BELOVED
** (out of 4) - a fair movie
Release Date: October 16, 1998 Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise, Beah Richards Directed by: Jonathan Demme Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures MPAA Rating: R (violent images, sexuality, nudity) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/beloved.htm
It's possible to classify cinema based on literature as an entirely seperate genre aside from action, comedy, drama, and the usual categories. Those movies which are based on books are almost always a testament to their source - the author wrote such a visually or mentally outstanding novel that it begged to be brought to life on the screen - but as cinema alone they are often disappointing ventures. The most disappointing transplant within the last few years was James Patterson's KISS THE GIRLS: although the novel was tense and a very exciting read, the movie was lackluster and far from noteworthy. The latest product of this movement, Toni Morrison's BELOVED, does not stoop to such levels, but it is a rather disappointing movie.
With all of the talent involved - both in front of the camera, behind it, and in the script - BELOVED was almost a surefire lock for the Oscars in March of next year. (It still may harbor such chances, as both the Academy and several signifcant film writers tend to prefer deep but cinematically boring films for their ballots.) It's directed by Jonathan Demme, who won an Academy Award for his direction in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The script is written by Akosua Busia, who wrote the energetic segregation tale ROSEWOOD, and it's is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison. Finally, the two top-billed actors, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, have respectable if not excellent track records in Hollywood. For all of these ingredients, a very engaging motion picture experience is surely not unreasonable.
The results are quite the opposite. BELOVED is a three-hour long movie which lacks anything substantial to power it through such an unlikely length. Demme and Busia have chosen faithfulness to the novel over basic principles of filmmaking, and in doing so they deep-six any chances the movie has for widespread appeal. Herein lies the story of Sethe (Winfrey) an ex-slave living in post-Civil War Cincinnati. For her, the year 1873 sees the arrival of friend from the past and soon-to-be-lover Paul D (Glover). Although Sethe agrees with Paul D's presence in her household, her daughter Denver (Kimberly Elise) does not. Not long after Paul D comes to stay with Sethe and Denver do we see the entrance of Beloved, a strange and sometimes horrific young woman who may or may not be the reincarnation of a daughter Sethe once had. Sethe and Denver are enchanted with her, but Paul D knows there's something not right and so he departs for parts unknown while the plot escalates to its climax.
And the climax cannot come soon enough. Both 1997 and 1998 have seen the advent of several movies which push the envelope in terms of running time, and only those films which have some sort of continual motion will survive at such an extended duration. Anything which takes the better part of three hours cannot simply rely on solid acting or tidbits of tension, as in BELOVED. For therein lies the chief reason for the disappointing outcome of the movie: although Winfrey and Glover give outstanding performances, there is nothing here that we haven't seen between AMISTAD and ROSEWOOD - and those were certainly more watchable films. The only thing that BELOVED has going for it are the hints of a ghost story, which, sadly, are dropped without realization very early in the movie. Although some viewers may find this an outstanding and very memorable film, it is not a mainstream product; and in the end, that is what mars what might have been a truly fine movie.
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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