Their Eyes Were Watching God (TV 2005)

A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.

Director:

Darnell Martin

Writers:

Zora Neale Hurston (novel), Suzan-Lori Parks (teleplay),

Stars:

Halle Berry, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Mel Winkler

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Halle Berry	...	Janie Starks
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Joe Starks
Mel Winkler	...	Logan Killicks
Michael Ealy	...	Tea Cake
Terrence Howard	...	Amos Hicks
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Pearl Stone
Nicki Micheaux	...	Phoebe Watson
Gabriel Casseus	...	Sam Watson
Sean Nelson	...	Hezekiah
Kevin Daniels	...	Liege Moss
Maura Gale
Ruby Dee	...	Nanny
Henry Brown	...	Walter Stone
Rhonda Stubbins White	...	Annie Tyler
Artel Great	...	Motor Boat (as Artel Kayaru)

Storyline

Sassy Janie Starks looks unlike to get anywhere in pre-Great War Easton, Florida, but lands the best colored catch, lively shopkeeper Joe Starks, who even becomes town mayor. However her refusal to oblige his expectations of decency turn love into bitterness. After his death, she prefers to enjoy 'freedom' again, with cocky outsider 'Tea Cake' as playmate, and not just at chess. They even face the risks of seasonal labor.

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Plot Keywords:

florida | 1920s | small town | marriage | southern | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mindörökké szerelem

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Do We Inc., Harpo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Eatonville is located in Central Florida, where the average elevation is close to sea level. The hills in the background in wide shots clearly betray the California shooting locations.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Janie Starks: There's two things everybody got to find out for theyselves: they got to find out about love, and they got to find out about living. Now, love is like the sea. It's a moving thing. And it's different on every shore. And living... well, I just come back from burying the dead.

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Connections

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006)

User Reviews

A little slow in spots, but beautifully moving

Taking on the adaptation of a literary classic like this one is daunting at best, but as always, Oprah is up to the task.

Being married to an elderly man at the age of 17 is ghastly, no matter how kind the man is. So we understand the attraction that Janie would have to Joe Starks, who, still much older than her, represented the whole wide world of possibilities to a young, uneducated Florida woman in the 1920's. Unfortunately, she became a trophy wife, valued only for her beauty and obedience, and not her mind. Although the 12-years her junior Tea Cake seems like the last person Janie should end up with after a relatively loveless 20-year marriage and eventual widowhood, appearances can be deceiving.

The story teaches that material things are all right in their place, but if we exchange them for real living and true love, we lose out. Even though there is a tragic end, you find yourself still happy that Janie experienced the kind of love we all dream about.