Anticipation for the documentary Whitney has reached a fever pitch, especially because cooperation by Whitney Houston's estate promises to make the film the "definitive look" at her legacy. On May 16 audiences at the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera got to see the doc for the first time. Now, the general public has gotten a taste in the form of a trailer.
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Hitting theaters on July 6, the documentary culls exclusive archival footage as well as interviews to round out the story, including Bobby Brown, The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner, Clive Davis, and members of Houston's family.
"I had final cut of the film and would not have made it without that contractual security," Whitney director Kevin McDonald told the Cannes Festival. "I admire the family for being open-minded enough to allow me to make the film I wanted."
The filmmaker's previous music documentaries have focused on Mick Jagger and Bob Marley. As the reviews begin to come in from the French Riviera, McDonald said he judges his works by a single criterion. "I'm bored by 'icons,'" said McDonald. "I always think that the criterion for judging a film about an artist is the question: 'Do you appreciate their art more after watching my film?' If the answer is yes, then I have succeeded."
