Product Description
Oprah Winfrey Presents THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, the story of a remarkable and resilient woman's quest for love and fulfillment based on the best-selling book by Zora Neale Hurston. Academy Award(R) winner Halle Berry (Best Actress 2003, MONSTERS BALL) stars as the beautiful Janie Crawford, who embarks on an emotional and dramatic journey of self-discovery. Refusing to compromise in spite of society's expectations, Janie endures two stifling marriages until finally finding love in a passionate romance with a much younger man. In one of the greatest, most lyrical love stories ever written, Janie experiences all that life has to offer, from unbelievable triumph to unspeakable heartbreak. Be inspired again and again by this timeless story of passion, romance, and the spirit of true love. ~
Product Details
- #11546 in DVD
- Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
- Released on: 2005-11-29
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
- Original language:
English
- Dimensions: .22 pounds
- Running time: 113 minutes
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Produced by Oprah Winfrey, this lush, yet earthy telefilm was adapted from the 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston. Set in rural Florida, the story begins several years after emancipation. Janie (a soulful Halle Berry) is a dreamy-eyed teenager, who never knew her parents. She was raised by the bitter Nanny (Ruby Dee), an ex-slave, who marries her off to an older man the minute she gets the chance. Mr. Killicks works Janie like a dog, but leaves her alone otherwise (he's abusive in the book). Then Janie meets the courtly Joe (Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues), who whisks her away from the muck to the black township of Eatonville. The two proceed to transform the town from a patch of dirt into a real community. Along the way, Joe becomes mayor and Janie a mere helpmate. Except for her friend Phoeby (Nicki Micheaux), the townspeople confuse her sadness for conceit and she ends up lonelier than ever. Twenty years later, Joe dies and Janie takes up with the younger Tea Cake (Michael Ealy, Barbershop). Much like the other literary adaptations with which she's been associated (The Color Purple, Beloved, etc.), this Oprah production boasts an impressive line-up of African-American talent, including Terrence Howard (Crash) as the covetous Amos. A mostly successful mix between suds and substance, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which premiered on ABC, was directed by Darnell Martin, co-written by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan Lori-Parks, and graced with a classy score by frequent Spike Lee collaborator Terence Blanchard. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Rating: 
-
A Love Story to Cherish & Remember
I would personally like to thank Oprah Winfrey, Terrance Blanchard and Harpo productions for their lush, lighthearted, inspiring, and romantic adaptation of the Zora Heal Hurston novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God." The harsh realities of life are forever present in modern day media; they are ingrained in the bittersweet of our mundane lives and often darkly taint African-American literature. As long as there is strife and dysfunction in our society there are copious accounts of verbal and physical abuse, self-hate, sex crimes, and the devastating affects of mental slavery on a nation of people in the name of power. In my lifetime, I have encountered and read several stories that illustrate the self-hatred that a black male can feel for himself and how that contaminates his capacity and ability to love his own life, black women and children. Some black women have never experienced the healthy supportive love, compassion and kindest of black men in books or in life. Rare are the realistic accounts of the healthy, passionate, respectful and encouraging love between African-American/ Black couples.
In contrast to the other critics of the film, Winfrey's adaptation of "Their Eyes Where Watching God," was truly phenomenal! The movie version of the book was a much-needed and welcomed portrayal of ones journey through self-love; how it affects our ability to make our dreams come true and live a beautiful, splendid life. Prior to seeing the movie I am grateful that I had not read the book (with all due respect to Zora Neale Hurston). Frankly, when I learned that T-cake was abusive (typical of most novels) in the book and that in fact all of the men in the book were either emotional and/ or physically abusive, "something fell off of the self" in my heart, these subject matters are so prevalent in many novels because oftentimes it is difficult to write about an uplifting, liberating love when you have not experienced it for yourself.
The T-cake experienced in the film version of the book, loves Janie for exactly who she is at that moment in her life. Through his love for Janie, T-cake releases her from the fear that kept her in an abusive relationship with Raymond Stalks until death and from the same fear that was stifling her life to embrace new and wonderful experiences. In the film T-cake is realistically flawed, as she is, yet he understands the importance of accountability in love. Their exchange is not a toxic dance in which they break each other down spiritually, mentally, or physically. Together they delight in exploring each other and life together. They are passionate, fun and a true joy to watch if you have forgotten the joy, camaraderie, and electricity of love. In the end a content Janie embraces her self worth, her life, and the impact of T-cake in her life because the reality of unconditional love has finally deeply and profoundly reached out to touch her. During a very trying time in Halle Berry's personal life, when she was divorcing husband, Eric Benet and essentially "staring over" in her late thirties, I could truly understand why Oprah would offer this gift of hope to her friend in this amazing role. This film is a must-see but you really have to assume an open heart to really enjoy and appreciated the essence of the message of hope and love in this extraordinary film. Regardless of ethnicity, race, creed, or marital status it is a message that every adult could benefit from. Enjoy this remarkable powerful and incredibly romantic journey:-)
Rating: 
-
AN EXCELLENT & POIGNANT FILM
A very poignant and well-acted story of love and spirit of the soul.
Halle Berry and Michael Ealy's love scenes are very sensual, yet
tasteful. The supporting actors are well-cast and the cinematography
makes you feel that you are there. My only complaint is the intro by
producer Oprah Winfrey. She sets the story up referencing some kiss
which takes place in the movie. In her best "I'm Oprah and $8 billion
makes me an authority on everything" tone, she says something like
"once you receive a kiss like that, you'll be ready to go to God". She
implied that she was still waiting for such a moment. Well, I'm
intrigued by this because, although I believed that I'd experience "the
kiss of life" in 1991, I'm always down for another one. So I cue up the
DVD and wait and wait and wait - distracted from the real story,
waiting for "The Kiss". Many steamy kisses go by, but nothing worth
dying over. I guess I've "been there, done that" in the kiss arena
while Oprah has only been shopping. Girlfriend, get rid of Stedman and
get a thug in your life!"
Viewers, ignore the distracting plug about the kiss - even if you
haven't had it yet. Just sit down and enjoy a great story of true love
and a woman who lived her life to the fullest. We can all learn from
her lesson here
Rating: 
-
A good try!
This review is comparing the movie to the epic novel written by literary giant Zora Neale Hurston. The movie as a movie, in and of itself is not bad. Not bad at all. In fact is captivating, moving, and very well done. However, there are a few things that Hurston would have been upset over.
1) The title: In the movie Janie is always the one "watching God." Yet in the novel "their eyes" were watching Him. Meaning it was Janie, Teacake, and another guy watching God in the eye of a storm. That guy wasn't even present in the film.
2)The novel covered more broad issues than a woman's love life. Ex. race, gender, etc... However, that was all the movie focused on.
3) Certain scenes that were vital to understanding the movie were cut. Namely, Nanny (her grandma) dying. How is the movie watcher supposed to understand how the grandma dissappears from the scene. Or the court scene of Janie being tried for the death of Teacake.
Overall, it deserves an A for effort not Accuracy.
Rating: -
beautiful love story
its full of pain an love an deception if you love good love stories that are not corny then you def need to check this one out you wont regret it i just ordered it. the first time i saw it was on tv an tv takes a lot the good parts out, so i cant wait to actually own it an see the whole movie
Rating: -
Lyrical
There is a certain lyrical beauty about this film. A thinly veiled Hurston lives vicariously through Janie, who wanders through life looking for a man who will bring her fresh strawberries and go fishing by moonlight--and she finds him in Tea Cake.
Oprah's intro to this film is telling when she says that a woman can die happy after being kissed by a man like Tea Cake.
In short, the film is masterfully filmed, character-driven and true to the era of the story.
Rating: -
Excellent for teachers
This is a great product for teachers to use in the classroom as the dialect is sometimes hard for students to understand. Ruby Dee does a great job reading the novel and she does voices for everyone. My students thoroughly enjoyed listening to this in class.
Rating: -
A Zora Classic Brought to the Big Screen
I rented this movie solely because I remembered enjoying reading the fiction by Zora when I had to study her work in in a High School American Lit. class. While this movie, like all adaptations of good literature, suffers due to limitations of the motion picture genre, I did enjoy it. If one demands an identical emotional experience from a movie that they had from the book, they will be disappointed--but I would tell these people to never see a movie of a book they liked!
This movie retains much of Zora's ability to transfer her readers to a different time and place, even if they come from radically different backgrounds. As a Zora fan, I enjoyed this movie. The actors and actresses did a good job of bringing Zora's characters to life. I expect that Halle Berry fans will be especially appreciative. I sincerely hope that this movie will inspire more people to check out this and other fine examples of Zora's fiction.
Even though it cannot compare to the fine piece of American literature from which it came, I can easily recommend this movie to all but the hardcore fan who insists on a celluloid remake of the book.
Rating: -
EYES as an educational supplement.
Very good means of giving middle class kids a look at a rural southern community, etc. of the past. The movie is incomplete in contrast to the book, but Halle Berry, et.al. bring home to modern audiences the sense of time and place and illustrate life in the Eatonville Florida of the past.
Rating: -
Turning up the heat...
I love this movie...I read the book after I saw the movie and I don't give a darn about incongruities. The book is great...so is the movie and by now I don't expect the twain to meet very often...They are different and each has their own qualities.
For me though, the movie turns the heat way up...I have had that love that Janey talks about and expresses...especially in the harmonica kiss scene...the look on Tea Cakes face...yep...that's what it's all about.Some never have that, never know what it is...
In many ways the final sentiments of the story remind me of the movie Kama Sutra..in which the heroines lover also dies...having touched that kind of incredible passionate love and lost it was heartbreaking for sure...but to let the loss negate the message of the love, by becoming devastated by the loss, would have been much worse...The gift that the male lovers in both movies gave the women cannot be killed. In Kama Sutra the woman walks into the evening sky saying something like "my heart is as vast as the sky"...Janey's sentiments are similar...and she reminds us to keep watching God.
Rating: -
Wow! You talking about exciting!!
This is the most fascinating movie I have seen in a long time..Halle Berry showed off in this one.
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