By Juan C. Ayllon Last night, Belle and I watched a movie she’d saved on our Hulu Live app. Produced by Peter Farrelli in 2018, the premise behind Green Book seems entertaining enough: Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, a bouncer from the Copacabana nightclub in New York City serves as driver and bodyguard to a classical and jazz pianist on a tour of the deep south in 1962. At first, the stereotypical blue collar Italian tough guy serving an intellectually superior African American looks like a schmaltzy setup for a few laughs. He breaks up a fight and beats up a low level mafioso, then as a favor for the local boss interviews for a driver position with a “Doctor” while the Copacabana is closed for renovations. It turns out that his interviewer is the highly educated recording artist, Don Shirley, who owns several PhDs and lives alone in a swank suite above an opera hall. When a record executive hands Vallelonga a “Green Book” – a pamphlet listing hotels and restaurants that accommodate black guests in the segregated South – it’s abundantly clear that the issue of racism will be a major subtext in the movie. However, as the story unfolds, we are treated to a stirring story of transformation. For all his shortcomings, Vallelonga (played by Viggo Mortensen), turns out to be a decent, honest person at heart. Gradually, he gains respect, admiration and empathy for Dr. Shirley (Mahershala Ali), who challenges his ignorance, coaches him in writing letters to his wife (Linda Cardellini), and lights up crowds with his brilliant performances, but yet is subjected to beatings and humiliation for being black in the bigotted South. And, in turn, Dr. Shirley warms to Vallelonga, who proves to be not only reliable, but caring and surprisingly insightful, helping him recognize the cost of being aloof and alone. However, in addition to providing a moving and enriching experience, this biographical movie introduced me to the works of Don Shirley. After the conclusion of the movie, I found him on Qobuz and listened to a few of his songs with Belle before calling it a night. Although she’s not a big fan of jazz, she found his virtuosity on piano enchanting. The late doctor was a true artist with a deft touch. I look forward to listening to more of his works in the future.
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