Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)
Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.
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That was an excellent one.
Simply A Masterpiece
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
After seeing the play that this is based on, I was surprised to read that it was being made into a film for television. The entire play consisted of two old women cooking dinner and talking. How could they get a movie out of that? Well, they certainly did! As powerful and moving as the play was, this film adds voices and images that bring the past to life -sometimes warmly, and sometimes in a chilling manner that shocks our modern sensibilities. All of the performances are excellent -There's no one to single out because everyone involved did fantastic work. The real stars are the Delaney sisters themselves, and their personalities emerge with crystalline clarity in every scene. This American classic is long overdue for a deluxe DVD release with commentary and other bonus materials. Until then, it is at least available from the Having Our Say website.Don't let the subject of this film fool you. It's not just for women and/or people of color. It's a remarkable trove of insight and wisdom from two accomplished women who lived -and thrived -through precarious times and emerged with dignity and grace. We need more people like the Delaney sisters in our world.
This was a fine example of how an interesting film can be made without using big stars and big effects. Just tell a true story about the struggles of two African American women over a turbulent century.This movie challenges us all to look at our own personal prejudices and see that people are people, not white, black, etc.Good movie with a good message.
"Having Our Say" brings new meaning to "coming of age" as it tells the story of two black American sisters, both 100+ years old. Carroll and Dee make a delightful centerpiece for this film which, through a series of flashbacks, recounts their growing up and growing old in a racially divided America. A highly sanitized film, "Having..." is a light hearted reflection on the black experience.
This is one of the best films that I have ever seen!!!! I give it more than a ten!!!!!! This film was very factual and gave the world a big slice of African-American life!!! All the performers, producers(especially Camille O. Cosby, Jeffrey S. Grant and Judith James) and all the others involved, did a great job!!!!