Analysis of Beloved
The film Beloved, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Toni Morrison of the same title, portrays the life of a slave and provides a realistic look at the horrors of slavery and the effect that it has on an African American that has lived through such an experience. Sethe, a former slave (played by Oprah Winfrey), lives in a house with, what remains of her four children, Denver (Kimberly Elise), her daughter. They are ostracized by their community for what at first seems to be because they have a rather violent apparition inhabiting their house. This spirit has brutally harmed their dog and driven Sethe's two sons from her home. The activities of the spirit calm after the arrival of Paul D (Danny Glover), an old friend of Sethe. He, also a former slave, is from the same plantation as Sethe. "Sweet Home" they call it. Even though Paul D was just passing by, his visit turns into an extended stay as he provides comforting, company, companionship and sexual fulfillment for Sethe at this time. They begin to have the shaky makings of a something that resembles a family until the arrival of Beloved (Thandie Newton). One day on their way back from a carnival they encounter a stranger propped up rather awkwardly against
Beloved, like most movies, received mixed reviews. The worst, I found came from Movie Guide when they said that "Beloved is one of the worst movies of the year. Only the acting, set design and costuming pushes it above a poor rating." I find this to be extremely harsh for a movie as profound as Beloved. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen but it got high praises from well-known movie critics like Roger Ebert and various others. The length of the film was commented on quite often regardless of the rating. I personally found it to be lengthy at 172 minutes. Although the content of the story was good, it wasn't enough to fill the amount of time the movie lasted. The film had a tendency to drag at certain points. I found myself frequently checking my watch and wondering when something more exciting was going to happen. After the first twenty minutes there really was nothing to keep me interested other than my desire of wanting to know what the movie was about. O'Hara, Marc. Beloved. Movie Eye. 7 April 2000. < http://www.movieeye.com/reviews/beloved.shtml >. Despite the length and not completely understanding what was going on, I still enjoyed Beloved. But, like so many books that have been made into movies, they have to be watered down to fit within a reasonable time. From what I gather, Beloved is one of those books. It is so full of symbolism and metaphors that even though it is obvious the movie attempt to capture these aspects they are easily overlooked and lost in the cinematography and confusing story line. This would explain why a story that wins a Pulitzer Prize as a novel falls short of obtaining an Oscar once it crosses that line into the theaters. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). "Awards for 'Beloved' (1998)." < http://us.imdb.com/Tawards?0120603 >.
Some common words found in the essay are:
School Teacher, Movie Guide, Roger Ebert, Thandie Newton, Habit Despite, Denver Beloved, Guide Beloved, Sweet Home, Kimberly Elise, Pulitzer Prize, 2000 <, april 2000, 7 april, 7 april 2000, april 2000 <, read book, beloved 7 april, movie guide, beloved 7, sethe former slave, haven't read, movie guide beloved, > movie, actions justified, sweet home,
Approximate Word count = 1390
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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