Beloved (1998/I)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Toni Morrison (novel)
Akosua Busia (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The past has a life of its own.

Plot:

Based on the book by Toni Morrison, in which a slave is visited by the spirit of her deceased daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Spirit | Slavery | Freedom | Ohio | Mother Kills Own Child

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Oprah Winfrey	...	Sethe
Danny Glover	...	Paul D Garner
Thandie Newton	...	Beloved
Kimberly Elise	...	Denver
Beah Richards	...	Baby Suggs, aka Grandma Baby
Lisa Gay Hamilton	...	Younger Sethe
Albert Hall	...	Stamp Paid
Irma P. Hall	...	Ella
Carol Jean Lewis	...	Janey Wagon
Kessia Randall	...	Amy Denver (as Kessia Kordelle)
Jude Ciccolella	...	Schoolteacher
Anthony Chisholm	...	Langhorne
Dorothy Love Coates	...	M. Lucille Williams
Jane White	...	Lady Jones
Yada Beener	...	Denver aged 9

MPAA:

Rated R for violent images, sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

172 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36139) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Fair Hill Natural Resources Area - 376 Fair Hill Drive, Fair Hill, Maryland, USA

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Trivia:

A subplot in the novel, omitted from the film version, suggests that Beloved might actually be a missing woman from a nearby town who was tortured and imprisoned by a white man. The subplot underscored Sethe's need for Beloved to be her reincarnated daughter.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the camera is following Beloved out to the shed, you can the camera man's shoe for a second in the bottom right corner.

Quotes:

Sethe: I got a tree on my back and a haint in my house, and nothing inbetween but the daughter I'm holding in my arms.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: David Spade/Eagle-Eye Cherry (#24.5)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Sheep, Sheep Dont'cha Know The Road

A garbled mess

I am a big Jonathon Demme fan, even going back to Handle With Care (Did anyone other than me see this film?), so I was very disappointed with this convoluted mess. Making a film from a richly loved book can be troublesome. The film feels like it came from a book, as if the director was afraid to leave out any of the details and alienating the book's legion of fans. Plus the supernatural side of the story is better left to the imagination. On screen, it comes off as ridiculous and hokey. Oprah is fine, but the title character is tremendously annoying. Stop reading here if you haven't seen the film, but she kept reminding me of those not-quite-right pets from Pet Sematary. I normally admire over the top acting, but this is more like over the top of top. Embarrassing stuff. I Have other issues:(1) what was up with that white woman who helps Oprah give birth? She was almost as annoying as Beloved;(2)What happened to the sons?;(3)Why did the makers cut to a seemingly gratuitous and graphic scene of Oprah urinating? I rewound my vcr to figure out the significance and it went over my head twice. Unless you've read the book, you'll probably find this to be an indecipherable, indulgent mess.