Directed by Leslie Woodhead
Featuring Sophie Okonedo, Ella Fitzgerald and Norma Miller
Running time: 1 hour and 29 minutes

by Stacey Osbeck

Ella Fitzgerald dreamed of being a dancer. She grew up in New York at a time when swing moves developed and evolved along with the jazz scene. On the street corners of Harlem, Ella danced for nickels. When the Apollo Theater picked the teenager to perform on Amateur Night, she saw a chance to show her fancy footwork on a real stage in front of a formidable audience. That same night the Edwards Sisters put on a phenomenally choreographed routine and brought the house down. After that, she said no way I’m going out there to dance. And as the story goes, the organizer said you’re here, well do something. So she figured she’d go out and sing a song. In that moment Ella Fitzgerald was born.