The film version of 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' feels more like a filmed stage production than a traditional movie; it’s really designed to highlight the performers, not necessarily to offer a cinematic journey. However, the play itself is excellent—it’s among my favorite works by Wilson. It comes from a period in American theater that frequently explored the disappointments of pursuing the American Dream, that feeling of being promised something you never receive and spending your life trying to grasp at something intangible. I believe those themes remain important – perhaps even more so today – than when they were first created.

Source on TMDB