Beyoncé Celebrates the Black Experience in New Film on Disney+

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 [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 31, 2020 17:09 ET (21:09 GMT)

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