If Beale Street Could Talk is a romantic drama which premiered in 2018.
It is about a young couple who wants to get married. Tish and Fonny are African-Americans. They live in Harlem in New York City. Their story is set in the 1970s.
When Fonny is arrested and sent to jail for a crime he did not commit, Tish and her family must do everything they can to prove his innocence and get him out of jail.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Writer and director: Barry Jenkins
** Based on a book
by James Baldwin published in 1974
** Run time: 119 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Kiki Layne as Clementine Rivers – “Tish” – she is 19
** Stephan James as Alonzo Hunt – “Fonny” – he is 22
** Regina King as Sharon Rivers – mother of Tish
** Colman Domingo as Joseph Rivers – father of Tish
** Teyonah Parris as Ernestine Rivers – sister of Tish
The second group
** Bryan Tyree Henry as Daniel Carty – one of Fonny’s friends
** Emily Rios as Victoria Rogers – a woman from Puerto Rico
** Ed Skrein as police officer Bell
James Baldwin (1924-1987) is a famous African American author whose novel If Beale Street Could Talk was published in 1974.
The drama begins with an on-screen message from James Baldwin:
“Beale Street is a street in New Orleans where my father, where Louis Armstrong and the jazz was born. Every black person born in America was born on Beale Street, born in the black neighborhood of some American city.”
This message is helpful, but it is only a partial explanation. The title of the drama is not Beale Street.
The title is If Beale Street Could Talk.
What does it mean?
Here is the answer:
The title of the book and the movie is inspired by a line in a song called Beale Street Blues written in 1916 by William Christopher Handy (1873-1958).
The Beale Street in the song is in Memphis, Tennessee (not in New Orleans).
The song was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1954. These days it is available online.
Here is the relevant part of the lyrics:
If Beale Street could talk,
Married men would have to take their beds and walk.
Except one or two who never drink booze,
And the blind man on the corner
Who sings the Beale Street Blues.
In the drama, there is a scene where Fonny places a record on a gramophone. The music begins.
I was hoping to hear Beale Street Blues, but unfortunately it was another tune. Why not play the song after which the book and the movie are named?
This is indeed a missed opportunity!
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Here are the results of three review aggregators:
** 71 percent = IMDb
** 73 percent = Meta (the audience)
** 87 percent = Meta (the critics)
** 71 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 95 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 2,900 ratings of this product, more than 300 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.5 stars which corresponds to a rating of 90 percent.
As you can see, the ratings are quite good. When you look at Meta and Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a gap between the general audience and the professional critics. The critics like this drama more than the audience.
In this case, I have to side with the audience on Meta and Rotten Tomatoes and with the negative reviews on Amazon. This movie is highly overrated.
What is wrong?
Here is my answer:
# 1. The drama is too long
# 2. The pace is too slow
# 3. The story is too thin
# 4. The ending is wrong
I do not want to mention any details, because I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.
If you do not believe me, just watch the drama. When you do, you will find out that what I say is true.
This drama is not great; it is not even good; it is average. It cannot get more than three stars (60 percent).
*****
If Beale Street Could Talk
A novel by James Baldwin
(1974)
*****
The African American author
James Baldwin
(1924-1987)
*****
The African American musician and composer
William Christopher Handy
(1873-1958)
*****
The African American musician
Louis Armstrong
(1901-1971)
*****
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