Beloved

Rating:
Summary: Reality scenes not necessary(rape,lynch,sexual)
Review: 8/13/01 I purchased the video out of curiosity ,since it received negative response from all who mentioned it to me(they didn't like the mixing of voodoo and the harsh reality of slavery and racism)...the occult scene, made me revisit the video several times to try to understand, and as happens with many artists' and authors' works, the more often you try to interpret the work, the more acceptable the work becomes, since you see more of the creative (scenary), actors' talents, etc. and general story content. It's not a movie that would go well in memory with just one viewing(in my opinion).

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable adaptation of an outstanding life-changing book
Review: A remarkable adaptation of an outstanding, life-changing book. Oprah Winfrey and Toni Morrison are true geniuses. I am proud to live on the same planet as these two great women. I do have one suggestion. C'est dommage! One of the greatest films in the Amazon.com DVD Collection has no French soundtrack or closed captions. Anyone who has learned English as a second language in the US in recent years will tell you how helpful closed captions on TV have been as a learning tool. Teachers of French would love to see this be routinely adopted as an industry standard. My fear is that the movie industry will pass up a unique opportunity to participate in public learning of foreign languages. By the way, isn't it actually against the law in Canada not to include the French? Shouldn't Region 1- (US and Canada only) encoding ALWAYS include French sound and French closed captions- not only as a courtesy and an added value, easy to include-but to comply with Canadian law? Otherwise, a truly great film in a wonderful format!

Rating:
Summary: It was wonderful!
Review: A stirring and exciting movie, filled with passion and heart. I was by far one of the best movies I've seen this year.

Rating:
Summary: A Stirring and Powerful Achievement by Oprah Winfrey
Review: A stirring and powerful portrayal of Toni Morrison's story of enslaved human beings and their dogged, determined flight to freedom; the profound effect of the Institution of American Slavery on its victims...Stunning perfomances by Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover... A wonderful, inspiring, studious and soul strirring achievement by Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of daytime talkshows... a must for anyone's library....

Rating:
Summary: How can you not love this movie
Review: After seeing this haunting, eery movie (I know I didn't spell that right), I can only say I was wonder-struck. I was in awe. To gore hounds or action movie fanatics it might seem slow, but if you actually sit down to watch an actual movie and an actual story, you will not be dissapointed. The feeling of haunted beauty never leaves you throughout this movie; it comes in over-powering waves and trickles into your mind like a mellon colly dream. OK, don't think that this is at all a "black chick movie" or any nonsense like that; I myself am a white guy, and I absolutly loved it; don't let anything get in the way of your watching this movie!!! I'm a guy, and I actually burst into tears three times while watching this masterpeice. One was when the woman helped Sethe deliever Denver into the world (don't make fun of me!). When Baby Sues was talking to the crowd of people in the woods at the end, that got me. Then, while the credits were rolling, I sat back and thought about the movie as a whole, about sad, haunted (there's that word again) beauty of the story. I can't remember her name, but the young woman who played Beloved - wonderful! Her performance sent chills down my back! Astounding performences to all the cast...This is a terrifically wonderful movie.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing, and amazingly underappreciated
Review: After seeing this movie in the theatre, I didn't want to leave. I didn't even want to talk to the friends I had seen it with - I just wanted to stay in my seat and savor that rare feeling one gets when a movie is so powerful that it changes something inside you. And I especially didn't want to hear the conversation that the couple behind me was having: "Well, that was... long" "Yeah, someone should find the editor and shoot him". Unfortunately, a lot of people seemed to share these opinions. Even more unfortunately, I think many people never saw the movie because they heard comments like those expressed by that couple in the theatre. And I know by reading a few other reviews here that I was not the only one moved by this film. So if you hesitated because of what you heard, give this movie another chance. As long as you do not need things resolved within a 2 hour time limit, appreciate films that are not completely straightforward, and can deal with characters who are not one-dimensional, I think you will find it rewarding. If you thought Independence Day was the pinnacle of filmmaking, well, maybe you should stay away.

Rating:
Summary: This movie shows the real meaning of what slavery was
Review: After the first thirty minutes of watching this movie, I was ready to turn it off but fortuately I did not. The sequences are a little confusing to begin with but are all brought together in the last five minutes. The last five minutes made this movie one of the best and emotionally revealing movies I have ever seen. After watching it, I discovered it was based on a true story. The ending may not be as revealing if you already know the true event this was based upon. I highly reccommend this movie. We learn about slavery in history class in high school but sometimes don't learn about what it really means. The horror of it is truly expressed in this movie.
I can't say anymore because I don't want to ruin the experience but it demonstrates how in extreme circumstances such as slavery, some actions cannot be judged.

Rating:
Summary: SETHE'S LIFE WAS ONE I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH.
Review: At first i was cool about the dog and the other pathetic stuff that showed.Then when Sethe went through all those traumatizing situations i really became scared for her and her daughter.There are times as the movie was going on when i felt like storming out of the living room, realizing it was only a movie i'd just shrug and return to my sit.The Director and the entire crew did produce a quality movie.

Rating:
Summary: True to the spectacular book
Review: At nearly 3 hrs in length, Beloved has plenty of time to stay true to Toni Morrison's masterpiece, a multi-layered story that's part history, part fable, part ghost story, part family history, part mother-daughter tale. Like the book, it's bewildering in parts, the dream-like ramblings of Sethe's (played by Oprah Winfrey) slowly unraveling mind. Her mental state is caused by horrific events from her past that are gradually revealed as the story progresses.
Written and acted with the rhythms and cadences of a song or a long poem, Beloved is, at its core, a love story - but along the way the viewer gets flashbacks of mysterious and chilling doses of rage, murder, brutality, abuse and horror from Sethe's former life as a slave.
Superb.

Rating:
Summary: Can someone please tell me what this movie was about?
Review: Because even after watching it I dont have a clue. I must be missing something or, as I suspect, there is nothing there to begin with. I realize that there are parallels and lessons on morality in this film but I just wasn't able to pin down any in particular. Definately a movie for you if your an English lit major who enjoys torturing yourself on elusive plots and supposed "hidden meanings".