Beloved (1998)

Based on the book by Toni Morrison, in which a slave is visited by the spirit of a mysterious young woman

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Toni Morrison (novel), Akosua Busia (screenplay)

Stars:

Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Yada Beener

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yada Beener	...	Denver aged 9
Emil Pinnock	...	Howard aged 14
Calen Johnson	...	Buglar aged 13
Oprah Winfrey	...	Sethe
Beah Richards	...	Baby Suggs
Danny Glover	...	Paul D
Kimberly Elise	...	Denver
Jude Ciccolella	...	Schoolteacher
Kessia Embry	...	Amy Denver (as Kessia Kordelle)
Dashiell Eaves	...	Schoolteacher's Nephew
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Younger Sethe (as Lisa Gay Hamilton)
Tyler Hinson	...	Baby Beloved
Brian Hooks	...	Young Paul D
Hill Harper	...	Halle
Thandie Newton	...	Beloved

Storyline

After Paul D. finds his old slave friend Sethe in Ohio and moves in with her and her daughter Denver, a strange girl comes along by the name of "Beloved". Sethe and Denver take her in and then strange things start to happen...

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Plot Keywords:

spirit | farm | freedom | slavery | ohio | 

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Taglines:

The past has a life of its own.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images, sexuality and nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agapimeni

Filming Locations:

Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve, Mason County, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,165,551, 18 October 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$22,852,487

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harpo Films, Clinica Estetico, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for her role as a slave, Oprah Winfrey went through a twenty-four hour simulation of the experience of slavery, which included being tied up, blindfolded, and left alone in the woods.

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Goofs

At the end, when Sethe walks toward Mr. Baldwin to attack him, Beloved is on the porch, screaming, but in the next shot, when Sethe is being held back by the crowd of women, Beloved is not on the porch in the background; then, after a shot of Mr. Baldwin, she's back on the porch again, screaming.

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Quotes

Baby Suggs: And the beat, beat, of your heart... Love it. More than the lungs that need yet to breathe free air. More than the womb, which holds life. More than the private parts that give life. Love your heart. This... this is the prize. Amen. This the prize... Amen!

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Connections

Featured in Tosh.0: Tron Guy (2009)

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Soundtracks

Little Rice, Little Bean
Written by Toni Morrison & Rachel Portman
Performed by Danny Glover

User Reviews

close to film perfection

I saw this amazing film at the theatre and was skeptical going in due to Oprah's campaigning for it so heavily but was blown away regardless--after watching it again I understand her pleas. This stunning story and its brilliant execution by an outstanding director, cast and crew was seen by far too few people. It should have swept the oscars and if I recall--was merely nominated for costume design the same year that literally no black actors, directors, or films were nominated in any of their categories. wow--a real eye opener on how little respect good art recieves even today--let alone artists of color. I'd like the opportunity to tell each and every member of the cast how astonished I was even hours later. A beautiful, rich, and generous film. An earnest thank you to everyone who helped get it made. Bravo and thank you!