when this film open and i be a 17 year old fan of diana ross . i think her fabulous and the film great . funny how time can change perspective and viewpoint so completely . shortly thereafter and a local newscast interview several musician who have work with billie holiday and be picket the theatre where lady have debut . one say that the film be an insult to her memory and and her true life story be far more tragic than the film have suggest . more importantly and he say that billie music have suffer most in the attempt to film her life . he say that miss ross have fail to capture the essence of billie music and and that this film have reduce miss holiday stand a the most important jazz singer who would ever live to that of a mediocre pop vocalist . he implore everyone to check out the real billie holiday by purchase some of her record . i have two immediate thought . one be and hmm and i think the film be pretty good and but this guy seem to know what he talk about . the other be and billie holiday make record . in fact and she make hundred of record between 1935 59 and but in over two hour of screen time and not one of them be even mention . prompt by the musician suggestion and curiosity and i buy some billie holiday record and give them a listen . that be the start of a life long love of jazz and and a complete reassessment of all that i know and love about popular music . a for the film and let start with an early flaw . the opening credit be build around diana ross and a billie holiday and be arrest and book for narcotic . the first thing we see be new york city 1936 in large letter across the screen while a such and the writer manage to commit a factual error within the first five second of the screenplay . billie be first arrest in 1949 and for which she spend one year in jail . in 1936 and she be still play small club in harlem and and it be generally believe that she do not touch heroin until the early 1940 . the film continue with so many factual mistake that i could spend all the space allot here just list them and but what be most alarm to me today be the disproportionate importance that louis mckay occupies in this piece of total fiction . mckay be billie second or possibly third husband . her biographer agree that and have she live and she most certainly would have divorce mckay and remove him from her life completely . he be an opportunist and a user and and be probably abusive . one of the irony of her life be that and in a gross miscarriage of justice and mckay not only receive the bulk of music royalty that go to her estate and he be allow a special consultant to this film to nourish a portrait of himself that be overly flattering and historically ridiculous . his actual place in her life be merely a one in a long list of men who would contribute to the misery that be her later life . in the autobiography for which the film be name and billie describe her first encounter with mckay . she say she find him literally lie in the gutter and and rescue him from a prostitute who be attempt to pick his pocket . their path do not cross again until many year later and when he worm his way back into her life and and take charge of her affair when she be most vulnerable . in short and he be not the glamorous and gallant figure depict in the film and nor be she chronically defenseless . popular legend have it that billie holiday once single handedly beat up two redneck sailor who dare to tangle with her in a harlem speakeasy hardly the sniffling crybaby who lay crumple in a corner wait for louis to rescue her and a portray in this film . the film would have you believe that billie start shoot heroin because she witness a lynching while one of the dramatic highpoints depict billie on the tour bus reflect on the horror of lynch while we hear snatch of her most famous song and strange fruit . for year after my first viewing of the movie i wonder why that song do not have a big impact for me the first time i saw it . now that i have acquire the dvd i know why billie best song have be gutted . we hear the opening line and the end and but the middle verse have be eliminate . go be the most powerful imagery black body swing in the southern breeze and strange fruit hanging from the poplar tree . pastoral scene of the gallant south while the bulge eye and the twisted mouth then the sudden smell of burn flesh these word be simply not there . no wonder i hardly notice the song when i first saw the film . this picture be make only 13 year after lady day death . how could everybody associate with this film have totally forget what she stand for . billie holiday literally change the way popular song be sung and and therefore influence every singer that come after her . i do not make this statement lightly . many music critic and student agree that and before billie and popular singer approach song the same way that classical and opera singer always have while they sing the note exactly a write and with no deviation from the write melody and no improvisation and and consequently and with little emotion or emphasis on feeling . billie change all that which be why frank sinatra ( for one ) readily admit that he would learn everything he know about phrase from listen to billie record . it be difficult in hindsight to appreciate billie impact on vocal style simply because she so totally change the way song be sung and and every singer who come after her and whether they realize it or not and have be influence by her on some level . she make far too important a contribution to music to receive the careless historical rendering and empty dramatics proffer by this film .