Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005 television)
Encyclopedia
Their Eyes Were Watching God is an American Broadcasting Company
television movie
aired on March 6, 2005 at 9pm based upon Zora Neale Hurston
's 1937 novel
of the same name. The film was directed by Darnell Martin
and produced by Oprah Winfrey
's Harpo Productions
(Winfrey served as the host for the broadcast.) Its teleplay was by Suzan-Lori Parks
, Misan Sagay, and Bobby Smith, Jr.
) who is in coveralls walking into Eatonville, Florida barefoot. She mentions that there are two things that people need to find out about which are love and living. She says that love is like the sea because it is a moving thing that is on every shore. As she continues to walk through Eatonville into her home, you hear people of the town saying comments such as Tea Cake (played by Michael Ealy
), who we later learn to be her younger third lover, has taken all of her money and abandoned her. They assume this because after a number of days of running off with Tea Cake, she returned to Eatonville alone with no Tea Cake in sight. However, ignoring these comments, Janie enters her house and begins playing the piano. Her best friend, Pheoby Watson (played by Nicki Micheaux
) walks into her house and brings her food. Pheoby gives Janie her opinion that Tea Cake was a bad person who took advantage of Janie, but Janie disagrees because she believes that what Tea Cake and her had was real love. As she is explaining herself to Pheoby, the scene switches to her past of age sixteen where her life story to Pheoby will begin.
The scene takes place at Janie's grandmother's house. Janie is standing in the backyard admiring a bee pollinating a pear tree. As she is looking, she sees Johnny Taylor (played by Jensen Atwood
) in a distance. She runs to him and they begin to kiss. Moments shortly, her grandmother, Nanny (played by Ruby Dee
), catches her kissing him. Nanny drags Janie away and tells her that she does not want Janie to be like her mother. Therefore, this leads to the idea of marriage. Nanny announces that she has arranged a marriage for Janie with an elderly man named Logan Killicks (played by Mel Winkler
). Janie, who is unfavorable of this arrangement, speaks back to her Nanny saying that she did not want to marry him. As a reaction, Nanny slaps her across the face and says that Killicks can support her with the sixty acres that he owns. This arrangement has to be made for Janie because they both know that Nanny is getting old; therefore, Janie cannot support herself on her own. As a response to the slap, Janie runs off into a nearby lake and lays there floating. She looks out into the sky and begins “watching God.”
Janie ends up marrying and beginning a life with Logan Killicks . They both physically work together at managing their sixty acres. One day, Logan realizes that they need another plier; therefore, he goes to Hamilton County to buy one. Janie asks if she can come with him, but he tells her to stay to work on the farm. After Logan leaves, Janie releases their pigs and encounters Joe “Jody” Starks (played by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
) who is walking passed by their home to get to Eatonville, Florida
. They converse and Joe tells her that he is going to place that will eventually become a great town. Joe tries to convince Janie to come with him, but she denies. He tells her that if she changes her mind, he will be waiting down the road for her after sunrise the next morning. That night as Janie and Logan are in bed, she asks him what he would do if she were to leave him. Logan states that she must not appreciate his treatment and his sixty acres that he has to offer her. He finalizes the conversation by telling Janie to do what she has to do. As Logan's wife, Janie realizes that she only married him for his financial support instead of for love. She will not feel love for him even if she waits. Therefore the next morning, she decides to go to Eatonville, Florida with Joe to find change.
Joe and Janie arrive to Eatonville, Florida as a married couple. Janie now carries the name Mrs. Starks to the locals in that town. Upon their arrival, one of the persons they are greeted by is Amos Hicks (played by Terrence Howard
). Joe Starks asks Amos if he knows where Eatonville is and Amos replies that have currently reached Eatonville. Joe and Janie see that Eatonville is a town that has been barely developed. Therefore, Joe takes the role of buying more land from Caption Eaton and becoming mayor of the town. With the locals coming together to work as a team, they construct a newly built Eatonville that actually represents a real, decent town. Also, Joe built a two story home for both Janie and him, and a shop for them to run a business. After its completion, a festivity is held for Mayor Joe Starks to present and document the town as official. For the speech ceremony, the ladies of Eatonville make Janie a dress to wear; however, Joe ordered her an outfit from one of the finest stores in Orlando
telling her that the outfit he bought was more appropriate for a mayor's wife compared to the one the ladies made for her. During the festivity, Janie overhears some of the ladies saying that since Janie is not wearing there dress, they must think she is too good to wear the dress that they made for her. Through her facial expression, she expresses an emotion of uneasiness but must deal with the opinions. Once Joe finishes giving his speech, Amos Hicks shouts out loud for Mrs. Starks to give a speech as well. Janie smiles and seems to be about ready to say something, but Joe cuts her off by saying that she does not know anything about speech making and he did not marry her for anything like that.
The next day, some of the locals gather up to play checkers in front of the Starks' shop. As Janie is standing there with them watching them play, Amos Hicks admires her hair and lightly touches it. Joe sees this occurrence from behind the register and tells Janie to come back into the shop. After having an argument, he hands her a scarf and tells her to wrap up her hair, giving her the reason that she must wrap up her hair because she is the mayor's wife. Janie throws the scarf on the floor and runs out of the shop into their home, with Joe following her. After she is done packing up her belongings, Joe follows her out of the house and tells her, while the locals watching, that all she will be without him is someone who men will take advantage of and toss into the ditch in the end. After hearing this, Janie ends up walking back into their home, agreeing to wrap up her hair in the scarf.
Every day, Janie lived a routine life: breakfast at dawn, lunch at noon, and dinner by six. Twenty years past and Janie still lives the same routine life that was designed for her by Joe. One day in the shop when getting Sam Watson some tobacco, Joe and Janie get into an argument. Janie does not like the fact that Joe calls her old and talks back to him about his own old age. Janie further insults Joe's manhood in front of the locals as she walks out of the shop. Angry and humiliated, Joe follows Janie and smacks her across the face, knocking her onto the ground. She struggles to stand up with a bloody lip and a scratch on her forehead. Phoeby comes to comfort Janie and take her away from the shop, while Joe Starks looks back at the disapproved looks of the locals and goes back into the shop. Phoeby gives Janie a place to sleep away from Joe.
One day, a doctor visits the household to check on Joe's declining health. Janie watches this and, realizing that Joe is going to die soon, pays a visit to her bedridden husband. As he is lying in bed, Janie thanks him for the life he gave her and the materials he bought for her. She also tells him, however, that her own feelings were diminished just to make room for his wishes. As Joe's wife, Janie gained class, but she was not allowed to create her own identity. Joe tries to silence her, but Janie berates him for trying to control her even in his last moments, instead of accepting her love. Once Joe hears this, he looks directly at Janie and wishes death upon her before finally passing away. After his funeral, Janie finally removes her scarf and she states that for once, she feels free. The scene drifts off into Janie entering a lake, symbolizing her feeling of freedom.
A year of living a life full of freedom finally passes. One day while Janie is working in her shop alone, a gentlemen enters and asks for tobacco and light. Everyone else in town is at the ball game except for them two. She asks him why he is not there like everyone else and he responds saying that not everyone, since Janie is here working at the shop. They continue mingle and agree to play a game of checkers against each other. Janie loses and he tells her that he will teach her how to play one day. Janie says that he can teach her as long as he does not cheat her. He offers her a drink and introduces himself to her as Tea Cake.
The scene changes to the locals hanging out together. Amos Hicks continue to carry the goal of marrying Janie, but Janie does not feel the same way for him. Janie is sitting in a rocking chair in front of her house eating an apple. She sees Tea Cake coming by the shop to where the checker table is. He yells across to Janie to challenge him at a game of checkers again. Before they begin to play, Amos Hicks volunteers to teach Janie how to play. However, as he is talking to her, Janie is not paying attention because she is too focused on Tea Cake. Tea Cake and Janie continue to hang out that night. He introduces her to many new things such as tasting the juice from a lemon, fishing, and playing the piano. After hanging out that night, Janie asks him to leave because she does not want to be taken advantaged of by Tea Cake, especially because Tea Cake is younger than her. Therefore, she believes that he has had many flings with many girls. The next morning Tea Cake shows up at her door with strawberries to convince her and prove through actions and not just words that he is serious about them two.
Later, she goes out on a picnic with Tea Cake. There, he teaches her how to shoot and aim a gun. They continue to hang out doing many activities together that Janie has never done before. Seeing this, Phoeby has a talk with Janie saying that she is worried about her involvement with Tea Cake. Phoeby reminds her of what happened to Annie Taller. Annie had run off with a younger guy that ended taking all of her money and leaving her. Janie is not convinced that Tea Cake is like that; therefore, she still decides to run off with Tea Cake.
Janie and Tea Cake dance the night away and end up having a sexual romantic night together. She wakes up to find him and all of her money missing. After a long while of waiting for him, he finally arrives back. He sweet talks his way back into getting her by saying that he took her money to gamble to try to win more money to take her out to Orlando and buy her pretty things. He says he wanted to win the world for her but does not want to drag her down by doing so. Janie replies back saying that he cannot drag her down because all he has to give her is himself. Pleased with her response, Tea Cake then brings up the subject about both of them living in Everglades
, which Janie ends up agreeing to.
At Everglades, there is a variety of different types of people who all express their sense of freedom. That night, there is a music and dance festivity held. This scene plays a part in expressing Janie and Tea Cake's romantic chemistry with each other. Living there, Janie volunteers into becoming a working woman with Tea Cake by helping him pick cucumbers in the fields. Living with Tea Cake in Everglades, Janie felt for the first time that she was living her life because she finally had freedom and real love. The scene changes to Janie and Tea Cake fishing. As they are fishing, a few Indians pass by and tell them that they are going to high grounds because a big storm is coming. Many of the locals move up north as well. They offer Tea Cake and Janie a ride, but they decide to stay in Everglades to continue work. During the storm, they spend the night together in their home. They converse and Janie expresses her love to Tea Cake. He is surprised because he did not know that she felt that strongly about him. Unexpectedly, a hurricane comes crashing into their home and takes them both with it. While Janie is swimming around in the water searching for Tea Cake, a dog appears and tries to attack Janie. Tea Cake comes from behind and attacks the dog; however, he gets bit.
A week later, the storm settles down and people return to try to rebuild the town. Tea Cake has been feeling awfully sick. A doctor checks up on him and tells Janie that Tea Cake has rabies
and must be taken to the county hospital as soon as possible. The doctor tells Janie that he will try his best to get Janie the medicine that Tea Cake needs. As days past, Janie sees Tea Cake's personality changing due to the rabies taking control over him. One night as Tea Cake wakes from an awful dream, Janie finds a gun under his pillow. The next morning when Tea Cake leaves the house for a bit to use the restroom, Janie is able to remove four bullets but two remain before Tea Cake returns. Tea Cake asks Janie why she does not sleep with him anymore. In response, she agrees to lie next to him. As she is lying there, she sees a rifle hanging on the side of the house. She hears a car arriving and thinks it is the doctor. Therefore, she runs out; however, it ends up not being him. As she comes back into the house, Tea Cake is standing there and slams the door behind her because he believes that Janie is trying to run off. Tea Cake holds the gun in his hand and fires at Janie, but there is no bullet. Janie tells him that the rabies is taking control of him and advises him to try to fight against it. He fires again, but once again there is no bullet. He continues to shoot. Janie asks him if he recognizes her, but he aims the gun at her again. This time if he were to fire, there will definitely be a bullet reaching Janie. He reaches for the trigger again, but before he is able to fire, Janie grabs the rifle and fires at him in self-defense. Tea Cake ends up dying in her arms.
The scene changes back to the presence where Janie is telling Phoeby her life story to prove why Tea Cake was not a bad guy to her. Phoeby tells her that after listening to her story, she is now motivated to live her life and to create a self-identity. Phoeby leaves to her significant other so she can begin working on her goal. The movie ends with Janie wrapping Tea Cake's jacket around herself and running off into the lake. She lies there flat on her back and looks up into the sky. She hears Tea Cake's voice as she is “watching God.”
Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times comments on Halle Berry's performance as Janie. She states that out of all the actresses, Halle Berry excels at acting Janie's role. She pinpoints that the sexual scenes that Berry acts impacts viewers greatly to the point where they will definitely not forget the movie.
Ester Iverem, a journalist states that the movie stands out for its Black romance and sexuality. She also mentions the chemistry seen between Halle Berry and Michael Ealy. Their acting skills as each others' lover is what this movie stand out beyond its natural storyline. She furthers her thoughts by stating that the romance and sexuality seen in the movie are topics that compares to the romance and sexuality described in Hurston's novel.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
aired on March 6, 2005 at 9pm based upon Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
's 1937 novel
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel and the best-known work by African American writer Zora Neale Hurston. Set in central and southern Florida in the early 20th century, the novel garnered attention and controversy at the time of its publication, and has come to be regarded as a seminal...
of the same name. The film was directed by Darnell Martin
Darnell Martin
Darnell Martin is a television and film director, screenwriter, and film producer.-Early life:Martin was born in Bronx, New York. From the Bronx, she went on to Sarah Lawrence College and New York University Film School...
and produced by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
's Harpo Productions
Harpo Productions
Harpo Productions, Inc. is an incorporated US-based multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey . It also includes Harpo Films & Harpo Radio, Inc....
(Winfrey served as the host for the broadcast.) Its teleplay was by Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks is an African American playwright and screenwriter. She received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 2001, and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, Topdog/Underdog.-Early years:...
, Misan Sagay, and Bobby Smith, Jr.
Plot
The movie, Their Eyes Were Watching God, opens with an introduction of Oprah giving a brief synopsis of the movie. She states that the movie will make people have a different outlook on kissing. Before the movie begins, she states that Hurston will be very proud of the outcome of the movie. After the introduction, it switches into the actual film which begins with Janie Crawford (played by Halle BerryHalle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
) who is in coveralls walking into Eatonville, Florida barefoot. She mentions that there are two things that people need to find out about which are love and living. She says that love is like the sea because it is a moving thing that is on every shore. As she continues to walk through Eatonville into her home, you hear people of the town saying comments such as Tea Cake (played by Michael Ealy
Michael Ealy
Michael Brown , professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor.-Personal life:Ealy was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park.-Career:...
), who we later learn to be her younger third lover, has taken all of her money and abandoned her. They assume this because after a number of days of running off with Tea Cake, she returned to Eatonville alone with no Tea Cake in sight. However, ignoring these comments, Janie enters her house and begins playing the piano. Her best friend, Pheoby Watson (played by Nicki Micheaux
Nicki Micheaux
Nicki Micheaux is an American actress. She was on ABC Family's Lincoln Heights.-Biography:Micheaux was born in Detroit, Michigan to an army officer father....
) walks into her house and brings her food. Pheoby gives Janie her opinion that Tea Cake was a bad person who took advantage of Janie, but Janie disagrees because she believes that what Tea Cake and her had was real love. As she is explaining herself to Pheoby, the scene switches to her past of age sixteen where her life story to Pheoby will begin.
The scene takes place at Janie's grandmother's house. Janie is standing in the backyard admiring a bee pollinating a pear tree. As she is looking, she sees Johnny Taylor (played by Jensen Atwood
Jensen Atwood
Jensen Atwood is an American actor who was raised and currently resides in South Central, Los Angeles. He has two younger sisters and two older brothers. Raised by his mother with older brother Jason "String" Atwood...
) in a distance. She runs to him and they begin to kiss. Moments shortly, her grandmother, Nanny (played by Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
), catches her kissing him. Nanny drags Janie away and tells her that she does not want Janie to be like her mother. Therefore, this leads to the idea of marriage. Nanny announces that she has arranged a marriage for Janie with an elderly man named Logan Killicks (played by Mel Winkler
Mel Winkler
Mel Winkler is an American film and TV actor. Though he mostly takes on minor live-action roles, he is probably best known as the voice of the guardian mask Aku Aku in the Crash Bandicoot series, and Johnny Snowman in the TV series Oswald....
). Janie, who is unfavorable of this arrangement, speaks back to her Nanny saying that she did not want to marry him. As a reaction, Nanny slaps her across the face and says that Killicks can support her with the sixty acres that he owns. This arrangement has to be made for Janie because they both know that Nanny is getting old; therefore, Janie cannot support herself on her own. As a response to the slap, Janie runs off into a nearby lake and lays there floating. She looks out into the sky and begins “watching God.”
Janie ends up marrying and beginning a life with Logan Killicks . They both physically work together at managing their sixty acres. One day, Logan realizes that they need another plier; therefore, he goes to Hamilton County to buy one. Janie asks if she can come with him, but he tells her to stay to work on the farm. After Logan leaves, Janie releases their pigs and encounters Joe “Jody” Starks (played by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
) who is walking passed by their home to get to Eatonville, Florida
Eatonville, Florida
Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, six miles north of Orlando. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,432 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S...
. They converse and Joe tells her that he is going to place that will eventually become a great town. Joe tries to convince Janie to come with him, but she denies. He tells her that if she changes her mind, he will be waiting down the road for her after sunrise the next morning. That night as Janie and Logan are in bed, she asks him what he would do if she were to leave him. Logan states that she must not appreciate his treatment and his sixty acres that he has to offer her. He finalizes the conversation by telling Janie to do what she has to do. As Logan's wife, Janie realizes that she only married him for his financial support instead of for love. She will not feel love for him even if she waits. Therefore the next morning, she decides to go to Eatonville, Florida with Joe to find change.
Joe and Janie arrive to Eatonville, Florida as a married couple. Janie now carries the name Mrs. Starks to the locals in that town. Upon their arrival, one of the persons they are greeted by is Amos Hicks (played by Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
). Joe Starks asks Amos if he knows where Eatonville is and Amos replies that have currently reached Eatonville. Joe and Janie see that Eatonville is a town that has been barely developed. Therefore, Joe takes the role of buying more land from Caption Eaton and becoming mayor of the town. With the locals coming together to work as a team, they construct a newly built Eatonville that actually represents a real, decent town. Also, Joe built a two story home for both Janie and him, and a shop for them to run a business. After its completion, a festivity is held for Mayor Joe Starks to present and document the town as official. For the speech ceremony, the ladies of Eatonville make Janie a dress to wear; however, Joe ordered her an outfit from one of the finest stores in Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
telling her that the outfit he bought was more appropriate for a mayor's wife compared to the one the ladies made for her. During the festivity, Janie overhears some of the ladies saying that since Janie is not wearing there dress, they must think she is too good to wear the dress that they made for her. Through her facial expression, she expresses an emotion of uneasiness but must deal with the opinions. Once Joe finishes giving his speech, Amos Hicks shouts out loud for Mrs. Starks to give a speech as well. Janie smiles and seems to be about ready to say something, but Joe cuts her off by saying that she does not know anything about speech making and he did not marry her for anything like that.
The next day, some of the locals gather up to play checkers in front of the Starks' shop. As Janie is standing there with them watching them play, Amos Hicks admires her hair and lightly touches it. Joe sees this occurrence from behind the register and tells Janie to come back into the shop. After having an argument, he hands her a scarf and tells her to wrap up her hair, giving her the reason that she must wrap up her hair because she is the mayor's wife. Janie throws the scarf on the floor and runs out of the shop into their home, with Joe following her. After she is done packing up her belongings, Joe follows her out of the house and tells her, while the locals watching, that all she will be without him is someone who men will take advantage of and toss into the ditch in the end. After hearing this, Janie ends up walking back into their home, agreeing to wrap up her hair in the scarf.
Every day, Janie lived a routine life: breakfast at dawn, lunch at noon, and dinner by six. Twenty years past and Janie still lives the same routine life that was designed for her by Joe. One day in the shop when getting Sam Watson some tobacco, Joe and Janie get into an argument. Janie does not like the fact that Joe calls her old and talks back to him about his own old age. Janie further insults Joe's manhood in front of the locals as she walks out of the shop. Angry and humiliated, Joe follows Janie and smacks her across the face, knocking her onto the ground. She struggles to stand up with a bloody lip and a scratch on her forehead. Phoeby comes to comfort Janie and take her away from the shop, while Joe Starks looks back at the disapproved looks of the locals and goes back into the shop. Phoeby gives Janie a place to sleep away from Joe.
One day, a doctor visits the household to check on Joe's declining health. Janie watches this and, realizing that Joe is going to die soon, pays a visit to her bedridden husband. As he is lying in bed, Janie thanks him for the life he gave her and the materials he bought for her. She also tells him, however, that her own feelings were diminished just to make room for his wishes. As Joe's wife, Janie gained class, but she was not allowed to create her own identity. Joe tries to silence her, but Janie berates him for trying to control her even in his last moments, instead of accepting her love. Once Joe hears this, he looks directly at Janie and wishes death upon her before finally passing away. After his funeral, Janie finally removes her scarf and she states that for once, she feels free. The scene drifts off into Janie entering a lake, symbolizing her feeling of freedom.
A year of living a life full of freedom finally passes. One day while Janie is working in her shop alone, a gentlemen enters and asks for tobacco and light. Everyone else in town is at the ball game except for them two. She asks him why he is not there like everyone else and he responds saying that not everyone, since Janie is here working at the shop. They continue mingle and agree to play a game of checkers against each other. Janie loses and he tells her that he will teach her how to play one day. Janie says that he can teach her as long as he does not cheat her. He offers her a drink and introduces himself to her as Tea Cake.
The scene changes to the locals hanging out together. Amos Hicks continue to carry the goal of marrying Janie, but Janie does not feel the same way for him. Janie is sitting in a rocking chair in front of her house eating an apple. She sees Tea Cake coming by the shop to where the checker table is. He yells across to Janie to challenge him at a game of checkers again. Before they begin to play, Amos Hicks volunteers to teach Janie how to play. However, as he is talking to her, Janie is not paying attention because she is too focused on Tea Cake. Tea Cake and Janie continue to hang out that night. He introduces her to many new things such as tasting the juice from a lemon, fishing, and playing the piano. After hanging out that night, Janie asks him to leave because she does not want to be taken advantaged of by Tea Cake, especially because Tea Cake is younger than her. Therefore, she believes that he has had many flings with many girls. The next morning Tea Cake shows up at her door with strawberries to convince her and prove through actions and not just words that he is serious about them two.
Later, she goes out on a picnic with Tea Cake. There, he teaches her how to shoot and aim a gun. They continue to hang out doing many activities together that Janie has never done before. Seeing this, Phoeby has a talk with Janie saying that she is worried about her involvement with Tea Cake. Phoeby reminds her of what happened to Annie Taller. Annie had run off with a younger guy that ended taking all of her money and leaving her. Janie is not convinced that Tea Cake is like that; therefore, she still decides to run off with Tea Cake.
Janie and Tea Cake dance the night away and end up having a sexual romantic night together. She wakes up to find him and all of her money missing. After a long while of waiting for him, he finally arrives back. He sweet talks his way back into getting her by saying that he took her money to gamble to try to win more money to take her out to Orlando and buy her pretty things. He says he wanted to win the world for her but does not want to drag her down by doing so. Janie replies back saying that he cannot drag her down because all he has to give her is himself. Pleased with her response, Tea Cake then brings up the subject about both of them living in Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
, which Janie ends up agreeing to.
At Everglades, there is a variety of different types of people who all express their sense of freedom. That night, there is a music and dance festivity held. This scene plays a part in expressing Janie and Tea Cake's romantic chemistry with each other. Living there, Janie volunteers into becoming a working woman with Tea Cake by helping him pick cucumbers in the fields. Living with Tea Cake in Everglades, Janie felt for the first time that she was living her life because she finally had freedom and real love. The scene changes to Janie and Tea Cake fishing. As they are fishing, a few Indians pass by and tell them that they are going to high grounds because a big storm is coming. Many of the locals move up north as well. They offer Tea Cake and Janie a ride, but they decide to stay in Everglades to continue work. During the storm, they spend the night together in their home. They converse and Janie expresses her love to Tea Cake. He is surprised because he did not know that she felt that strongly about him. Unexpectedly, a hurricane comes crashing into their home and takes them both with it. While Janie is swimming around in the water searching for Tea Cake, a dog appears and tries to attack Janie. Tea Cake comes from behind and attacks the dog; however, he gets bit.
A week later, the storm settles down and people return to try to rebuild the town. Tea Cake has been feeling awfully sick. A doctor checks up on him and tells Janie that Tea Cake has rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
and must be taken to the county hospital as soon as possible. The doctor tells Janie that he will try his best to get Janie the medicine that Tea Cake needs. As days past, Janie sees Tea Cake's personality changing due to the rabies taking control over him. One night as Tea Cake wakes from an awful dream, Janie finds a gun under his pillow. The next morning when Tea Cake leaves the house for a bit to use the restroom, Janie is able to remove four bullets but two remain before Tea Cake returns. Tea Cake asks Janie why she does not sleep with him anymore. In response, she agrees to lie next to him. As she is lying there, she sees a rifle hanging on the side of the house. She hears a car arriving and thinks it is the doctor. Therefore, she runs out; however, it ends up not being him. As she comes back into the house, Tea Cake is standing there and slams the door behind her because he believes that Janie is trying to run off. Tea Cake holds the gun in his hand and fires at Janie, but there is no bullet. Janie tells him that the rabies is taking control of him and advises him to try to fight against it. He fires again, but once again there is no bullet. He continues to shoot. Janie asks him if he recognizes her, but he aims the gun at her again. This time if he were to fire, there will definitely be a bullet reaching Janie. He reaches for the trigger again, but before he is able to fire, Janie grabs the rifle and fires at him in self-defense. Tea Cake ends up dying in her arms.
The scene changes back to the presence where Janie is telling Phoeby her life story to prove why Tea Cake was not a bad guy to her. Phoeby tells her that after listening to her story, she is now motivated to live her life and to create a self-identity. Phoeby leaves to her significant other so she can begin working on her goal. The movie ends with Janie wrapping Tea Cake's jacket around herself and running off into the lake. She lies there flat on her back and looks up into the sky. She hears Tea Cake's voice as she is “watching God.”
Reception
Sharon L. Jones, an English professor at Wright State University states that the film is no where in comparison to the novel. The novel emphasizes on Janie's life journey of living with others who try to set an identity for her; therefore, she struggles to find self-identity. However, Jones says the film leaves out many important concepts to help convey the central theme. She discusses that it is believed that Harpo's production focused the movie on the general idea of love more to reach a broad range of audience since most of her viewers are white females.Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times comments on Halle Berry's performance as Janie. She states that out of all the actresses, Halle Berry excels at acting Janie's role. She pinpoints that the sexual scenes that Berry acts impacts viewers greatly to the point where they will definitely not forget the movie.
Ester Iverem, a journalist states that the movie stands out for its Black romance and sexuality. She also mentions the chemistry seen between Halle Berry and Michael Ealy. Their acting skills as each others' lover is what this movie stand out beyond its natural storyline. She furthers her thoughts by stating that the romance and sexuality seen in the movie are topics that compares to the romance and sexuality described in Hurston's novel.
Cast
- Halle BerryHalle BerryHalle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
— Janie Crawford - Michael EalyMichael EalyMichael Brown , professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor.-Personal life:Ealy was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park.-Career:...
— Tea Cake - Ruben Santiago-HudsonRuben Santiago-HudsonRuben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
— Joe Starks - Nicki MicheauxNicki MicheauxNicki Micheaux is an American actress. She was on ABC Family's Lincoln Heights.-Biography:Micheaux was born in Detroit, Michigan to an army officer father....
— Pheobe Watson - Lorraine ToussaintLorraine ToussaintLorraine Toussaint is an actress best known for starring alongside Annie Potts in Any Day Now.Toussaint graduated from Manhattan's School of Performing Arts in 1978, before going on to graduate from Juilliard School...
— Pearl Stone - Ruby DeeRuby DeeRuby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
— Nanny - Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
— Amos Hicks - Gabriel CasseusGabriel CasseusGabriel Casseus is an African-American actor and screenwriter from Roosevelt, New York. He was nominated for Best Debut Performance in the film New Jersey Drive in the Independent Spirit Awards in 1995, and has appeared in the movies Get on the Bus, where he played Jamal, a Muslim enroute to the...
— Sam Watson - Artel KayàruArtel Jarod WalkerArtel Walker is an American film and television actor currently using the stage name Artel Great. Under the name Artel Kayaru, he received a 2003 Independent Spirit Award nomination for 'Best Debut Performance' for his work in the 2002 film Dahmer.-Film:*Light It Up *Save the Last Dance *Dahmer...
— Motor Boat - Jensen AtwoodJensen AtwoodJensen Atwood is an American actor who was raised and currently resides in South Central, Los Angeles. He has two younger sisters and two older brothers. Raised by his mother with older brother Jason "String" Atwood...
- Johnny Taylor - Kevin DanielsKevin DanielsKevin Dwight Daniels Jr. but known as Kevin Daniels is an American actor who started his career with a supporting role in the 1998 film Twelfth Night, or What You Will by director Nicholas Hytner....
– Liege Moss - Wayne DuvallWayne DuvallWayne Duvall is an American actor, known for playing Homer Stokes in O Brother Where Art Thou?, Coach Ferguson in "Leatherheads" and Ned Guston in "Duplicity". On television he is best known for playing Sgt. Phil Brander on The District . In 2002, he married Denise Guillet...
– Dr. Gordon - Mel WinklerMel WinklerMel Winkler is an American film and TV actor. Though he mostly takes on minor live-action roles, he is probably best known as the voice of the guardian mask Aku Aku in the Crash Bandicoot series, and Johnny Snowman in the TV series Oswald....
– Logan Killicks - Maura GaleMaura GaleMaura Gale is an African-American voice actress that is best known for her role in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty as Fortune. She has also voiced in video games like Enter the Matrix, as well as the female voice of Guillo in the Gamecube RPG Baten Kaitos Origins...
– Lula Moss
Awards and nominations
| Awarding Body | Award | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | nomination |
| Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Michael Ealy, Ruben Santiago-Hudson | nomination |
| Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Halle Berry | nomination | |
| Outstanding TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | nomination | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television | Halle Berry | nomination |
| Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Mini-Series, Movie or a Special | Alan D'Angerio, Barbara Lorenz | nomination |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini=Series or Movie | Halle Berry | nomination | |
| DGA Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television | Darnell Martin | nomination |
| CDG Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for Television Movie/Mini-Series | Eduardo Castro | nomination |
| Black Reel Awards | Best Actor - Television | Micheal Ealy | winner |
| Best Actress - Television | Halle Berry | nomination | |
| Best Director - Television | Darnell Martin | nomination | |
| Best Film - Television | nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted - Television | Suzan-Lori Parks, Misan Sagay, Bobby Smith Jr | nomination | |
| Best Supporting Actor - Television | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | nomination | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Nicky Micheaux | nomination | |
| Black Movie Awards | Outstanding Television Movie | Kate Forte, Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew Carlisle | nomination |
| Austin Film Critics Association | Breakthrough Artist Award | Terrence Howard | winner |
| American Cinema Editors, USA | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Commercial Television | Peter C. Frank | nomination |