Welcome to Retro Rewind, the TGJ original feature carved out to take our readers on an exciting and informative journey to the past.
Today, after fans of the singer Michel’le tuned in in their millions to learn of the abuse she is said to have suffered at the hands of Dr. Dre via her Lifetime biopic, we return to 1993 to shed fresh light on ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It? (The Tina Turner Story).’
In it, viewers are taken beyond and behind the velvet rope to witness the life Tina Turner lived away from the spotlight.
A life, unbeknownst to the world at the time, was filled to the brim with cruel and sadistic abuse dished out to her by her husband Ike Turner.
Directed by Brian Gibson the movie saw Angela Bassett portray Turner and Lawrence Fishbourne take on Ike who pulled from the singer’s book ‘I, Tina’ to tell her story.
In the United States, the release earned over $40 million at the box office and additional $20 million from movie rental services as it generated £10 million in the United Kingdom despite coming under criticism for fabricating incidents that did not actually occur in real life.
One of these was the now infamous “Eat the Cake Anna Mae” scene in which the abusive Ike forces Tina’s face into a cake.
In reality, according to the star’s book, he forced her to eat the cake (sans slamming her face into it) after it was served to her by a waitress despite the fact that she did not order it.
Ready to take that journey to the past?
‘What’s Love’ waits below…
