Watch First Trailer for Whitney Houston Estate-Approved Documentary
The first trailer for Whitney, the Whitney Houston estate-approved documentary about the singer, has arrived, with director Kevin Macdonald promising an “intimate, unflinching” look at Houston’s life and career.
The first look at Whitney, in theaters July 6th, focuses on the singer’s incredible talent as well as the burden of stardom. “All the things coming at her, she just wanted to escape the pressure,” a family member says in voiceover.
Earlier this year, Houston’s estate announced that Whitney would feature “previously unreleased recordings, rare never-before-seen footage and live performances recorded by Houston at various stages her life, as well as original studio recordings and a capellas of some of the late singer’s greatest hits.”
The documentary also promises to utilize never-before-seen archival footage of the singer along with “original interviews with the people who knew her best,” including husband Bobby Brown, her family, Clive Davis and her The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner.
Macdonald previously said of his film in a statement, “I approached Whitney’s life like a mystery story; why did someone with so much raw talent and beauty self-destruct so publicly and painfully? I was lucky enough to have the support of Pat Houston and the Whitney Houston estate in this quest. They entrusted me with the ‘keys to the vault’ while giving me complete freedom to follow the story wherever it went. At heart, Whitney is an intimate family story that reveals a new side to a woman that even her most die-hard fans never knew.”
“To tell Whitney’s story, you have to know her story,” Patricia Houston, the singer’s manager and the executor of Houston’s estate, said in March. “We could not be more excited that Whitney’s fans will have this authoritative and definitive documentary chronicling the full arc or her career and the scope of Whitney’s entire life. This is an amazing retrospective that celebrates Whitney with never-before-seen footage and Kevin approaches her life with no blinders on. He captures all of Whitney’s magic, and he does not ignore the hard times. This is a film that will truly thrill all who knew and loved her as a musician, actress, model and so much more.”