DESCRIPTION: 

Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey 

(Viola Davis),her ambitious horn player (Chadwick Boseman), and the white

management determined to control the legendary “Mother of the Blues.

” Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August

Wilson's play. 

TRANSCRIPT: 

A-one, a-two, a-you know what to do. This be an empty world without the blues.

I try to take that emptiness and fill it up with something. 

But they wanna call me Mother of Blues, that’s all right with me. It don’t hurt none. 

Where’s the horn player? Come on, Levee. Your rehearse like everybody else. 

I’m gonna get me a band and make me some records. I knows how to play real 

music,not this jug band shit. Call that playing music? Yeah, I know what I’m doing.

Go on and fire me. I don’t care. That’s to get the people’s attention. 

That’s when you and Slow Drag come in with the rhythm part. 

Me and Cutler play on the break. Levee, the sooner you understand it ain’t what 

you say, it’s what Ma say that count. We’ll be ready to go in 15 minutes. 

We’ll be ready to go when Madam says we ready to go, and that’s the way it go

around here. These records are gonna be hits. Every colored man in the world got

to do his part. Ganna tell the white man just what he can do. They don’t care 

nothing about me. All they want is my voice. About them songs I give you?

They’re not the right songs. But I’ll take them off your hands for you.

I got my time coming to me. 

You don’t know nothing about what kind of blood I got,

what kind of heart I got beating here! Come on.Come on! Wonderful! 

We got that one. Good session, Ma!We got ourselves a winner! 

Yeah, you did it. You did good. 

QUESTIONS: 

1. Narrate what this movie is all about. 

2. Explain the meaning of “Blues.” 

3. What kinds of music do you enjoy listening to? Why?