Bountiful to become Lifetime TV movie- Page 2

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 1:50pm

I just wish they had filmed the stage show instead of making it into a movie.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 7:37pm

If you get to see Blair Underwood in place of Cuba then you shouldn't be sad they didn't just film the stage version.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 9:42pm

It's absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking. A solid and true representation of the Broadway production. Cicely is sublime. I'm sobbing. It's handled with great care-which is surprising for Lifetime. Definitely one I will purchase.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 10:01pm

Wow. Cicely was riveting and heartbreaking.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 10:55pm

I thought Cicely Tyson did give a wonderful performance, but I wasn't riveted by the story. I was completely unfamiliar with the play--and, for that matter, any of Horton Foote's work--going in, so I'm not sure if it's a problem I have with the text or with how it was handled, but something about it just didn't work for me. The whole time, I kept thinking "okay, now it's going to get good... wait, it seems like it's about to get really interesting... hold on, I think something really big is about to happen," and then nothing all that remarkable happened. However, I was still able to appreciate the great acting from the wonderfully talented ensemble.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 11:39pm

Danny, one of the things I love about the play is its simplicity. I don't think it speaks to everyone but I find it very poignant. From the LA Times review which was a rave:

"It's a two-hour prose poem in which hope emerges from the dank mulch of regret and blooms tough and ecstatic like a brilliant roadside flower. It remains a simple tale, "The Trip to Bountiful." Nothing is revealed but the inevitable impact of time, on the land and on our lives.
Memory is not truth, but it is what haunts us and sustains us. It's a force that can straighten us against the sky or crush us against the earth. In the end, Carrie tells us, the role memory plays is our choice, and perhaps the most important choice we make in this life."

I cry through much of it. Im not sure why I am so deeply touched.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 11:55pm

Very, very nicely done, especially since Lifetime isn't known for cinematic masterpieces. They captured Cicely Tyson's portrayal of Carrie almost as well as we felt it in the theater. They kept it simple and it worked. Good job, Lifetime!

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 11:55pm

This was my first introduction to the piece, and I found myself holding back tears throughout most of it. I thought it was simple, raw, and powerful. I wish I had seen the revival.

Updated On: 3/8/14 at 11:55 PM

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 3:30am

I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much. Perhaps it's something I'll grow to appreciate more in time. It's not that I don't appreciate simple plays, it's just that I felt a lack of tension, if that makes sense. But that's not to say that I didn't find much to appreciate in the text. And it was certainly worth watching for the wonderful acting.

Also, I have to add that I love how it's been such a non-issue that this production cast black actors in traditionally white roles, especially considering that just two years ago, there was a lot of debate around that production of Streetcar.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 5:08am

I found it to be very wonderful and moving! Tyson and Williams were wonderful as to be expected. Underwood and Palmer both gave great performances- Underwood was MUCH better then what Cuba did on stage.
I felt the show made the great leap from stage to film pretty smoothly! It made for a great watch! VERY proud of LifeTime!

[Musical Director 109]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 6:25am

It was wonderful. Underwood was a welcome addition. Ms. Tyson....EXTRAORDINARY. Can't wait for this film to be released.

[Tink2]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 8:16am

Well, shoot! How did I miss this thread? It looks like it is on again tonight and later this week. I did not get to see it on Broadway, but I remember liking the movie very much.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 10:05pm

It was very well done, especially for a TV movie. Hope it gets a slew of Emmy nominations. Tyson, Williams, and Underwood all deserve nods. It was nicely filmed and had a good pace to it. The only thing I didn't love was the music, which felt too "modern Lifetime movie" for me, rather than either cinematic or period. It was jarring at times and even trivialized a few key moments with "modern mush."

I have to confess that I'm a huge fan of the film, and I watch it at least once a year. I know it well, and that made me a little prejudiced against this TV movie (no, I don't mean racially at all, I mean that I know the dialogue and the rhythm of it from the film). I think Geraldine Page's performance is one of the finest ever put on screen in the past 50 years. It's a true tour de force with so many shades and colors and variances to her "journey" home.

While Tyson is excellent, she doesn't quite have the full range that Page did. And the unfortunate thing was that I couldn't help but compare the two. I wished, as I was watching it, that I could forget the Page film long enough to just enjoy this production. I almost succeeded, but the key word is almost.

As much as I enjoyed this new adaptation (which was virtually identical, as far as scenes and dialogue, to the movie), I still prefer the 1985 film in all respects, hands down.

[tom2000a]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 11:43pm

I have to agree with best12bars. This version doesn't stand up at all with the Geraldine Page movie. I have probably watched that movie 30 times and it still breaks my heart. Everything about it is better than this new version.

I didn't care for Vanessa Williams much at all. Carlin Glynn was far superior.

I thought Blaire Underwood was the best thing in this version.

It also "borrowed", "stole" whatever you want to call it most of the Direction of Peter Masterson. Many of the shots were the exact same.

The music was awful. Sometimes it was just banging thirds over and over again.
Nothing like the sweeping music of the 1985 film. The opening credits for that movie is one of the most beautiful ever filmed.

And as for Ms Tyson. Although she is a gifted actress, she doesn't come close to what Geraldine Page did with the role.

In all honesty I don't see what all the fuss is about. I didn't see the Broadway revival. I knew that it wouldn't stand up to the 85 movie and I was right. Geraldine Page was too perfect. Too incredible. I also agree with best12bars that her performance is one of the best ever put on screen.

I don't get all the raves for this movie. Have you ever seen the 85 version? Because if you have, you might agree that this pales in comparison. If you feel different that is fine, I hope you can convince me otherwise.

I am not trying to be snarky. It's just my opinion.

[aaronb]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 2:45am

I think Cuba Gooding Jr. is actually a fairly good actor who has admittedly done some terrible work. I thought he was great in MACHETE KILLS and perfectly fine in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 8:12am

I don't exactly recall, but I thought Cuba got mixed or even bad reviews in the play. Maybe that was just opinions posted here on BWW, but I assumed that's why he was replaced.

I thought Blair Underwood was very good, particularly in his final scene at the old house in Bountiful. Excellent work.

And while I thought Keke Palmer was sweet and fine as Thelma, it made me appreciate the etherial quality of Rebecca De Mornay even more in the 1985 film. Her performance added more to it than I realized. I always thought she was good but not particularly special. Seeing a different actress in the role made me appreciate just how special De Mornay was.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 8:16am

I love the 85 film version. Its pretty hard to beat.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 8:34am

I just wish they had filmed the stage show instead of making it into a movie.


Well, since The Trip to Bountiful was originally written as a television play, I don't think there's anything wrong or bad with having it right back where it started, as a television play.

Speaking of, does anybody know if the original 1953 TV production was ever recorded? Is there a Kinescope somewhere?

Great cast:

Carrie Watts - Lillian Gish
Jessie Mae - Eileen Heckert
Ludie - John Beal
Thelma - Eva Marie Saint
Sheriff - Frank Overton

Updated On: 3/10/14 at 08:34 AM

[tom2000a]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 9:03am

Again best12Bars is exactly correct. Rebecca DeMornay was great and so sweet. Very underrated performance. But it also goes back to Geraldine's performance. The conversation on the bus for instance, when Carrie is telling Thelma about her true love is just stunning in the 85 movie. Stunning. Again... Cicely Tyson doesn't come close to Geraldine Page in the role.

Updated On: 3/10/14 at 09:03 AM

[cknick]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 9:07am

I really loved this version with Cicely Tyson, but I haven't seen the Geraldine Page film and am very much planning to see it. I imagine I'll continue to love both. This was my first introduction to "The Trip to Bountiful," and I think the story and the characters are very touching and memorable.

[tom2000a]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 9:12am

cknick. Please write your thoughts after you have seen the 85 movie. I would love to hear from someone who saw Cicely Tyson first and then Geraldine Page.

[cknick]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 9:24am

tom2000a, will do!

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 9:50am

Again, just so this doesn't devolve into which production "wins," I liked both very much. I prefer the 1985 film, but there is nothing "wrong" with this TV movie. It delivers with solid performances all around. If this is your initial exposure to "Bountiful," you're seeing a good production of it.

[Brick]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 10:51am

This was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Tyson's performance was a tender and touching marvel, and I was blown away by both Underwood and Williams.

I did not expect to find such nuance in this adaptation, and I hope some Emmy attention does come their way. Just beautiful.

[morosco]

Posted: 3/10/14 at 11:06am

I'm looking forward to seeing the Lifetime movie as I haven't seen it yet. I encourage anyone who hasn't seen Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts to do so immediately. Her performance is one of the most astonishing performances I've ever seen captured on film. When Page was nominated for the Oscar she said, "This role lets me show all the things I've learned about acting, I might never get a part this good again." She was up against some other great performances that year, Whoopi Goldberg (Color Purple), Meryl Streep (Out of Africa), Jessica Lange (Sweet Dreams), and Anne Bancroft (Agnes of God). She won the Oscar.