Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

The term ‘iconic’ is thrown around quite loosely these days, but no one can argue that artist and performer powerhouse Grace Jones is anything less. Androgynous, larger than life and a free spirit, her persona is a bona fide brand. Popular albums Slave to the Rhythm, Nightclubbing and Warm Leatherette remain popular party hits. Now is your chance to get a backstage look at the star in the documentary Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami.

Available on DVD, Bloodlight and Bami shows a rarely seen side to Grace Jones. Exploring her humble beginnings, the film opens with a holiday to Jamaica, where she gets in touch with her family roots and we see glimpses of her private life and strict upbringing. Over a dining table, Grace admits that she was “whipped” with a Bible by her religious stepfather. Her childhood is a common thread throughout the doco and is later revisited when Grace divulges how acting classes were a vehicle to deal with the inner turmoil she carried. This rage – as she puts it – is unleashed in her role as the Bond villain in A View to Kill.

The film focuses on the challenges of putting together a new record. At times, Grace is listless by the obstacles presented to her, and takes out her frustration on business partners Sly (Dunbar) and Robbie (Shakespeare). The phone outbursts offer some of doco’s highlights, albeit for the wrong reasons. There are many times in the film where you are in awe of Grace Jones: a moment where she spins a hula hoop around her waist while belting out a song or witnessing her dipping in and out of fluent French while arguing with a set manager. It’s

The run time is 120 minutes, and although, admittedly, it does go longer than it should, this is a Grace that you haven’t seen before, someone who reminds us of what it is to be truly alive. Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami is a fierce, fiery and fantastic look at the celebrity who has graced our lives for the past five decades.

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami 
Available now on DVD