People are voting emotionally.

One of my all time favorites.

i must have seen a different film!!

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

In reviewing African-Americans in film in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1999 with another biographical movie from HBO called Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Before she herself became the first woman of color to win the Oscar for Best Actress (for Monster's Ball), Halle Berry portrayed the first such woman to be nominated in that category-Ms. Dorothy Dandridge. Framed by scenes in which Dorothy is talking on the phone to someone named Geri, we find out early on that Geri (Tamara Taylor) is the wife of one of the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard) she talks to on the set of the dance scene she performed with them on Sun Valley Serenade. The other brother, Harold (Obba Babatunde), Dorothy eventually marries. The bed scene, cut between those of the Auntie (LaTanya Richardson) abusing Dorothy from earlier, is a harbinger of the struggles Dandridge goes through in life. And what struggles they are: painfully dealing with segregation in various hotels and nightclubs with manager Earl Mills (Brent Spiner) constantly trying to reassure her, Carmen Jones director Otto Preminger (Klaus Maria Brandauer) becoming intimate with her during the filming and subsequent release through to the Academy Awards only to drop her after it's all over, his later treatment of her during Porgy and Bess, drunken abuse from later husband Jack Denison (D.B. Sweeney) over losing his nightclub after she failed to attract crowds night after night, and her eventual decline in pills and alcohol even with Mills back in her career. There's also notable turns by Loretta Devine as Dorothy's mother Ruby, Cynda Williams as sister Vivian, Darrian C. Ford as Fayard Nicholas, and William Atherton as Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck. Director Martha Coolidge made a mostly compelling account of the highs and lows of this trailblazing personality with Berry providing the beauty and range to put it through nicely. Her scenes with her mentally impaired daughter Harolyn were also pretty heartbreaking. The film's source was Mills' biography of her. I haven't read that though I did read another one by Donald Bogle that I heartily recommend as I definitely do of this nearly excellent movie.

It's rare to find made-for-TV films that are good, or even watchable. This is one of the better, though still not a particularly good film overall. The plot is surprisingly interesting, and it mostly moves at a good pace. It takes us through Dorothy's entire life(well, mostly her adult life) and her relationships with male acquaintances, many of which turned out less than fortunate. She has a hard life, and must deal with racism throughout her entire career. The acting is above the typical level of TV-movies, but still not exactly good. It is however mostly - at the very least - acceptable. Berry gives a credible performance. Brent Spiner is surprisingly good. His character is one of the most entertaining to watch throughout the film. Many of the characters are somewhat stereotypical. The writing is at times a bit too predictable and dull, but it's mostly good enough to keep your interest, keep you watching. The film's emphasis on racism and intolerance seems underdone; we never truly see her being singled out, never experience the ignorant hatred towards her. There are just a few scenes and some vague mentions of it; and with how much her life was affected by it, I had expected the film to be all about it. The thing is, apart from these few, barely noticeable(in the film as a whole) mentions of racism, the film doesn't seem to be about it at all. It focuses more on her unsuccessful relationships with men and her attitude towards being a movie star. I'm guessing either the director didn't know what to do with the film or didn't think the racism was important enough. Either way, it leaves the film seeming more empty and flat. I recommend this to anyone interested in the story and fans of Halle Berry. Just don't expect anything more than a good TV-movie. 7/10

This was a great movie. Mind you I don't know much about Dorothy so I don't know how Hallie Berry faired. But I did'nt see the movie for her. I saw it for Brent Spiner. He is one of the most talented actors I have seen on the big screen. I wish he was in bigger roles like this. Besides him the movie itself was great. Good acting, good story, wonderful Brent. lol, sorry.

Although Halle Berry is a very beautiful actress. She was not very credible as Dorothy Dandridge. I have seen Ms. Dandridge in several movie parts and she was strong, sassy, fiery and very emotional. Halle just did not capture the soul and depth of Ms. Dandridge. It was a nice effort but I would have rather seen an actress in that part who embodies the depth and personal character of Ms. Dandridge. Ms. Dandridge and Halle have beauty in common, but that is all. Ms. Dandridge's physical beauty was only the top layer of many layers as to who she really was. I would have chosen a young African-American actress by the name of Tamala Jones for the part. She is so "Dorothy". Her resemblance to Ms. Dandridge is physical as well as characteristic. But that's Hollywood for you...always tempted to choose beauty over talent for many a role. The awards Halle received for the role were undeserved on the one hand, but deserved in honor and on behalf of Ms. Dandridge, who truly is the one and only person who deserved them so very long ago.