BORN TO BE BLUE Trailer

A natural poster child for the 1950’s cool jazz movement, the young version of Chet Baker was all chiseled jaw, coiffed hair, and lounging trumpet. The image has long drawn comparisons to James Dean, and perhaps if Baker had died young he would also be remembered as a piece of nostalgic Americana. But Baker lived to the age of 58, battling drug addiction and enduring the familiar career rhythms of a special talent who just couldn’t hold it together.

This kind of figure lingers in a culture, with artists of various stripes drawing from its small tragedy. Born to Be Blue is a good old-fashioned biopic from a writer/director who seems to have fallen under the story’s spell. Robert Budreau already made a short on Baker’s death (The Deaths of Chet Baker), and this full-length dramatization will allow him to tell the man’s complete story.

The trailer reveals that parts will be in black-and-white, which may be an homage to the 1988 documentary Let’s Get Lost. In it, Baker is seen performing mere month before his death, his worn face absorbing the shadows of the colorless frame. It’s the kind of image that, when paired with his melancholy jazz, communicates the emotions of his story before you even know its beats. If Budreau is savvy enough to capture the gold mine in front of him, then Born to Be Blue will be a heartbreaking little joy.

Born to Be Blue is directed by Robert Budreau and stars Ethan Hawke and Carmen Ejogo.  It will be released in the U.S. on March 25th, 2016.  Further release dates are not currently known.

Do you think a dramatization of Baker’s life is necessary or would the facts be enough to keep your attention? Let us know in the comments!