Beloved . Tucson Weekly . 11-02-98

Beloved

DIRECTED BY: Jonathan Demme

REVIEWED: 11-02-98

A Hollywood film with a female protagonist is rare enough, so a thought-provoking Disney movie with a black woman as the central character is certainly even more unexpected. Based on the Toni Morrison novel and directed by Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Something Wild), Beloved tells the story of Sethe (Oprah Winfrey), a former slave confronted with the ghost of her dead child. Narrative devices such as flashbacks and dream sequences help to maintain interest during the three-hour running time, but the film is most notable, and enjoyable, for the use of stylistic devices to reflect the psychology of its characters. The set of the house, where Sethe lives with her daughter Denver (Kimberly Elise) and, at times, with Paul D (Danny Glover) and Beloved (Thandie Newton), is claustrophobic and worn, and provides an important touchstone for this barely functioning family. The variety of filmstocks as well as camera and soundtrack manipulations also help convey the disjointed and uneasy existence of the characters. Winfrey is distracting at times because, well, she's Oprah; but Elise gives an excellent performance as her lonely dependent.

--Higgins

Full Length Reviews
Beloved
Beloved

Capsule Reviews
Beloved
Beloved

Other Films by Jonathan Demme
Caged Heat
Storefront Hitchcock

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