The Watermelon Woman (1996)

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

Director:

Cheryl Dunye

Writers:

Cheryl Dunye, Cheryl Dunye (written by: film recreations, "Plantation Memories" and "Souls of Deceit")

Stars:

Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cheryl Dunye	...	Cheryl
Guinevere Turner	...	Diana
Valarie Walker	...	Tamara
Lisa Marie Bronson	...	Fae 'The Watermelon Woman' Richards
Cheryl Clarke	...	June Walker (as Cheryl Clark)
Irene Dunye	...	Irene Dunye
Brian Freeman	...	Lee Edwards
Ira Jeffries	...	Shirley Hamilton
Alexandra Juhasz	...	Martha Page
Camille Paglia	...	Camille Page
Sarah Schulman	...	CLIT Archivist
V.S. Brodie	...	Karaoke Singer
Shelley Olivier	...	Annie Heath
David Rakoff	...	Librarian
Toshi Reagon	...	Street Musician

Storyline

Cheryl is young, Black, and lesbian, working in Philadelphia with her best friend Tamara and consumed by a film project: to make a video about her search for a Black actress from Philly who appeared in films in the 30s and was known as the Watermelon Woman. Following various leads, Cheryl discovers the Watermelon Woman's stage name and real name and surmises that the actress had a long affair with Martha Page, a White woman and one of Hollywood's few female directors. As she's discovering these things, Cheryl becomes involved with Diana, who's also White. The affair strains Cheryl's friendship with Tamara. More discoveries bring Cheryl (and us, her audience) to new realizations.

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Plot Keywords:

triple f rated | feminist film | new queer cinema | documentary filmmaker | film historian | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to writer/director Cheryl Dunye, much about the character she plays in the film is autobiographical, but the historical references to the Watermelon Woman are fictional: "The Watermelon Woman came from the real lack of any information about the lesbian and film history of African-American women. Since it wasn't happening, I invented it."

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Quotes

Cheryl: You had a black boyfriend?
Diana: I had two. No. I actually had three black boyfriends.
Cheryl: What did your parents say?
Diana: Nothing! They're liberal hippie types. Actually, my father's sister's first husband was an ex-Panther.

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Crazy Credits

The film, which seems to be a documentary about Cheryl's search for the obscure actress who inspired her, ends with these printed words: "Sometimes you have to create your own history. The Watermelon Woman is fiction. Cheryl Dunye, 1996"

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Alternate Versions

In 2016, director Cheryl Dunye's landmark Black Queer Film THE WATERMELON WOMAN was re-released in select theaters and festivals with a pristine 2K HD restoration overseen by the production company 13th Gen, in partnership with Modern Videofilm. The restoration and re-release was sponsored by First Run Features, the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, and the Toronto International Film Festival. This theatrical tour will be followed by a DVD re-release in early 2017.

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Connections

References The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994 (1994)

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Soundtracks

Silent Treatment
by The Roots
Published by Grand Negaz Music, BMI/Scottkatt Music Co., ASCAP/BMG
Courtesy of Geffen Records
by special arrangement with MCA

User Reviews

05/02/21

Really great movie loved the documentary style seaming with the actual film fun characters great transitions inbetween shots and enjoyed how random some of the cuts or scene transitions are

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Watermelon Woman

Filming Locations:

Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$774, 13 November 2016

Gross USA:

$1,989

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,989

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dancing Girl

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color