The Movie
When we were assigned Their Eyes Were Watching God in English class, I never read it. I couldn't be bothered. I had already read Toni Morrison's Beloved, and had more than enough of books about the early 20th-Century black southern experience. The genre has obvious cultural value in its chronicling of the time period and the struggles faced by black people in a society that didn't want them to be equals. But as much as I appreciate that, I still can't enjoy it. I feel the same way about Nazi stories. I guess I just don't care much for history. It depresses me a bit too much.

But, for at least once, the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" was correct. Or at least, I think so. Like I said, I've never read the book. But if it's anything like this movie, it might not be too bad, if you like love stories. The genre I prematurely attached to it is certainly present, but it's more a part of the atmosphere than the plot.

Janie (Halle Berry) might be America's first hippie, a woman ruled by passion who refuses to be tied down. As a girl, she fell for the bad boys, but her grandmother made sure she married right, by setting the 17-year-old up with an old man with a large farm to his name. Security isn't what she wanted though, and when she meets Joe Starks, a slick man in a slicker suit, carrying with him the promise of a better life, she jumps for it.

A more motivated man than most, Starks helps to build the first colored town in America, and as a result becomes mayor, making Janie the mayor's wife. Of course, if that went well, this wouldn't be much of a story. Unhappy with her place at the top of the hill, she rebels against Joe and creates what can only be termed a loveless marriage. Life doesn't get much better for her, as her choices don't improve much from there on out.

Told starting from the end, the story is not exactly brimming with positive vibes, but it is told well. Director Darnell Martin effectively visualizes Janie's lust and turmoil, while giving her ramshackle world a look that may not be beautiful, but is captivating. Similarly, nobody in the cast stands out, but nearly everyone gives a solid performance. As a result, a film that could have dissolved into stereotype, rises above.

The DVD
A one-disc release, this film is packaged in a standard keepcase, with an insert that lists the chapter stops. The DVD has an animated, anamorphic widescreen main menu, with options to watch the film, select scenes, set-up subtitles and check out some trailers. Subtitles are available in English, along with closed captioning, while the scene selection menus have still previews and titles for each chapter.

The Quality
Shot for TV, this is a full-frame presentation that looks quite nice. The level of detail is impressive, with a very sharp image that boasts crisp, bold color. There's a bit of grain, but not an excessive amount, and there are only a few small bits of dirt. My only question would be why, in this day and age, would anyone shoot a movie, even a TV movie, in full-frame? Even so, it's well done.

The surprise of this DVD is the audio, which is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. If they were going to make the effort to create a mix like this, why not a widescreen transfer? The sound here is very clear in terms of the dialogue, while the music is strong as well. The disc takes advantage of the mix by pushing atmospheric sound effects and music enhancement to the surround speakers for a nicely detailed track.

The Extras
There are a few trailers on the disc, but nothing else.

The Bottom Line
For a period love story, Their Eyes Were Watching God is not a bad movie, and it moves pretty fast for a story almost two hours long. It's certainly not the man-hating Oprah odyssey I expected when hitting play, which brings it up a few notches in my book. The DVD looks pretty good and sounds better than anyone could have expected, but a lack of bonuses doesn't help make it more attractive. Oprah fans and those who enjoy women-first love stories should enjoy this movie, and a rental will sate any curiosity.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.