Beloved (1998)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

In some ways it was great to see how true the film was to the source material, often capturing the powerful emotions and the horrific effects slavery can have on African-Americans at the time. However, because it is so faithful it makes the film almost 3 hours long so it does drag at points.Thandie Newton's portrayal of Beloved is rightly weird and disturbing, whilst Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover were very convincing for me as Sethe and Paul D respectively. The main issue with the film is that knowledge of the book is almost essential going in, as I can see how it may be difficult to grasp exactly what is going on in the narrative without that prior information. Other than that I feel it truly captures the essence of Morrison's novel and can be very thought-provoking at times.

Beloved (1998): Dir: Jonathan Demme / Cast: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise, Hill Harper: Powerful film with a title regarding a girl but it may also reference divine love. Flashbacks showcase brutality of a female black slave who is raped by two white students while their teacher looks on. Her husband is killed after being forced to watch. She becomes pregnant but kills the child to keep it from slavery. Years later her house is haunted by a poltergeist manifested into Beloved. An old friend stops by but he fears the spiritual presence. There is also a daughter named Denver who was delivered by a white woman upon her escape. Jonathan Demme is a suitable director after having made The Silence of the Lambs, also about a scarred past. Oprah Winfrey delivers a powerful performance full of fear, dread and hopelessness. Danny Glover plays her visitor reduced to conviction. He gets her pregnant again and offers to keep her but eventually he will discover her grim past. Kimberly Elise plays Denver, a survivor and perhaps the strongest. Thandie Newton is amazing with her awkward reflexes but the character Beloved is a spiritual wreck. She's a reincarnation yet demonic and completely unreadable. Hill Harper plays Winfrey's husband. Compelling story of gloom with muddled supernatural elements. Score: 6 ½ / 10

After the US Civil War, hard-working Oprah Winfrey (as Sethe) lives in the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. During flashbacks, we will see her house is haunted by a restless spirit who likes to shake up the set. An uncommon woman, Ms. Winfrey demonstrates supernatural powers of her own when she heals the family dog. Another flashback provides information about the incident which shaped Winfrey's "Sethe" and her life – her sadistic ex-master tried to take her back to the plantation, resulting in Winfrey taking drastic measures to save her children from slavery...Presently, Winfrey lives with her teenage daughter Kimberly Elise (as Denver). Soon, they are joined by another ex-slave from the "Sweet Home" plantation – Danny Glover (as Paul D). The trio becomes a quartet following a fun visit to the carnival and a look at Winfrey squatting to urinate. Winfrey decides to take in weird, but well-dressed waif Thandie Newton (as Beloved, after an insect attack. Introducing herself like the girl from "The Exorcist" (1973), Ms. Newton turns out to be more like a baby in a woman's body. She may also hold the key to Winfrey's soul...Trying to turn Toni Morrison's deservedly acclaimed novel "Beloved" (1987) into a worthy film is an admirable task...The production looks classy, with some beautiful photographed (by Tak Fujimoto) segments; dusty smoke is piped in so some scenes don't look too pretty. "Academy Award" favorite Colleen Atwood was nominated for her costume design. Lisa Gay Hamilton is well cast as a younger Winfrey, but her characterization suffers from the non-linear editing. The strongest, most consistent performer is relative newcomer Kimberly Elise. Granted, she has a less emotionally wrought role to play, but she also plays her "Denver" beautifully and is harder to catch acting than most...This attempt was piloted by Winfrey, a major talk-show host and part-time actress who has since become an unimaginably wealthy media guru. When celebrities sin, they can be forgiven by apologizing to "Oprah" in a face-to-face interview. Winfrey the actress passes muster, here; that the film wasn't perfect shouldn't negate her opening herself up to act more often, and take criticism. What really doesn't work are the supernatural elements; they look better in the book. It might have been interesting to leave out the overtly supernatural and make "Beloved" a straight drama.****** Beloved (10/8/98) Jonathan Demme ~ Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton

Mother killed her child for not suffering because of its slavery. God became a human body giving Himself for frightening pain and death on the cross to redeem people who killed him and show in that way the power of his love for them. He didn't want the suffering and pain of his children who are His creations in human bodies, in hell with Satan and his fallen angels for the whole eternity. God has got a plan for every human, that's why he's suffering when someone kills his creation. Only God, not human, is perfect in Its love and only this love has made happened that Jesus his Son couldn't go against his Father during his suffering on Earth. Jesus only told his Father - 'God, God why did you leave me ?' - He has only though He left him alone. God answered nothing. Jesus, who is a God in human body didn't rebel against his Father in opposite to the human being at the beginning of the times. Jesus trusted his Father. Human trusted Satan and that's why human love cannot be perfect. Jesus Christ throughout his sacrifice has given an eternity life for every person, who truly wants it and regrets his own sins even if it is a murderer because he promised that on the cross and in many other situations. Sethe without any doubt had got her hands in scarlet. She has just thought she had loved her children very much, that's why she tried to kill them, but she really regretted her act against children's life. The proof of it is that Sethe wanted to serve her "survived" daughter. She wanted to take care and spend with evil Beloved all the time. The young strange woman has appeared in the house when the devilish spirit of the death daughter had calmed. That was the sign the evil spirit became a body. After all there is no possibility to compare the death of Sethe's child to the death of God's Son. That's the reason, the context of these deaths is completely different and contrary. God has sacrificed his own child, his perfect love for life of many sinners, in addition with the agreement of Jesus, but this woman sinned against this perfect love, taking back a life of her child, a child of God as well. God has forgiven Sethe's murder like he said and the proof of this is that the woman named Beloved has disappeared when old Christian women had made an exorcism. They were standing by the house praying and singing in the name of Jesus Christ. It was some kind of Christian exorcism and it seemed to be successful. Jesus went to Sethe and set her free from the evil past. Sethe said: 'You cannot love much and you cannot love less. You just can love or not'. Well, I agree, but our love will never be perfect in this life from the point of view of Christianity and from my point of view. So I can say: 'Sethe, you have no idea what the real love is'.