A Toned-Down ‘Beloved’

Just in time for Christmas, NBC is airing a tale about a lonely and isolated person whose world is turned upside down following visits by a ghost from the past. After a series of troubling and supernatural occurrences, the person ultimately finds redemption while coming to grips with the true meaning of giving, self-acceptance and family.

No, viewers tuning in Sunday will not be watching yet another version of the traditional holiday favorite “A Christmas Carol.” In fact, the film NBC is airing that night is as far in tone and sensibility from Dickens as Scrooge is from Frosty the Snowman and occupies an altogether different arena than most feel-good fare that networks schedule during the holidays.

The Sunday before Christmas will mark the television premiere of “Beloved,” the 1998 film version of Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the pre- and post-Civil War era. The nearly three-hour film received mixed reviews for its relentless depiction of slavery and the effect on a woman, Sethe, who commits a horrifying act against her family to save them from a white slave owner.

The film, which contains violent scenes of lynchings, beatings and other raw images, was a labor of love for its star, Oprah Winfrey, the guiding force in bringing it to the big screen, as well as for its cast and crew. Yet some of those associated with the film, including Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, are upset by changes undertaken to make the movie ready for prime time.

NBC purchased “Beloved” as part of a package that included several other movies. Network insiders say they are aware that the film has “limited commercial potential” and pondered the best time and date to air it, both because of its length and subject matter.

Though the network declined comment, executives privately say that despite the tone of “Beloved,” they do not regard the timing of its airing as an issue. Even though the pre-Christmas window traditionally has viewing audience levels about 9% lower than usual, one executive said, “The movie has a good pedigree creatively, and as tough as it is, we might get lucky with it. The competition level is down.”

Still, several of those associated with “Beloved” are expressing frustration and concern that the film’s power and message will be almost completely obliterated by cutting it down for broadcast. “Beloved” runs more than two hours and 50 minutes and had roughly 45 minutes excised to fit a three-hour TV broadcast, including commercials.

In fact, one of its stars says it would be better not to show “Beloved” at all on network television rather than broadcast it in a truncated form.

“This is a disservice to Toni Morrison and everyone who worked on this movie,” said Lisa Gay Hamilton, who appeared in the film as young Sethe and co-stars on ABC’s “The Practice.” “If they’re taking out most of the violence, they’re missing the point. This is history. This is not make-believe. To put on the Cliff Notes version is not fair, and it’s not intelligent. If that’s what you’re going to do to the movie, don’t call it ‘Beloved.’”

Hamilton is particularly outraged that “Beloved” will be cut when other, more violent films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List” have aired on network television unedited. The first half-hour of “Saving Private Ryan,” which was broadcast last month on ABC, contains continuous carnage during a battle scene re-creating the D-day invasion.

“‘Saving Private Ryan’ wasn’t touched,” said Hamilton. “‘Schindler’s List’ wasn’t touched. War is violent and horrific, but you’ll never see a movie about the Holocaust get cut. But movies about slavery are a problem. It all comes down to race, whether the networks want to acknowledge it or not.”

Winfrey was reportedly devastated when “Beloved” bombed at the box office. Despite heavy promotion of the film during her popular daytime talk show, even “Oprah” fans stayed away. Observers speculated that “Beloved” and its slavery themes were ultimately too intense for most moviegoers.

Editing of the TV version of “Beloved” was principally overseen by Harpo Films, Winfrey’s production company. A spokeswoman said Winfrey and other producers of the film were unavailable for comment.

Carol Littleton, who edited the theatrical version of “Beloved,” said she and Demme watched the television version several months ago.

“The people who edited it were very faithful to the lyrical part of the film, but all the parts that were raw and harsh are not there,” she said. “The heart and soul of the movie is gone. When we were editing the movie for release, we were also looking for ways to shorten it. But the more we tried to find a way, the more we realized it was not the movie we wanted to make. It was sanitizing the effect of slavery. It would have taken away the emotional impact.”

Littleton said the opening scene was among several sequences that have been cut down for broadcast. In that scene, an unseen force is terrorizing Sethe and her children inside their home, violently throwing furniture. The family dog is sent flying through the air and crashes so hard against the wall that one of its eyes pops out of its socket. It is shown convulsing on the floor before Sethe places the pet on a table, calmly administering to it.

“The dog is gone,” said Littleton.

Also cut down severely is the pivotal scene in which young Sethe (Hamilton) commits a violent act against her children when a white slave owner appears to put the freed family back into bondage. That scene is now “very brief,” Littleton said.

Demme said he received a list of the proposed cuts and was asked by executives whether he had a response or wanted to have input into the editing.

“I always find the editing of movies for television to be an insult to the filmmakers and the audience,” said Demme. “If the network feels there is something objectionable about the movie, then just don’t show the movie. Just glancing at what they wanted to do, I found it objectionable. They wanted to remove things that were at the very heart of the movie. I chose not to participate in the mutilation and evisceration of ‘Beloved.’”

Despite its bleak tone, both Demme and Littleton said they felt “Beloved” was a perfect film to show during the holiday season.

“Like Toni Morrison’s novel, this is a movie that has tremendous humanity to it,” Demme said. “It’s really about respect and dignity and love, and transcends race and religion and class. Christmastime is the perfect time to show it. The potential for this picture to hit a strong emotional chord with viewers is particularly ripe at this time.”

Added Littleton: “I don’t feel badly about what has happened to ‘Beloved.’ It’s just not the movie we intended, and it’s not the intention of the novel. But it is better for people to see it in its shortened form than not to see it at all.”