if there *has* to be a movie, I think it should begin with 'the wiz' and end with the grammys in '84.
as good as 'the American dream' was, it was a jacksons story that included Michael. most of it focused on the Motown years on top of that. I have yet to see a movie that documented Michael's journey and growth from the late 70's to the early 80's. whether that be on a personal, professional, or artistic level.
key points to include could be: 'the wiz' - michael being viewed by some at the time as a washed up child star(!) him doing the movie to not only fulfil at lifetime dream of acting, but to prove a point to certain people.. leaving the care of his parents for the first time, to move to new York with sister latoya during filming. partying at studio 54, 'embarrassing' diana ross by learning the routines so quickly, and learning everybody's lines - as well as his own. other actors pulling faces to distract him whilst filming, mispronouncing the word 'Socrates' - which led to his first real interaction with musical director quincy jones, who corrected him.
the anti disco movement, and how that segregated radio/tv stations. working on 'off the wall', and the initial opposition of quincy being 'too jazzy'. Michael firing his father as his manager. the loneliness he experienced during that time - to the point where he would walk the streets at night, looking for someone to talk to. crying at the end of every take of 'she's out of my life'. the inclusion of his self written songs, and how he went about creating the demos. 'off the wall' being the first album to have 4 top ten singles, including 2 number 1 hits. the album eventually staying on the charts for 84 weeks. presenting a more grown up image of michael in a black tuxedo on the album cover, and the video/performances of 'don't stop til you get enough'. Michael's disappointment with it only receiving one grammy in the r&b category, and his promise that it would never happen again..
Michael's image makeover - with the use of makeup, eyebrow shaping, and a curly perm. how this caused him to look exotic and natural at the same time, and blur the lines between gender and race. his adoption of a vegetarian diet due to his love of animals, that cleared up the remains of his teenage acne, caused weight loss which protruded his cheeks and created a more angular facial structure as a result. of course there were his nose operations...
'thriller' - the record industry being in a slump, and michael being angry with the suggestion that the album may not be able to match the success of 'off the wall', let alone surpass it. the dispute over 'billie jean' - from the title, to the length and its inclusion altogether. michael silently composing it in a vehicle, completely unaware that it was on fire! working on the e.t children's storybook simultaneously. being horrified with the first mix of the album. michael taking off from the studio on someone's bicycle, and returning reenergised after watching the children play. eddie van halen hanging up on michael because he didn't believe he was on the other end of the phone, asking for a collaboration.
the effortless diversity of the music that would reach people of all walks of life.
Michael's growth as a songwriter with vivid storytelling that would serve as the catalyst for his visual expressions, as well as offer a glimpse into his personal life and beliefs. writing for diana ross and with paul McCartney as an equal.
'billie jean' and 'beat it' videos revolutionising the young genre, by featuring state of the art technology, cohesive plots shot on location with actors, and mass choreography. Michael's style of dance that blended old Hollywood sensibilities with what was popular with inner city youths . as well as the refining of a self created arsenal of spins, kicks, and various poses and combinations. mtv deciding to add his videos to the playlist, after facing accusations of racism, and the threat of having all of the cbs artists pulled from their playlist. michael paying for the cost of those videos himself, as the record label didn't believe in spending large amounts of money for them.
michael redesigning the family home to add personal touches such as; a mini zoo, movie theatre, candy shop, and arcade game room. being afraid to move out because he would 'die of loneliness'. the isolation that fame caused, to the point that he would rather talk to mannequins due to his distrust of real people taking advantage of him. having to don disguises or surround himself with security guards when in public. trying to recapture his lost childhood with his frequent trips to Disneyland, and friendships with children such as Emmanuel lewis. being described as e.t and peter pan for the first time.
only agreeing to reunite with his brothers for the 25th anniversary concert of Motown, if he could perform 'billie jean' - the only non Motown song on the bill. the legendary performance in which he did the moonwalk for the first time. his initial disappointment with the performance, which quickly vanished after a child told him how good he was. his idol fred Astaire calling him after the show aired to personally praise and congratulate him for his performance. the boosted record sales that came as a result of this.
his guest appearance at a james brown concert - one of his biggest inspirations as a performer.
filming 'say say say' with paul McCartney, and falling in love with sycamore ranch - that he would later use to build neverland.
michael contacting director john landis after being impressed with his horror movie 'American werewolf in london'. the two setting out to create a mini movie, rather than a music video for the final single and title track 'thriller'. the morphing effects, the cutting and rearranging of the song, the dialogue that surrounded it, the monster make up and extended choreography, were all elements that completely broke the mould of the format. michael being forced by the Jehovah's witnesses to put a disclaimer at the beginning of the film. the global premiere, and success of the film not only causing the album sales to skyrocket, but really igniting the industry of the home video cassette.
Michael's look and image becoming popular with children and adult impersonators. through his clothes, action figures, posters and other memorabilia. parents praising him as a role model for his clean lifestyle. michael creating the centre for burned victims after being burnt himself whilst filming a pepsi commercial. the president using the song 'beat it' in a campaign to combat drink driving with teenagers.
and finally, the American music awards where michael had a special award of merit created for him, a tribute performed by barry manilow, and he danced in celebration as he accepted one of 7 awards! the all important Guinness book of world records, where the status of the 'thriller' album was cemented in stone as the biggest selling of all time! the grammys where michael won an unprecedented 8 awards in one night! him bringing up his sisters to share in his glory, and taking off his glasses for a brief moment.
I see this more as a documentary than a movie. luckily most of the footage is available to tell the story, as well as Michael's words to narrate it. anything else can be filled in with dramatizations from silent actors. one of the benefits of focusing on this time period is that there was very little scandal. yet at the same time, I wanted to show the triumphs and sacrifices that come with fame. most of these events were confirmed by michael during his lifetime.
