The Wedding (TV 1998)

Director:

Charles Burnett

Writers:

Dorothy West (novel), Lisa Jones (teleplay)

Stars:

Halle Berry, Eric Thal, Lynn Whitfield

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Cynda Williams	...	Liz Odis
Charlayne Woodard
Richard Brooks	...	Lincoln Odis
Gabriel Casseus	...	Hannibal
Shirley Knight	...	Gram (Miss Caroline)
Ethel Ayler	...	Eunice
Paul Butler	...	Preacher
Peter Francis James	...	Isaac Coles
Carl Gordon	...	Mr. Hawkins

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | wedding | reflection | white male black female relationship | racism | 

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Taglines:

One walk will determine her destiny.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding

Filming Locations:

Southport, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hamdon Entertainment, Harpo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 135 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Corinne Coles: I know it was harsh when I spoke of you being a stain on your in-laws' sheets. It's because I was a stain on my mother's.

User Reviews

Annoyingly self-indulgent...

Overall, I thought this was a self-indulgent, long-winded film. I didn't read the book and was fascinated to read how different it was. Still predictable is the glorification of "poor" and rich or accomplished as somehow suspect. All of these are the same kind of stereotypes as the film attempts to criticize.

There are certainly some good moments but most of the time, I forced myself to watch so I could finally see how it ended. I'm sorry to say, it wasn't worth the wait. The best part of the film is of course the gorgeous Halle Berry, who doesn't have to do much to be spectacular, and the portrayal of upper class black society. That was as much a revelation as Spielberg's film in which we learned the little known fact that slavery was begun in Africa and there were Black free men in the North during slavery--something of which many people are completely unaware.

Additionally, I don't see bias towards interracial marriage here. I see bias against building enough character development to have us care about the people.