I've read through through some of these reviews, and I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with quite a lot of them. I think the film is amazing, intelligent and emotive, and does justice to Toni Morrison's incredible novel (one of the best I have ever read). However, I can understand why some people are confused; I think the film is easier to grasp if you read the book. To clarify some of the confusion: * Sethe (Oprah) intends to kill her children before taking her own life, to protect them all from the suffering that awaits them at Sweet Home (the plantation). However, she only succeeds in killing her baby daughter, Beloved, before she is caught. * Sethe is imprisoned for killing her daughter, but is later released due to the efforts of abolitionists (including Baby Sugg's landlord). * Beloved dies as a young infant, and, despite the fact that she returns in the body of a young woman- the age she would have been, had she lived- she retains the emotional and social maturity of a baby (hence the freaky baby- wailing noises that Thandie Newton makes). * The scene where Oprah's character, Sethe, urinates, actually denotes that her waters are breaking again, before the second 'arrival' of her daughter (this happens when the family meet Beloved at the house) * Beloved seems to be both the 'reincarnation' of Sethe's dead daughter, and an embodiment of every African who suffered or died during slavery (particularly those slaves who died before their stories could be passed on).
I apologise for the 'geekiness' of my semi- in-depth analysis- I studied the novel as part of my degree, and loved this adaptation. I think the actors are all amazing, and the film is definitely worth watching- especially if you are willing to read the book x.
I apologise for the 'geekiness' of my semi- in-depth analysis- I studied the novel as part of my degree, and loved this adaptation. I think the actors are all amazing, and the film is definitely worth watching- especially if you are willing to read the book x.