Their Eyes Were Watching God (film)

Their Eyes Were Watching God
DVD cover
Genre	Drama
Based on	Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Written by	Suzan-Lori Parks Misan Sagay Bobby Smith Jr.
Directed by	Darnell Martin
Presented by	Oprah Winfrey
Starring	Halle Berry Ruben Santiago-Hudson Michael Ealy
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Oprah Winfrey Kate Forte
Producer	Matthew Carlisle
Cinematography	Checco Varese
Editor	Peter C. Frank
Running time	113 minutes
Production companies	Harpo Films Touchstone Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	March 6, 2005 (2005-03-06)

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 2005 American television drama film based upon Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Darnell Martin, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, Misan Sagay, and Bobby Smith Jr., and produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions (Winfrey served as the host for the broadcast). It stars Halle Berry, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Michael Ealy, and aired on ABC on March 6, 2005.

Plot

The plot of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" revolves around the life of Janie Crawford, an African-American woman living in the early 20th century. The story follows Janie's journey of self-discovery and her search for independence and love.

Janie's story is narrated through a frame narrative, where her friend Pheoby Watson listens to Janie's account and reflects upon it. Janie tells her life story, starting with her childhood and early experiences growing up in rural Florida. She describes her first two marriages, which were arranged by others and didn't bring her the fulfillment she sought.

However, it is her third marriage to Tea Cake, a younger man, that becomes the central focus of the story. Janie experiences true love and a deep connection with Tea Cake. They face challenges and obstacles together, including a hurricane that tests their relationship and forces them to confront their vulnerabilities.

Through her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie gains a sense of empowerment, self-expression, and freedom. However, their happiness is short-lived as Tea Cake becomes ill and Janie is forced to make difficult decisions.

The novel explores themes of love, gender roles, racial identity, and the quest for personal fulfillment. It portrays the experiences of African-American women in the early 20th century, highlighting the struggles they faced in a society marked by racism and gender inequality.

Cast

• Halle Berry as Janie Crawford
• Michael Ealy as Tea Cake
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Joe Starks
• Nicki Micheaux as Phoebe Watson
• Lorraine Toussaint as Pearl Stone
• Ruby Dee as Nanny Marnie
• Terrence Howard as Amos Hicks
• Gabriel Casseus as Sam Watson
• Artel Kayàru as Motor Boat
• Jensen Atwood as Johnny Taylor
• Kevin Daniels as Liege Moss
• Wayne Duvall as Dr. Gordon
• Mel Winkler as Logan Killicks
• Maura Gale as Lula Moss
• Henry Brown as Water Stone

Production

Began shooting April 5, 2004 and completed shooting May 24, 2004 in Florida.

Reception

Catering to Winfrey's expected TV audience, the film largely avoided the more controversial themes of race, gender, and power that Hurston explored in her novel. Karen Valby of Entertainment Weekly comments, "While the book chews on meaty questions of race and identity, the movie largely resigns itself to the realm of sudsy romance." New York Times critic Virginia Heffernan said, "[T]he film is less a literary tribute than a visual fix of Harlequin Romance: Black Southern Series— all sensual soft-core scenes and contemporary, accessible language."

Sharon L. Jones, an English professor at Wright State University, agreed that the film was quite different from the novel. She said that the novel emphasizes Janie's life journey with others who are part of her establishing an identity, and she is sometimes overpowered by them. Jones says the film leaves out many important concepts that help convey the central theme. She says that Harpo's production was thought to address a more general idea of love to reach a broad range of audience, believed to be the majority-white females of Winfrey's TV audience.

Awards and nominations

Awarding body	Award	Nominee	Result
American Cinema Editors	Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Commercial Television	Peter C. Frank	Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association	Breakthrough Artist Award	Terrence Howard	Won
Black Movie Awards	Outstanding Television Movie	Matthew Carlisle, Kate Forte, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey	Nominated
Black Reel Awards	Best Television Miniseries or Movie	Their Eyes Were Watching God	Nominated
	Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie	Michael Ealy	Won
	Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie	Halle Berry	Nominated
	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie	Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Nominated
	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie	Nicki Micheaux	Nominated
	Outstanding Director in a Miniseries or Movie	Darnell Martin	Nominated
	Outstanding Screenplay in a Miniseries or Movie	Suzan-Lori Parks, Misan Sagay and Bobby Smith, Jr.	Nominated
Costume Designers Guild	Outstanding Costume Design for Miniseries or Television Film	Eduardo Castro	Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television	Darnell Martin	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film	Halle Berry	Nominated
NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special	Their Eyes Were Watching God	Nominated
	Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special	Michael Ealy	Nominated
		Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Nominated
	Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special	Halle Berry	Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie		Nominated
	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Alan D'Angerio and Barbara Lorenz	Nominated
Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made For Television	Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Nominated

References

Bibliography

• Cotten, Trystan T.; Springer, Kimberly, eds. (2010). Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American Culture. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781604734089. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
• Felder, Deborah G. (2005). A Bookshelf of Our Own: Works that Changed Women's Lives. Citadel Press. ISBN 9780806526140. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
• Heffernan, Virginia (March 4, 2005). "A Woman on a Quest, via Hurston and Oprah". The New York Times. eISSN 1553-8095. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
• Iverem, Esther (March 4, 2005). "Reviews of "Their Eyes Were Watching God," "Born into Brothels" and Spike Lee's "Sucker-Free City." Plus, in Brief, "Hitch" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"". SeeingBlack.com. Washington, D.C.: Seeing Black, Inc. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
• Jones, Sharon Lynette (2009). Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work. Infobase Publishing. pp. 218ff. ISBN 978-0816068852. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
• Valby, Karen (November 25, 2005). "Their Eyes Were Watching God [review]". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved October 15, 2021.

External links

• Their Eyes Were Watching God at Oprah.com
• Their Eyes Were Watching God at IMDb