By John Jurgensen
"Black Is King," Beyoncé's new visual album with a running time
and level of spectacle on par with a Hollywood movie, is heavy on
regal and earthy imagery that she says was designed to shift "the
global perception of the word 'Black.'" It also comes loaded with
the combined potency of a pop star at the peak of her influence, a
global entertainment brand and the dominance of the streaming TV
medium.
The film, which was released Friday on Disney+, doubles as an
extended music video for a soundtrack album Beyoncé released in
2019, "The Lion King: The Gift." She is the lead producer, writer
and director of "Black Is King." Its abstract narrative revolves
around a boy who is the human equivalent of the "Lion King" cub
Simba, growing up over the course of the film surrounded by both
nurturing and corrupting forces.
In its connection to "The Lion King," the film stretches the
definition of a franchise in significant ways for Disney, famous
for airtight control over its intellectual property. To be sure,
"Black Is King" is family friendly, but it shows how Disney is
trying to expand the offerings on its still-new streaming platform,
which on July 3 featured the screen premiere of "Hamilton" (with
several uses of the F-word edited out).
In terms of Beyoncé's brand, however, "Black Is King" doubles
down on themes that have consistently anchored her musical and
visual output in recent years, namely the championing of Black
talent, from dancers to filmmakers, and the depth of the Black
experience.
Shot in countries including Ghana, South Africa and the U.S.,
the project was filmed over the course of a year. Yet the
announcement of "Black Is King" in June seemed timely, coinciding
with explosive unrest over systemic racism.
That timing could be fortuitous for Disney, too, says Jeffrey P.
Jones, a professor of television studies and the executive director
of the Peabody Awards, which honored a previous visual album
released by Beyoncé. "This may not be Disney's artistic vision, but
if she is articulating a message of Black empowerment, Disney has a
lot to gain from that as a corporation in this moment," he
says.
Beyoncé's many collaborators on the film ranged from
Ghanaian-Dutch filmmaker Emmanuel Adjei and Belgian photographer
Pierre Debusschere, to director Jake Nava, known for her videos for
"Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies." "Black Is King" was
co-directed by Kwasi Fordjour, creative director at Beyoncé's
Parkwood Entertainment.
Throughout the new film, Beyoncé is almost always at the center
of the frame as a mother/goddess figure: floating on a litter of
flowers; cradling an infant as a dust storm swirls her gauzy
outfit; draped on the hood of a leopard print Rolls Royce in a
bodysuit to match; wearing a waterfall of braids that hangs down
longer than the ladder she's perched on.
It's a succession of dreamlike images that often rely on what
has become a signature style for Beyoncé, in which she and her
co-stars pose like statues amid meticulously styled tableaus. The
bonus effect of such meme-friendly scenes was on display Friday
when screenshots, GIFs and other images lifted by "Black Is King"
viewers flooded social media. Among the film's many symbols: her
husband, Jay-Z, examining the book "Black Gods and Kings" in the
playful sequence for "Mood 4 Eva," and their daughter Blue Ivy
wearing a gown and crown, not unlike a Disney princess, during the
song "Brown Skin Girl."
In recent years Beyoncé has narrowed access to herself as an
individual, limiting public appearances and interviews. Her
description of "Black Is King" and its message -- based on her
interpretation of "Black" as "regal and rich in history, in
purpose, in language" -- was delivered in a pretaped message aired
by "Good Morning America" on Disney-owned ABC.
It's the latest example of how she has leveraged major
entertainment platforms to amplify her work, giving them a boost in
the bargain. "They have so much to gain from the cachet she brings
and not getting in the way of her artistic vision, not that she
would let them," says Mr. Jones of the Peabody Awards, one of which
went to her hourlong film "Lemonade, " released on HBO in 2016.
"Lemonade," also produced in secrecy, became a major cultural
event, remembered for images such as the singer smashing windows
with a baseball bat. "Homecoming," released on Netflix last year,
documented a performance of hers at the Coachella music festival,
which itself streamed live on YouTube.
The Emmy-nominated "Homecoming" showcased her relentless energy
as a performer, flanked by an army of dancers, marching band
musicians, and the iconography of Black colleges and universities.
But it was also meant to reinforce the former Destiny's Child
singer's role as an auteur, seen rehearsing and coordinating her
sprawling team in scenes throughout the release, which was
subtitled "A Film by Beyoncé."
Now, with the debut of her film on Disney+, the director billed
as Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has a spot in the firmament of brands
including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.
Write to John Jurgensen at john.jurgensen@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 31, 2020 17:09 ET (21:09 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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