to be amazed at the quality and speed of my transactions with Amazon --- thank you.
Published on October 2, 2007 by Jack D. Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars The portrait of a lady--sensitive, realistic and engaging
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge tells the story of how Dorothy Dandridge rose to fame despite racism against African Americans in 1950s America. Read more
Published on June 16, 2007 by Matthew G. Sherwin

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Movies & TV by subject:


















i.e., each DVD must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.