Extra Credit Blog

I watched Their Eyes Were Watching God with Halle Berry who plays Janie in the film. I liked her in the role, and thought she was very believable as the character. The beginning of the film doesn't spend much time when she is with Nanny, and just shows her looking at the pear tree almost as an epiphany, and then she's kissing Johnny Taylor. The outfit she's wearing doesn't seem appropriate for the time period, especially when Nanny is so strict and Janie is only 16. It does not go into detail, which is disappointing as Janie's awakening and the pear tree is such an important part of the book. Nanny marries her off to Logan, and it quickly jumps to Janie running off with Joe Stark, and they go to Eatonville. It is fairly realistic in how he starts controlling her now that she is the Mayor's wife, and the way Janie's spirit is slowly dying being married to him. That part of the book and her marriage to Jody is shortened in the movie, and moves to Janie meeting Tea Cake. The movie is not as in depth as the book about her feelings for Jody and his death.
     Janie  is finally able to be herself and be free and happy with Tea Cake. I think Janie is really portrayed as an unconventional free spirit who doesn't seem to care what anyone in Eatonville thinks about the relationship. When Tea Cake takes off that first time, this is an important scene as it really shows how upset and worried Janie is that he might prove all the gossips right, and has run off with her money. When he returns, her anger and the fight they have is more intense than in the book, and her fears and insecurities that he had left is clearly shown. Janie is deeply in love with Tea Cake, and that is evident as their relationship progresses. When the hurricane hits is an intense scene, and the main theme is how deeply they love each other. When Janie has to kill Tea Cake to save herself is a very intense and sad part of the movie, and true to the book.
     I really enjoyed the movie, and it followed the story line in the book fairly closely, as far as the relationships of the characters. It doesn't focus as much, though, on Janie trying to find herself and her journey doing that, but more as a woman trying to find true love,