Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker - Season 1
Trailer
Following the true story of Madam C.J. Walker, an ambitious African American woman, who manages to get rid of the abusive life she has, through hard working and ambition, as she sets up her own business in black hair caring to become the first African American female to have a successful business.
It's ultimately, thankfully, Spencer's show and she's in supreme command, selling every second of Walker's story as well as convincing us, and hopefully any director that's watching, that she deserves more time in the spotlight.
Self Made will introduce a new generation to this remarkable woman which is the advantage of this series; however, the disadvantage is that the audience will only get a glimpse into Madam C.J Walker instead of a full vibrant picture.
Spencer's performance is dazzling. The role of pioneer comes naturally to her, and her character shows the scars of what it means to be a successful woman in a community and era where there were few.
Its reverence towards Walker isn't matched by stodgy storytelling; it finds in moments a briskness and charge that might elude a more straightforwardly told period drama.
A solid but unspectacular effort, more interesting finally for its subject matter than its execution. Walker's life is, clearly, a story worth telling, and as basically a longish movie split into four chapters, it's a reasonably concise package.
