The Wedding (1998) (TV)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Charles Burnett

Writers (WGA):

Dorothy West (novel)
Lisa Jones (teleplay)

Release Date:

22 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One walk will determine her destiny.

Plot Keywords:

Black Woman White Male | Adultery | 1950s | Class Differences | Wedding

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Halle Berry	...	Shelby Coles
Eric Thal	...	Meade Howell
Lynn Whitfield	...	Corinne Coles
Carl Lumbly	...	Lute McNeil
Michael Warren	...	Clark Coles
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Ellen Coles
Shirley Knight	...	Gram (Miss Caroline)
Cynda Williams	...	Liz Odis
Charlayne Woodard
Richard Brooks	...	Lincoln Odis
Gabriel Casseus	...	Hannibal
Patricia Clarkson	...	Della McNeil
Ethel Ayler	...	Eunice
Kelsey Walke	...	Tina McNeil
Peter Francis James	...	Isaac Coles

Also Known As:

Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding

Runtime:

Spain:180 min | UK:135 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Southport, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Hamdon Entertainment

Quotes:

Corinne Coles: You've undermined me all my life. You've only loved part of me, and that's not enough.
Gram: How can... how can you say that? I... I dedicated my life to you.
Corinne Coles: You've always measured me by your standards. My mother was never happy because of you. I married for the wrong reasons, because for you.
Gram: Talk... all this talk is nonsense. You should be thinking about Shelby's wedding.
Corinne Coles: My life is falling apart. My husband is leaving me.
Gram: I don't want to think about that. I can't... I can't think about that.
Corinne Coles: You should think about that. You should think about what you've done to me, and my mother, and my father.

It tackles a subject of which I was ignorant.

Obviously we all compare ourselves with others to some degree even though it is not a praiseworthy activity, however I had never considered the extent to which class-ism probably wrecked relationships amongst Black families in the early 20th century.

Yes the story was perhaps too fanciful with just about every relationship portrayed, affected by the same issue but it sure does expose the issue as I had never considered it before.

It is interesting to read that Dorothy West had the book, 30 years in the making. I wonder how it would have been received if it had been completed prior to the beginnings of the racial revolution in the sixties with Dr Martin Luther King etc.

Somehow the whole thing seemed a bit "wooden" in delivery but nonetheless as it tackled a subject that I suspect has been unconsidered by most, it was worthwhile doing and not surprisingly needed the backing of Oprah Winfrey to see the light of day.

It put me somewhat in mind of the trans racial issues as presented in the musical Showboat which I would recommend to anyone who wants to explore these issues in a more subtle and tuneful production.