In some ways it was great to see how true the film was to the source material, often capturing the powerful emotions and the horrific effects slavery can have on African-Americans at the time. However, because it is so faithful it makes the film almost 3 hours long so it does drag at points.
Thandie Newton's portrayal of Beloved is rightly weird and disturbing, whilst Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover were very convincing for me as Sethe and Paul D respectively.
The main issue with the film is that knowledge of the book is almost essential going in, as I can see how it may be difficult to grasp exactly what is going on in the narrative without that prior information. Other than that I feel it truly captures the essence of Morrison's novel and can be very thought-provoking at times.
Thandie Newton's portrayal of Beloved is rightly weird and disturbing, whilst Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover were very convincing for me as Sethe and Paul D respectively.
The main issue with the film is that knowledge of the book is almost essential going in, as I can see how it may be difficult to grasp exactly what is going on in the narrative without that prior information. Other than that I feel it truly captures the essence of Morrison's novel and can be very thought-provoking at times.