It’s Monday again! So of course I’m back with another #MovieMondays post. For those of you new to Blu Moon Fiction, Movie Mondays is a series I started to pay special homage to my two loves, Books and Film. Each week we discuss a new movie that was adapted from or inspired by a work of literature first. In previous weeks, we’ve discussed Lionsgate’s upcoming horror/thriller, Antebellum. This week’s post is brought to you all courtesy of Mama Bleu.
My mother has a bit of a shopping problem. She buys DVDs and now Blu Rays just because they are sitting in the New Release section. Yesterday, she calls me to tell me that I can borrow her copy of If Beale Street Could Talk. She says she didn’t care for it much and later, having realized it was based on the James Baldwin novel, decided to let me borrow it.
I won’t pretend to be well-versed in Baldwin. The titles i’m looking at while writing this post are being added to my TBR s we speak. I can only recall reading a handful of essays for high school and maybe college, but, I do recall hearing a lot of buzz about Beale Street around awards season.
Originally published in 1974, If Beale Street Could Talk, was Baldwin’s fifth published novel. It’s the love-story of Tish, a nineteen -year- old girl and Fonny, an aspiring artist and father to her child. Set in Harlem in the early 70’s, Tish and Fonny’s plans to be married are put on hold when Fonny is falsely accused and unjustly incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. The two must endure uncertainty over their futures while fighting to clear his name.
The film adaptation of Baldwin’s book was released in 2018, has won awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The 2019 Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Adaptation and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. The cast featured; Regina King, KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Michael Beach and Teyonah Parris.
Check Out the Trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk below!
Have You Watched If Beale Street Could Talk? What’s Your Favorite James Baldwin Book?
Leave a comment below!
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