What's Love Got to Do With It?

Overview

"Brian Gibson's biopic of Tina Turner, What's Love Got to Do with It?, comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. An English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are neither subtitles nor closed-captions on this release. Supplemental materials include a theatrical trailer. The film looks and sounds superb on this disc, but the best aspects of it are the commanding performances by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. They both earned Oscar nominations, and the small screen does nothing to diminish their amazing work."

Product Details

Release Date:	08/24/1999
UPC:	0717951003256
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	R
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:58:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;Widescreen [1.85:1]; Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; French language track; Theatrical trailer; Chapter search

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Angela Bassett	Tina Turner
Laurence Fishburne	Ike Turner
Vanessa Bell Calloway	Jackie
Jenifer Lewis	Zelma Bullock
Phyllis Yvonne Stickney	Alline Bullock
Khandi Alexander	Darlene
Pamela Tyson	Leanne
Penny Johnson	Lorraine
Rae'ven Kelly	Young Anna Mae,Actor
Virginia Capers	Choir Mistress
Cora Lee Day	Grandma Georgiana
Sherman Augustus	Reggie
Terrence Riggins	Spider
Gene 'Groove' Allen	Club Announcer,The Kings of Rhythm
Jacqueline Woolsey	Boutique Clerk
Emery Shaw	Organ Player
Chi McBride	Fross
Morris O'Connor	The Kings of Rhythm
Larry Washington	The Kings of Rhythm
Michael Sessions	The Kings of Rhythm
L. Van Taylor	The Kings of Rhythm
Jennifer Leigh Warren	Woman in Audience
Sonya Hensley	Woman in Audience
Leslie Thurston	Woman in Audience
Eartha Robinson	Woman in Audience
Kate Lanier	Stripper on Balcony
Mayah McCoy	Young Hairdresser
Barry 'Shabaka' Henley	El Paso Doctor
Michael Colyar	Apollo Announcer
Patricia Sill	Spector's Assistant
Ronnie Turner	The Revue,Actor
Michael Butler	The Revue
Greg Cook	The Revue
Michael Smith	The Revue,4th Ikette
Brian Cayle	The Revue
Darrel Richards	The Revue
Walter Davis	The Revue
Reuben Cannon	Actor
Scott Irish	Actor
Sharon Kane	Actor
Staci Lords	Actor
Robert Miranda	Actor
Barry O'Neill	Actor
Summer Rose	Actor
Natalie Wilson	Choir Member
Oren Waters	Choir Member
Rob La Belle	Phil Spector
Richard Jones	Ike Turner Jr.
Shavar Ross	Michael Turner
Damon Hines	Ronnie Turner
Suli McCullough	Craig Turner
Daniel McDonald	London Announcer
John Fink	Anna's Lawyer
Rudolph Willrich	Judge
O'Neal Compton	Ramada Inn Manager
Michael Monks	Hotel Porter
James Reyne	Roger Davies
James Ralston	Guitarist
Kenny Moore	Piano Player
Daniel Allan Carlin	Conductor
Owen Bush	Old Man
Herb Muller	Old Man #2
Sparkle	Old Woman #1
Helen Brown	Old Woman #2
Page Moseley	Ritz Announcer
Lorna Scott	Nurse
Robert Lesser	Fairmount MC
Richard Stay	Party Goer #1
Richard Livingston	Manager #3
Stanley Clarke	Composer

Technical Credits

Kate Lanier

Brian Gibson	Director
Doug Chapin	Producer
Roger Davies	Executive Producer
Mario Iscovich	Executive Producer,Producer
Barry Krost	Producer
Al Laverde	Key Grip
Kate Lanier	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

What's Love Got to Do With It? was one of the rare films which garnered Oscar nominations for both its leads, yet met with critical indifference in all other respects. As Angela Bassett smiles through her tears and Laurence Fishburne glowers in the background, the actors expertly create a dynamic marked by hours of untold intimidation beyond that which director Brian Gibson chooses to dramatize. Whispering sweet nothings to his wife one moment and dragging her by the scalp the next, Fishburne gets under the skin of one of music's most hair-trigger personalities, which earned the actor the best notices of his career. Bassett's crumbling confidence and wrenching sadness pierce the viewer's very heart, making for an equally unforgettable performance that works just as well as an impersonation of Tina Turner's unique vocal swagger. Not only do the performers shine individually, but also as a professional team devoted to true emotions and moments, having worked together as husband and wife just two years before in Boyz 'N the Hood. The raw physicality of their craft shines through. But Gibson's film is quite conventional in much of its other methodology, which makes it less than the sum of its two outstanding parts. Since the Turners' abusive co-dependent relationship is the hook everybody knows about, a lot of what leads up to it seems like bland biopic window dressing. Still, it's hard to pick too much at an essentially actor-driven film that packs such a wallop in its area of strength.