Beloved
1998
Jonathan Demme directs this mysterious and potent drama based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Years after the Civil War, in Ohio, a former slave named Sethe (Oprah Winfrey) lives in a small house on some land outside of Cincinnati with her grown daughter, Denver (Kimberly Elise). Sethe is stoic .. Read more
| Starring | Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise |
|---|---|
| Director | Jonathan Demme |
| Genres | Drama |
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Beloved
Jonathan Demme directs this mysterious and potent drama based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Years after the Civil War, in Ohio, a former slave named Sethe (Oprah Winfrey) lives in a small house on some land outside of Cincinnati with her grown daughter, Denver (Kimberly Elise). Sethe is stoic and hardworking, while Denver is restless and has begun to resist her mother's separatist tendencies. Meanwhile, their home is showing signs of some sort of possession that causes it to pitch and rumble. Shortly after the house has become disturbed, the two receive a visit from Paul D. (Danny Glover), a former slave who knew Sethe. Next another young woman, named Beloved (Thandie Newton), arrives out of nowhere. Beloved's odd childlike ways, which include her speaking and walking strangely, are just the beginning of the dark story she forces to the surface after her arrival. Beloved's effect on Sethe and Paul D. forces them to deal with the past while propelling Denver into maturity. The film is full of mysticism while boldly exploring some of the spiritual repercussions of slavery.
| Starring | Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise, Beah Richards, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Albert Hall, Irma P. Hall |
|---|---|
| Director | Jonathan Demme |
| Studio | TOUCHSTONE HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 45 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | German, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 12 Feb 2001 Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) translates Toni Morrison's acclaimed novel to the screen with mixed results, garnering a strong lead performance from Oprah Winfrey, but ultimately getting bogged down in a laborious attempt to make something worthy. Winfrey is the ex-slave who killed her own daughter to prevent her being taken into slavery, only to have a young, childlike woman (a rather overcooked performance from Thandie Newton) turn up on her doorstep years later who seems to have all the characteristics of the child she killed. Winfrey is surprisingly moving and is given solid support by Lethal Weapon's Danny Glover, but they can't save this from ending up as a successful cure for insomnia.
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Meticulous version of a novel dealing with the effects and aftermath of slavery; it is, though, both too earnest and too long to be entirely satisfactory.
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Most helpful member's review
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
This is very weird film. Never saw anything even similar!
The master class of actors technique and full of metaphors + deep ideas to think about.
I would recommend it only for people with brains. Otherwise it will be tough going :) -
Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Sepia-tinged shocker
Adapted from Toni Morrison's haunting best-seller (which I've read) this Oprah produced movie is on the whole admirably faithful to the original text.
Oprah herself stars as Sethe, the maternal heart of the movie whose murder of her infant baby, Beloved, changed the course of her life as an escaped slave trying to make a new life in Ohio.
The sepia-tinged cinematography is a wonder to behold in itself, and Thandie Newton's initial scenes as Beloved came as a shock even to someone who had read the book. The low growl she emits is chilling and outdid even the gruesomeness of the opening scenes.
At 2 hrs 40 it's heavy-going in one sitting, but the conclusion thankfully ties up a few ends left loose in the book. Winfrey and Glover outdo their excellent performances in The Colour Purple but it's Thandie Newton who's a blood-curdling revelation.
A underrated chiller that sticks in the memory.
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- Alfod from Walsall
- Posted 25 May 2004 16:48
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