Queen

Enjoyed the miniseries very much, especially the excellent cinematography, score, clothing design, landscape scenes, etc. The historical era is also excellent to explore. The drama does not try to gain converts, but is even-handed given the sensitive topics. I lowered my score because, even though it is a drama that is trying to appeal to a broad television audience, the actors were always far too well-dressed for 1850s. They were always mostly clean-shaven, with the women having clean, beautiful hair. Slaves wore dirty, tattered and wrinkled clothes but you never saw any dirty, worn-out clothes in this film. Lastly, the plot for the first half of the film before the outbreak of war is far too synonymous with the plot in the movie Mandingo (1975); practically an exact copy. I was shocked. Overall, Queen is very good.

Alex Haley's grandmother Queen's life portrayed in a grand production. Halle Berry brings to life all of the pains and sorrows of a life of grand adventure and deep dispair.

No expense or detail is spared in this spellbinding tale of life as it used to be in the deep south.

One of those grandiose episodic films, in this case based on Alex Haley's mother Queen (Halle Berry) living through the traumatic experiences of the end of slavery. This is a great slice of American history, beautifully filmed and with an extraordinary cast and excellent ambientation. Such that you feel you are right there with them in the tobacco plantations, enjoying and suffering throughout Queen's life her happy and anguishing moments. The gorgeous (any other adjectives, anybody?) Halle Berry enacts the best rôle of her life. You will never see anything better by her.

Shown here on Spanish National Television (RTVE) in just one episode in the middle of the summer a few years ago: you might say 260 minutes (plus the advertisement breaks) for an epic saga is pure masochism. No; not at all: this is a gripping and powerful production, masterfully portraying human feelings, suffering, joy…….. OK: you need to get up, take a walk around the house during the commercials, make a pot of coffee, phone your mother-in-law and tell her what she is missing, take a cold shower around the 180 minute break, and so on – but it is worthwhile. Apart from 'North and South' (1985/1986) nothing else is comparable. And that is what most surprises me: very few voters on IMDb and nobody has troubled to write a commentary (as of August 2001).

Wow! Wait...Wait.WOW!

It is very interesting that a lot of the actors that played memorable characters in the film have pretty good careers today. I was looking at the list and I was like, "He was not in that film!" "WHAT".

Again, if you look at my other comments, you will know that I love epic films and this was another one my parents just bothered to record when it played on TV years ago. (I really need to thank my parents for taking the time one of these days.) Again, this is a film I last saw in 1998. I made sure I watched it when I left it, stupidly enough, so that I could remember the entire thing as long as possible. Halle was awesome, her attitude, body language, speech, she was made for this role, and I could say vice versa. This is the one movie that made me acknowledge the fact (when she was still Oscarless) that she indeed deserved, and would soon be getting an Oscar. She conveyed the passion and pain of her character's journey. Indeed, I cannot distinguish Halle from Queen in my mind, they are synonymous. It was well written, well casted, and well received by me. If you doubt me, take a look at the full casting list and you might be surprised. If you can, watch it!

I must add that the only reason why I left these two films behind is because I was so sure they were big here and would be easy to find/buy. I am so sorry I was wrong. It's just another reflection on America's media content choices. Films with history, meat, and bone often get neglected and relegated to the bottom feeders. I guess because they are educational to some degree...hey, don't hate, be honest, I think it's true.

There are two sides to every story, the saying goes. For Alex Haley, one side was ROOTS, the towering chronicle tracing seven generations of his mother's family. The other side comes to the screen in QUEEN, the remarkable history of the paternal side of the author's family. David L. Wolper is executive producer of this acclaimed adaptation of the story Haley was working on when he died. Halle Berry plays Queen, daughter of a slave and a plantation owner. During the turbulent decades of the antebellum South, the Civil war, Reconstruction and beyond, she searches for a home in the two cultures of her heritage-and at times is shunned by both. Rejection and hate are no match for her unconquerable will, however.