View source for Beloved (1998 film)

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{{Infobox film
| name           = Beloved
| image          = Beloved ver2.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Jonathan Demme]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Edward Saxon]]
* Jonathan Demme
* [[Gary Goetzman]]
* [[Oprah Winfrey]]
* Kate Forte
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]''|[[Toni Morrison]]}}
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[Akosua Busia]]
* [[Richard LaGravenese]]
* [[Adam Brooks (filmmaker)|Adam Brooks]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Oprah Winfrey
* [[Danny Glover]]
* [[Thandiwe Newton]]
* [[Kimberly Elise]]
* [[Beah Richards]]
* [[LisaGay Hamilton|Lisa Gay Hamilton]]
* [[Albert Hall (actor)|Albert Hall]]
}}
| music          = [[Rachel Portman]]
| cinematography = [[Tak Fujimoto]]
| editing        = {{plainlist|
* Andy Keir
* [[Carol Littleton]]
}}
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[Touchstone Pictures]]
* [[Harpo Productions|Harpo Films]]
* Clinica Estetico
}}
| distributor    = [[Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|1998|10|8}}
| runtime        = 172 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $80 million<ref>{{cite web|title=Beloved|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beloved.htm|work=Box Office Mojo|publisher=IMDb.com, Inc|access-date=December 30, 2013|author=Staff|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194048/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beloved.htm|archive-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref>
| gross          = $22.9 million
}}

'''''Beloved''''' is a 1998 American [[Gothic film|Gothic]] [[psychological horror|psychological horror drama film]]<ref name="Beloved">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/436188/beloved|title=Beloved|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=April 11, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402134942/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/436188/Beloved/|archive-date=April 2, 2016}}</ref> directed by [[Jonathan Demme]] and starring [[Oprah Winfrey]], [[Danny Glover]], and [[Thandiwe Newton]]. Based on [[Toni Morrison]]'s 1987 [[Beloved (novel)|novel of the same name]], the plot centers on a former slave after the [[American Civil War]], her haunting by a [[poltergeist]], and the visitation of her [[reincarnation|reincarnated]] daughter. This was the first film produced by [[Harpo Films]].

''Beloved'' received an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] for [[Colleen Atwood]]. The film garnered mostly positive reviews, and both Danny Glover and [[Kimberly Elise]] received praise for their performances, but was a box office bomb.

==Plot==
 <!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
Sethe is a former [[slave]] living on the outskirts of [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] shortly after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. An angry [[poltergeist]] residing in the family home terrorizes her and her three children, causing two of them to run away forever.

Eight years later, Sethe lives alone with her daughter, Denver. Paul D, an old friend from Sweet Home, the [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] Sethe had escaped from years earlier, finds her home and drives off the angry spirit that inhabits it. Afterwards, he proposes he stay and Sethe responds favorably. Shortly after Paul D. moves in, a clean young woman named Beloved, who appears to have a cognitive delay, finds her way into Sethe's yard, and Sethe takes her in.

Denver is initially happy to have Beloved around, but learns that she is Sethe's [[reincarnation|reincarnated]] daughter. Nonetheless, she chooses not to tell Beloved's origins to Sethe. One night, Beloved, aware that Paul D dislikes her, immobilizes him with a spell, and rapes him. He resolves to tell Sethe what happened, but instead asks her to have a baby with him. When Stamp Paid, a co-worker of Paul D who has known her for many years, learns of Paul D's plans for a family with Sethe, he pulls a newspaper clipping featuring Sethe and tells her story to the illiterate Paul D.

Years earlier, Sethe was raped by the nephews of Schoolteacher, the owner of Sweet Home. She complained to Mrs. Garner, his sister-in-law, who confronted him. In retaliation, Schoolteacher and his nephews brutally whipped Sethe, leaving a "tree" of [[keloid]] scars on her back. Heavily pregnant with her fourth child, Sethe planned to escape. Her other children were sent off earlier to live with Baby Suggs, her mother-in-law, but Sethe stayed behind to look for her husband, Halle. She was assaulted while searching for him in the barn. The Schoolteacher's nephews held her down, raped her, and forcibly took her breast milk.

When Halle failed to appear, Sethe ran off alone. She crossed paths with Amy Denver, a white girl who treated her injuries and delivered her child, whom she named after her. Sethe eventually reached Baby Suggs' home, but her initial happiness was short-lived when Schoolteacher came to claim Sethe and her children.

In desperation, Sethe slit her older daughter's throat, and attempted to kill her other children. Stamp Paid managed to stop her and the disgusted Schoolteacher departed. Sethe is detained for an unknown amount of time, and it is later revealed she was saved from hanging by the prominent Cincinnati family the Bodwins, who knew Baby Suggs.

Paul D, horrified by the revelation and suddenly understanding the origin of the poltergeist, confronts Sethe. She unapologetically justifies herself, insisting her children are better off dead than enslaved. Paul D. departs shortly thereafter in protest. Afterwards, Sethe realizes that Beloved is the reincarnation of her dead daughter.

Elated yet guilty, Sethe spoils Beloved with elaborate gifts while neglecting Denver. Beloved soon throws a destructive tantrum and her malevolent presence causes living conditions in the house to deteriorate. The women live in squalor and Sethe is unable to work, having become physically and mentally drained by Beloved's parasitic nature. Denver becomes depressed yet, inspired by a memory of her grandmother's confidence in her, she musters the courage to seek employment.

Once Denver gets work with the Bodwins, women from the local church visit Sethe's to perform an [[exorcism]]. They do this partly from guilt; years before, they hadn't warned Sethe of Schoolteacher's impending arrival. They are comforting the family, praying and singing loudly when Denver's new employer arrives to pick her up for work. Sethe sees him and, reminded of Schoolteacher's arrival, attacks him with an icepick, but is subdued by Denver and the women. During the commotion, Beloved disappears completely and Sethe, freed from Beloved's grip, becomes permanently bedridden.

Some months later, Paul D encounters Denver at the marketplace. She has become a confident and mature young woman. Arriving at Sethe's he finds her suffering from a deep malaise. He assures Sethe that he and Denver will now take care of her. She tells him she doesn't see the point, as Beloved, her "best thing", is gone. Paul D disagrees, telling Sethe that she herself is her own best thing.

==Cast==
{{cast list|
* [[Oprah Winfrey]] as Sethe
* [[Danny Glover]] as Paul D.
* [[Thandiwe Newton]] (credited as Thandie Newton) as Beloved
* [[Kimberly Elise]] as Denver
* [[Hill Harper]] as Halle
* [[Beah Richards]] as Baby Suggs
* [[LisaGay Hamilton|Lisa Gay Hamilton]] as Younger Sethe
* [[Jason Robards]] as Mr. Bodwin
* [[Albert Hall (actor)|Albert Hall]] as Stamp Paid
* [[Harry Northup]] as Sheriff
* [[Tracey Walter]] as Slave Catcher
* [[Jude Ciccolella]] as Schoolteacher
* [[Wes Bentley]] as Schoolteacher's Nephew
* [[Irma P. Hall]] as Ella
* [[Dorothy Love Coates]] as M. Lucille Williams
}}
Additionally, Jonathan Demme regular [[Charles Napier (actor)|Charles Napier]] has a cameo as an angry [[Carny|carnie]].

==Production==
Prior to Morrison's receipt of the Pulitzer Prize for ''Beloved'', Winfrey purchased the rights to the novel in 1987; the translation to film then occurred a decade later.<ref name="moviefone">{{cite web|last=Suskind|first=Alex|date=August 8, 2013|title=Oprah Winfrey on 'Lee Daniels' The Butler,' Returning to the Big Screen, and the Commercial Failure of 'Beloved'|url=http://news.moviefone.com/2013/08/08/oprah-winfrey-lee-daniels-the-butler-interview/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194042/http://news.moviefone.com/2013/08/08/oprah-winfrey-lee-daniels-the-butler-interview/|archive-date=January 2, 2014|access-date=January 1, 2014|work=[[Moviefone]]}}</ref> There was a conflict over screenplay credit with [[Akosua Busia]] demanding sole credit and saying [[Adam Brooks (filmmaker)|Adam Brooks]] and [[Richard LaGravenese]] got too much. WGA gave credit to all three. Busia said they were all little more than script doctors.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fierman|first=Daniel|date=October 16, 1998|title=Brawl Over 'Beloved'|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/10/16/who-should-get-credit-beloved-screenplay/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191939/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,285239,00.html|archive-date=January 2, 2014|access-date=January 1, 2014|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

===Filming locations===
Street scenes were filmed in the [[Old City, Philadelphia|Old City]] and [[Manayunk, Philadelphia|Manayunk]] neighborhoods of [[Philadelphia]].<ref name="Inquirer filming">{{cite news|last=|first=|date=December 12, 1997|title=Old City finally ready for close-ups|pages=[https://philly.newspapers.com/image/178133519/ A10]|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/178133519/|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref> Some other scenes were shot on a soundstage in the city's disused (and later demolished) [[Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center|Civic Center]].<ref name="Inquirer filming"/>

Shooting also took place on the north side of the [[Schuylkill River]] within [[Valley Forge National Historical Park]] in [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]],<ref>Valley Forge NHP Special Use Permit Oct 16 & 17, 1997.</ref> and at the [[Landis Valley Museum]] in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Marschka|first=Dan|date=February 19, 2014|title=Oprah Winfrey filming "Beloved" at Landis Valley|url=https://lancasteronline.com/oprah-winfrey-filming-beloved-at-landis-valley/image_adf057a8-9983-11e3-bf42-001a4bcf6878.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807173601/http://lancasteronline.com/oprah-winfrey-filming-beloved-at-landis-valley/image_adf057a8-9983-11e3-bf42-001a4bcf6878.html|archive-date=August 7, 2017|access-date=February 15, 2021|newspaper=[[Lancaster Online]]|publisher=[[LNP Media Group]]}}</ref>

Shooting was done in a field in [[Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area]] in [[Cecil County, Maryland]], at a spot just east of Big Elk Creek and just south of the border with [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Shapiro|first=Stephanie|date=August 10, 1998|title=Fair Hill has hopes for set of 'Beloved' Tourism: The Cecil County community believes the curious will come if the movie set built for filming the Toni Morrison novel is allowed to remain.|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1998/08/10/fair-hill-has-hopes-for-set-of-beloved-tourism-the-cecil-county-community-believes-the-curious-will-come-if-the-movie-set-built-for-filming-the-toni-morrison-novel-is-allowed-to-remain/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191212/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-08-10/features/1998222106_1_beloved-bluestone-cecil-county|archive-date=January 2, 2014|access-date=January 1, 2014|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]}}</ref> The State of [[Maryland]] subsequently compiled a location map and photographs of the buildings constructed for the film in Fair Hill NRMA.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mazurek |first=C. |date=July 1, 1998 |title=CE-1517: Beloved movie Set, Fair Hill NRMA |url=http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se5/038000/038400/038486/pdf/msa_se5_38486.pdf |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213649/http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se5/038000/038400/038486/pdf/msa_se5_38486.pdf |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |access-date=December 29, 2013 |work=[[Maryland State Archives]] |publisher=[[Maryland Historical Trust]]}}</ref>

Filming locations also included [[New Castle, Delaware]].

===Praise for Winfrey===
During promotion of the film, [[Thandiwe Newton]] said to ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' magazine, "Here we were working on this project with the heavy underbelly of political and social realism, and she managed to lighten things up ... I've worked with a lot of good actors, and I know Oprah hasn't made many films. I was stunned. She's a very strong technical actress and it's because she's so smart. She's acute. She's got a mind like a razor blade."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Meter|first=Jonathan Van|date=May 25, 2011|title=From the Archives: Oprah Winfrey in Vogue|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/from-the-archives-oprah-winfrey-in-vogue|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331184320/http://www.vogue.com/article/from-the-archives-oprah-winfrey-in-vogue|archive-date=March 31, 2017|access-date=February 15, 2021|website=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|language=en-us}}</ref>

== Box office ==
''Beloved'' did not come close to making back its $80 million budget. It grossed only $8,165,551 on its opening weekend,<ref name="thenumbers">{{cite web |title=Beloved (1998) - Financial Information|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beloved#tab=box-office|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071322/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beloved#tab=box-office|archive-date=October 6, 2014|access-date=October 4, 2014|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref> ranking fifth at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record-witches-chucky-scare-up-bi/132684201/|title=Witches, Chucky scare up big audiences|website=Daily Record|date=October 20, 1998|first=Michael|last=Fleeman|access-date=October 1, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/110540853/|title='Bride of Chucky' outdoes 'Beloved' at box office|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=October 19, 1998|access-date=October 1, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-burlington-free-press/110540897/|title='Practical Magic' opens strong at box office|website=The Burlington Free Press|date=October 19, 1998|access-date=October 1, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal/110540788/|title=Witches, evil doll, ants rule theaters|website=The Signal|date=October 19, 1998|access-date=October 1, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> 

In a 2011 interview, Winfrey said that after being informed on Saturday morning of the film's projected poor performance for its first weekend, she "went into a tailspin". She asked her personal chef [[Art Smith (chef)|Art Smith]] to make some [[macaroni and cheese]], of which she ending up eating "about {{convert|30|lb|kg|spell=in|disp=sqbr}} worth." She described it as "the only time in my life that I was ever depressed. And I recognized, 'I am depressed', because I've done enough shows [on the topic]. 'Oh, this is what those people must feel like who've been depressed.'"<ref name="CNN">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6CbL1ErN2I |title=CNN Official Interview: Piers Morgan asks about Oprah's biggest failure |date=January 12, 2011 |type=Video |access-date=September 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124030250/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6CbL1ErN2I |archive-date=January 24, 2025 |url-status=live |via=[[YouTube]] |work=[[CNN]] }}</ref> 

Director Demme commented: "''Beloved'' only played in theaters for four weeks. It made $22 million—I think that's a lot of money. And the only reason it left theaters after a month was because the Disney corporation that released the picture wanted all the ''Beloved'' theaters—where we were doing very well, in a number of situations—but the Walt Disney company wanted those theaters for [[Adam Sandler]]'s ''[[The Waterboy|Waterboy]]''. So, we were told that they were gonna bring us back at the end of the year, and they didn't. But the picture did very respectfully."<ref>{{cite web|date=September 29, 2007|title=Reelblack talks to Jonathan Demme about New Home Movies|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK6vM8dZJyg&t=5m16s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/oK6vM8dZJyg |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|work=Reelblack|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

''Beloved'' dropped to twelfth place in its fourth and final week of wide release.<ref name="thenumbers" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Domestic 1998 Weekend 45|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1998&wknd=45&p=.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916013613/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1998&wknd=45&p=.htm|archive-date=September 16, 2017|access-date=April 24, 2018|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> It continued to play in a smaller number of theaters into the holiday season and, by December 27, 1998, had grossed $22,746,521.<ref name="thenumbers" /> The film was rereleased theatrically for two weeks in March 1999, making an additional $110,000.<ref name="thenumbers" />

==Critical reception==
On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Beloved'' is currently assigned a 72% "fresh" rating based on 127 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. The site's consensus states, "A powerful, emotional and successful film adaptation of the original novel."<ref>{{Rotten Tomatoes|1057370-beloved}}</ref> It has a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] score of 58 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 24 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref>{{Metacritic film}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://www.cinemascore.com
 | title        = Find CinemaScore
 | format       = Type "Beloved" in the search box
 | publisher    = [[CinemaScore]]
 | access-date  = April 13, 2021
}}</ref>

Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] awarded the film 3{{1/2}} stars out of 4, praising its cast and emotional weight of the storylines. He wrote that its [[nonlinear narrative]] "coils through past and present, through memory and hallucination, giving us shards of events that we are required to piece back together. It is not an easy film to follow. ... The complexity is not simply a stylistic device; it is built out of Sethe's memories, and the ones at the core are so painful that her mind circles them warily, afraid to touch."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web
 | last          = Ebert
 | first         = Roger
 | author-link   = Roger Ebert
 | title         = Beloved
 | url           = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beloved-1998
 | url-status    = live
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20130610033843/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beloved-1998
 | website       = [[RogerEbert.com]]
 | language      = en
 | date          = October 16, 1998
 | archive-date  = June 10, 2013
 | access-date   = February 15, 2021
}}</ref>

Comparing the film and the novel to the [[Henry James]]' novella ''[[The Turn of the Screw]]'', he noted the use of [[supernatural]] elements "to touch on deep feelings" as well as the deliberate lack of a final explanation. He added, "Spirit manifestations come from madness and need not follow logical agendas. It is a remarkable and brave achievement for Demme and his producer and star, Winfrey, to face this difficult material head-on and not try to dumb it down into a more accessible, less evocative form."<ref name=":0" />

He also expressed the view that some of the audience "will not like it—will find it confusing or too convoluted. And it does not provide the kind of easy lift at the end that they might expect. Sethe's tragic story is the kind where the only happy ending is that it is over."<ref name=":0" />

===Accolades===
* [[Academy Awards]]
** Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood (Nominated)
* [[Chicago Film Critics]]
** '''Most Promising Actress: Kimberly Elise (Winner)'''
** Best Supporting Actress: Kimberly Elise (Nominated)
** Best Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto (Nominated)
* NAACP Image Awards
** '''Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Danny Glover (Winner)'''
** Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Oprah Winfrey (Nominated)
** Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Beah Richards (Nominated)
** Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Kimberly Elise (Nominated)
** Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Thandie Newton (Nominated)
** Outstanding Motion Picture: (Nominated)<ref>{{cite news
 | last         = Braxton
 | first        = Greg
 | date         = December 11, 1998
 | title        = 'Beloved,' 'Homicide' Top NAACP Image Award Nominations
 | newspaper    = [[Los Angeles Times]]
 | url          = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-11-ca-52778-story.html
 | url-status   = live
 | url-access   = subscription
 | access-date  = October 1, 2013
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215649/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/dec/11/entertainment/ca-52778
 | archive-date = October 4, 2013
}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring slavery]]
* [[Margaret Garner]]
* [[Infanticide]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Tibbetts, John C., and James M. Welsh, eds. ''The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film'' (2nd ed. 2005) pp 26–28.

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0120603|Beloved}}
* {{TCMDb title|436188|Beloved}}
* {{rotten tomatoes|1057370-beloved}}

{{Toni Morrison}}
{{Jonathan Demme}}
{{Richard LaGravenese}}
{{Oprah Winfrey}}

[[Category:1998 English-language films]]
[[Category:1998 American films]]
[[Category:1998 films]]
[[Category:1998 drama films]]
[[Category:1998 horror films]]
[[Category:African-American horror films]]
[[Category:African-American drama films]]
[[Category:American horror drama films]]
[[Category:American psychological horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jonathan Demme]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard LaGravenese]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gary Goetzman]]
[[Category:Films produced by Oprah Winfrey]]
[[Category:Films scored by Rachel Portman]]
[[Category:Films about race and ethnicity]]
[[Category:Films about American slavery]]
[[Category:Films about exorcism]]
[[Category:Films about reincarnation]]
[[Category:Films about filicide]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1860s]]
[[Category:Films shot in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Films shot in Maryland]]
[[Category:Films shot in Delaware]]
[[Category:Touchstone Pictures films]]
[[Category:Harpo Productions films]]
[[Category:Films set in Cincinnati]]
[[Category:American gothic horror films]]
[[Category:English-language historical drama films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Beloved (1998 film)|access_date=2026-02-26}}