Their Eyes Were Watching God

TV Movie
2005
TV-14
1h 53m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Halle Berry in Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005)

A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the nove... Read allA drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

3.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
- 2 wins & 24 nominations total

Trivia
Zora Neale Hurston, author of the novel upon which this movie is based, grew up in Eatonville, Florida.

Goofs
Eatonville is located in Central Florida, where the average elevation is close to sea level. The hills in the background in wide shots clearly betray the California shooting locations.

Quotes
[first lines]
Janie Starks: There's two things everybody got to find out for theyselves: they got to find out about love, and they got to find out about living. Now, love is like the sea. It's a moving thing. And it's different on every shore. And living... well, I just come back from burying the dead.

Connections
Featured in The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2005)

User reviews86

Review

Featured review

Screeplay missed some important key features of the book...

If one has not read the book _Their Eyes Were Watching God_, then the movie was probably wonderful. Unfortunately, for those who have read the book, it is obvious that the screenplay writer missed some important aspects of the book-- or for some reason chose to omit them. The plot in the movie revolves around Janie and her love affairs, however, what is most important to Janie, in the book, is feeling loved and accepted not only by a man, but her community.

Janie is a "light-skinned" African American and is treated different because of it. The book addresses a caste system that was prominent at the time that Hurston wrote the book. This important aspect of the story was not addressed in the movie. This is just one of many "aspects" that was not addressed.

On the up side, the casting is superb. Halle Berry is perfect for the part of Janie. She is beautiful and strong while being sensitive and vulnerable. Michael Ealy is a wonderful Tea Cake. What chemistry!

All in all the movie is-- OK. Hopefully, it will entice the viewers to read Zora Neale Hurston's fabulous book.