Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 05/18/1999
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 171 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
Jonathan Demme directed this adaptation of
Toni Morrison's fact-based fifth novel (winner of a 1988 Pulitzer Prize), written in an experimental stream-of-consciousness flow and capturing the impact and aftermath of slavery on the human soul. In 1873, middle-aged Sethe (
Oprah Winfrey) lives near Cincinnati with her teenage daughter, Denver (
Kimberly Elise). She gets a surprise visit from her old friend Paul D (
Danny Glover), whom she knew when they were both slaves on the Kentucky plantation Sweet Home. Paul D moves in, and a number of mysteries are introduced, including Sethe's memories of her dead older daughter and the fact that Sethe has been abandoned by her husband, two sons, and Denver's grandmother, Baby Suggs (
Beah Richards). When a feral, insect-covered, stuttering teenager (
Thandie Newton) turns up at Sethe's house, she is nursed back to health by Denver and called "Beloved." Violent flashbacks begin to explore shocking episodes from Sethe's past. (The film is rated R "for violent images, sexuality and nudity.") Hints of the supernatural surface as the question arises -- could Beloved be Sethe's older daughter, back from the dead? This film was a pet project of producer-star
Oprah Winfrey, who spent over a decade bringing this work to the screen after she bought the film rights in 1987. With titles fashioned by leading poster/titles designer
Pablo Ferro and music by
Rachel Portman, director
Demme filmed in a variety of locations, including Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Civic Center, Lancaster's Landis Valley Museum), Maryland (Fair Hill Natural Resources Area), and Delaware (Old New Castle).
~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
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