Where to watch Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For (2000) in the UK

Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For (2000) is not currently listed on any UK streaming, rental, or purchase service. Page generated on 25 September 2026 from provider data; confirm the exact offer before paying.

The singer - her music. The definitive portrait.

Writer-director Charlotte Zwerin performs sleight of hand with this beautifully composed documentary, originally produced for public television's American Masters series. Created nearly four years after Ella Fitzgerald's death, Zwerin's film uses the lush voice and superb repertoire of "the First Lady of Song" to provide continuity while assembling convincing, if composite, narrative quotes gleaned from various interviews. The latter are noteworthy given the singer's lifelong modesty and insistence on privacy. Archival footage of early performances, as well as later television appearances, capture Ella's pilgrimage from Depression-era New York, through her discovery at the Apollo Theater and subsequent emergence as a swing vocalist and on to her long career as a matchless pop and jazz stylist. Tony Bennett is a sympathetic narrator, while added affection and insight are provided through

• Film
• 2000
• 86 min
• ★ 7.5/10 TMDB
• Music
• Documentary