9/6/2023 0 Comments No doubt sparkle meaning![]() ![]() Her life trials dance in her voice in His Eye is on the Sparrow. Houston embodies Emma, and plays her with a cool, yet fierce sophisticated determination. The sparkle, nonetheless, shines on Whitney Houston, Carmen Ejogo, and Tika Sumpter. “I want to be bigger than Diana Ross,” reveals Sparkle to Stix under the stars. The Akils, however, gently manipulate Motown’s reputation to fuel the mother/daughter conflict and the quest for the dream. He brazenly flaunts his material success in front of Levi as Levi expresses his desire for Sister later, however, he reveals his insecurity over his new material.Įxpectedly, references to Motown and its talent line-up abound, yet do not overwhelm the story. ![]() Epps, in turn, gives a marvelous performance as the successful stand-up comedian whose jokes are contemptuous of African Americans. Hardwick, especially, translates with splendid bravura Levi’s torment when he discovers that his words cannot compete with the conspicuous bling of the wealthy, but mean-spirited Satin (Mike Epps). Stix (Derek Luke) and Levi (Omari Hardwick) shines as wordsmiths coaxing the young women to consider them worthy suitors/partners. On another note, the Akils skillfully dramatize the forgotten art of courtship, and the duo’s brilliant virtuosity of storytelling glistens here. Like the butterflies and the birds, the women in this household are trapped yet, as does Dunbar’s caged bird, each dares to break free from pasts that have held them and Emma hostage. ![]() Emma’s daughters are coming of age, and the painful transition causes domestic seismic shifts that disquiet Emma but feed her daughters’ yearnings. On the whole, Sparkle is a graceful exploration of generational anxiety aggravated by socio-cultural changes. These set props give nod to Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy”, whose first lines inspired the title of Maya Angelou’s book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The wall art of encased butterflies and birds, however, betray this charm. Even the bedtime wardrobes are luxuriant: sheer nylon peignoirs accentuated with ruffles and bows, and quilted satin bathrobes in colors of aqua, champagne and pink. For church, gloves, hats, and coat dresses trimmed in fur and for daytime, suits and sheaths. Craig Anthony’s spectacular costumes showcase each lady in her sartorial splendor. Michos, highlights the trappings of her success: a two-story with a staircase the Queen Anne and Bergère chairs the small library with piano crystal chandeliers and the sugar and spice bedrooms replete with iron beds, vanities, and full length mirrors emphasized by pink and white flowered wallpaper. The cinematic presence of the Black church denotes her anchor, and this institution no doubt facilitated the upbringing of her daughters and made possible the acquisition and preservation of her middle class existence.Įmma’s home, beautifully shot by cinematographer Anastas N. Her rule is “respect, education and loving the Lord”. Emma’s story is that of 1960s upward mobility despite setbacks she endured in her youth–the harshest being her teen-age pregnancy. Rather than inundate the audience with a multitude of song and dance routines, the film focuses on the story of a single African American mother, Emma (Whitney Houston) who successfully has raised three attractive, well-adjusted, and talented daughters, Tamy/Sister (Carmen Ejogo), Dolores “Dee”, (Tika Sumpter), and Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) in the bustling city of Detroit, Michigan. This socio-cultural context signals that Akil Production Company and Chase have crafted a film that expands the 1976 story but stands on its own. As his soulful “I am a Man” opens the action, placards held by Memphis Sanitation workers in 1968 captured by African American photographer Ernest C. The camera swoops into Discovery, a juke-joint whose ambience of smoky rhythm, saucy blues, and salty sweat, is thickened by R&B crooner, Black (Cee-Lo Green). The film opens in 1968 to a cacophony of voices broadcasting newsworthy events: The Vietnam War, The Beatles, civil rights and Martin Luther King, Jr. Akil Production Company, along with two-time Emmy nominee Debra Martin Chase ( The Princess Diaries Just Wright), pay a respectful homage to its 1976 predecessor. Sparkle is a lush cinematic cultural artifact sustained by a sumptuous set, a dynamic soundtrack, and the rigorous artistry of its cast. ![]()
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