Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

In today's blog, Tayari Jones discusses the news that Tyler Perry of Madea fame will write and direct the film version of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. I would certainly consider this play to fall under our literary fiction area, so can someone please convince me that this will not be a complete disaster?

http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/

Oh no! This can come to no good. I really can't imagine Perry's overbroad bludgeon the point home style working well with the sensitive finesse of this amazing work. Except maybe a lot more people will seek out the choreopoem due to Perry's apparent mass appeal? This makes me angry for a lot of reasons, but I shall try to hold my tongue.

Who would you suggest to tackle this project? I was thinking possibly Kasi lemmons (Eve's Bayou), Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, To Sleep w/Anger) or even Kenny Leon. Oh, and Pearl Cleage fer sure. I loved her A Song for Coretta production.

We're on the same page, Colombus! I immediately thought Kasi Lemmons or Julie Dash. Both are established film makers with successful films under their belts. Both have brought a lyricism to their work that would serve the production well. Too bad that these qualities don't seem to count. I'm afraid that the powers-that-be just said, "He's black! His films make money! Let's go!"

Came across this article and wanted to post. It about sums my feelings right up. Her question towards the end is a good one, and I still don't know how to answer it. Will we go see this??

http://www.theroot.com/views/colored-...

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this piece. However, I know that Tyler Perry will do a magnificient job!

MAGNIFICENT!!! Adrienna, let me familiarize you a bit... I have really tried not to inject my admittedly biased viewpoint into this discussion...did you know, Rashida, that you have a six degrees connection with Colored Girls? Born Paulette Williams, Ntozake Shange the author was in your Aunt Dona's class, 2 or 3 years ahead of me....we were all revolutionaries, militants and, yes, feminists at that time ...That Paulette/Ntozake's work had the success it did gave us all hope that we were all fighting the correct fight, debating the right argument, and writing the inflamatory words...That Tyler Perry is in anyway involved in it makes me want to hurl..I know radical chic is dead and if TP offered 6 figures for my Paulette era writings my mortgage would be paid..Hopefully Ntozake's is. Does anyone think that TP is capable of capturing the radical (for the times) feminist spirit of Colored Girls..when all his movies so far have been the antithesis?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntozake_...

Thanks for sharing! Great link. I will have to see the play though, words does one thing, but action (play format) is another. Is it available on video?

I learned something new today..that there was already a movie version done in 1982 and you can find it on video...I don't remember that at all....don't know how close you are to NYC but there is a revival currently playing on Broadway produced by Whoopi Goldberg and starring India Arie...I'd see that first.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208163/

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/...

The last thing I heard is that he wants to cast Oprah and Beyonce in it. I have a headache.

Adrienna, please excuse us! We're not jumping on you and since you aren't familiar with the play (it was definitely before your time!), you are right to want to see it before forming an opinion. But for those of us who were around when it first came out, "Colored Girls" was a terribly important play.

As Bill said, "...we were all revolutionaries, militants and, yes, feminists at that time ...That Paulette/Ntozake's work had the success it did gave us all hope that we were all fighting the correct fight, debating the right argument, and writing the inflamatory words..."

Maybe Perry can sit down with Whoopi and have a long, long, long talk.

Well said Mina...didn't mean to come off so brusquely to you, Adrienna...I just never thought I'd see the day...

well said, Wilhelmina. I will be reading the book read you have listed this time. I have a copy now.

Great! Looking forward to it, Adrienna!

The Whoopi Goldberg produced version never materialized. It was supposed to start last summer but they couldn't get financing.

Thats unfortunate..according to this story its only a temporary delay.

http://broadwayworld.com/article/For_....

Is that 6 degrees connection close enough to harbor a dream of one day meeting her? I'm sure I would be an inarticulate blubbering mess. While her work was originally before my time (woo, having a birthday today, feels good to be able to describe things in that way) once I discovered it in my preteens she became an imaginary mentor to me. I cannot describe the impact For Colored Girls had on me. It says something tremendous about her work, yet despairing about humanity's ability to progress, that two decades after publication I could still feel discovery and delight and belonging when I read the stories of these my color sisters.

Happy Birthday, Rashida! Wishing you happiness and good reading in the coming year.

Happy Birthday, Rashida! You gotta stop having these things so often..people will start to think I'm getting old...

Rashida, my daughter, who is probably around your age, loved "Colored Girls" as well. In fact, I don't know ANY woman who was not in tears at the end of the production on stage.

I am going to refrain from assuming the adaptation may be a disaster. In an ideal world, Ntozake's "For Colored Girls.." would be required reading in every High School, but it's not and I think Tyler Perry should be given a little bit of credit for his attempt in making this piece of work accessible to a larger audience. Let's try waving our spirit fingers at Tyler and trust that not all will be lost.

I hope that you are right, Talia. I'll be the first to cheer if he pulls it off.

Well, it's finally here. Tyler Perry's production of "for colored girls..." (actually being released earlier than originally planned - can that be a good thing?). Will you go and see it? What's your expectations? Check out the clip and let me know what you think....

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/For-Co...

"For Colored Girls..."

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810076...

Fabulous cast! But I'm terrified at how awful it could be.

I'd love to see it on stage again.

He's a very smart man. The trailer and the posters (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm329669043...) for this movie send the precise message he needed to send to skeptics like me. I saw the play years ago with my daughter, and I think that the two of us are going to give it a try. It's very disturbing, though, the Perry and Oprah seem to be the only two people making Black movies at this point. Are there any others coming out in the next few months?

Well, Tyler Perry or no Tyler Perry, there just ain't no way I'll miss this when it shows, not with this cast. We'll just have to hope for the best. As long as Madea doesn't make some sort of cameo appearance, things will probably be alright. and, I think Whoopie and Loretta Devine,singly or together, could handle her well enough if she does. at least the preview snippet looked promising.

George, Ntozake Shange insisted, vehemently, that Madea will NOT make an appearance in the movie as well. See today's NYTimes article below..

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/18/boo...

Good for her! and good to know. thanks for the NYT article.

I'm sorry to hear that she has been so ill. Is anyone planning to read her new novel, Some Sing, Some Cry?

at some point, certainly.

Wilhelmina wrote: "I'm sorry to hear that she has been so ill. Is anyone planning to read her new novel, Some Sing, Some Cry?"

Oh yes.

Thanks for the link, Columbus. I feel a little more hopeful about the movie, now.

I skimmed through several of the chapters while in Barnes & Noble yesterday. Looks really, really interesting and has glowing reviews from Library Journal, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus among many others. It's epic in scope at over 550+ pages and spanning some seven generations. I just placed a hold for it at my local library. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Here's more. Will certainly be getting in line at the library for Some Sing, Some Cry, as well.

Helena Andrews take on Colored Girls...:

http://www.theroot.com/views/single-m...

"For Colored Men Who Dream of Oscars When the Madea Wasn't Enough." - too funny! Thanks, Columbus!

I'm assuming many may have already seen this, but just in case, here's the NYT review:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/...

Thanks for this, George. Interesting review. Has anyone seen the film yet?

Hadn't read that one. Thanks for sharing, George!

The two reviews I read earlier today were not nearly as nice. In fact, they skewered Tyler and the movie (see below)....

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/artic...

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article...

Yeah, Washington Post isn't likely the movie at all, either. Hmmmm. http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/mov...

thanks for the other reviews as well. hmm, yes indeed the others are far less kind. I'll be interested in hearing from others once they've had a chance to see it. It may be a while before it gets out this way.

I actually saw the first showing of this movie today! I was pleasantly surprised and THOROUGHLY ENJOYED it! I have not, however, read the book by Ntozake Shange so I am unable to give my opinion on whether or not it was a fulfilling adaptation of it. Can't wait to see more opinions and for others to see the movie so we can get into some good dialogue...don't want to spoil it for anyone!

I attended an afternoon screening of "For Colored Girls" and I didn't like it at all. Although, there were a couple of good performances -- namely Kimberly Elise and to a lesser extent Loretta Devine--  the bulk of it was overwrought and weak to me. Whoopi Golberg's role was just laughable at times. Janet Jackson's acting was rather wooden and Perry's close-ups of the actors were just annoying to say the least. No good male roles in the movie with exception of Hill Harper's character. 

This movie just seems too soap opera-ish for me. Full of intense moments that didn't call for intensity. No subtlety to the scenes. No momentum-building. 

Too bad because I really wanted to like this movie - if just a little. But, this project just seemed to be a little too ambitious for him.

That's just my opinion would like to know what others thought.

I fear that those of us who appreciated the play will have a hard time with this.

Hazel, for someone fortunate enough like yourself to have seen the play, I would really like to get your opinion of the movie.

You know, I really appreciate the fact that these fine actresses received the chance to showcase their talent. For that, I really give Tyler Perry his props.   It's really sad that we see these actresses so infrequently on the big screen. Someone said it's  jealousy by Hollywood executives who don't want the actors to take roles away from their white counterparts (Viola Davis on screen for 7 minutes in the movie Doubt and she receives an Academy nomination -7 min with Meryl Streep no doubt). I do think there's some validity to that. Hmmm...

But, Perry's direction is abysmal. I won't go into details because many have yet to see the movie. But, his interspersing the wonderful Shange  poems with brutal moments in the movie was just bad filmmaking. One of my friends had to find a copy of the material after viewing the movie because so much of it got lost in translation;  The scenes and the poetry just didn't mesh.

I still wonder how different this would have been with a  Julie Dash, Kasi Lemmons or even a Darnell Martin (female director of Cadillac Records) directing. Guess we'll never know.

Columbus wrote: "I still wonder how different this would have been with a Julie Dash, Kasi Lemmons or even a Darnell Martin (female director of Cadillac Records) directing...."

I hear that! The original was a piece of art, and it would have been wonderful to see it directed by an artist.

Another review from Salon.com, although you'll have to read for a bit before you get to the film itself.
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/mo...

Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy's take on the movie was pretty funny. It's entitled "For black men who have considered homicide after watching another Tyler Perry movie."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Wilhelmina wrote: "Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy's take on the movie was pretty funny. It's entitled "For black men who have considered homicide after watching another Tyler Perry movie."

http://www.was..."

teeheehee...

And Kevin Powell weighs in.....

http://newblackman.blogspot.com/2010/...

And so does author and LFPC group member Tayari Jones:

http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/archi...