Julia
Rizza
Taylor
APLAC
12
February 2012
The Secret Life of Bees Review
“The
Secret Life of Bees” creates a unique, heart-wrenching film that is sure to
capture all audiences. Based on the best-selling book by Sue Monk Kidd, the
movie features renowned actors that bring the story to life. This movie not
only outlines the elements of distinguished film, but appeals to all audiences
through an enthralling storyline. Despite popular belief, the Secret Life of
Bees, is not a simple representation of history in the 1960s, but a beautifully
scripted story that takes a “snapshot” of time.
A
good film entices the audience with dramatic music and visually-appealing
design, but a classic movie employs these aspects to encapsulate the audience
into the experience. “The Secret Life of Bees” demonstrates the evolution of a
story through music and scenery. During the somber moments of the movie, the
scenes are dark and dramatic keeping the audience yearning. As life continues
on, the colors become brighter as they develop a sense of happiness. Each shot carefully
articulated and arranged, gives a true perspective of the main character, who
is narrating the story. The music of the movie takes the main character through
her darkest time, to her hopeful future. The utilization of the beautiful
Bach’s Concerto No. 1 played by one of the main characters develops a personal
relationship with the music and displays the movie’s theme of hope.
The
story begins with the main character, Lilly, and her disquieting story of her
unhappy life in a southern peach farm with her father, whom she refers to as
T-Ray. She flashbacks to her four-year old life with unclear visions of her
passed mother. The audience witnesses her abuse by her father and her strong
defiance to rise above it. She desperately searches to find her mother’s
spirit in her own heart, but feels destroyed when T-Ray tells her that her
mother ran away from her and never loved her.
Her
beloved caretaker Rosaleen is confronted with civil rights issues of the 1960s
and is beaten and jailed for registering to vote. Lily and Rosaleen take off on
a journey that will change their lives when they stumble upon the Pepto-Bismol
house of August Bowright. Upon entering the Tiburon house, they meet three sisters
June, May, and August with entirely different personalities. Lily learns that
through beekeeping, anyone can learn to love.
An
excellent movie incorporates characters that are well developed and three
dimensional as well as emotionally engages the audience and causes them to
develop responsive interactions with the characters. Within each scene, one can
view the character’s progress through both laughter and tears. The fourteen
year old, white narrator is played by Dakota Fanning, who plays Lily with a
personable and loving character. The story of her secret life is narrated from
the viewpoint of Lily, giving the story purpose and perspective. Queen Latifah, a perfectly casted August, portrays a sweet and generous mother-like character who
brings love into Lily’s dramatic life. As noted for her extraordinary
performance, Alicia Keys slowly unfolds her feelings as a cello player and
political activist to finally finding the love she has been searching for.
Jennifer Hudson’s defying character demonstrates her spunky attitude amongst
the place she has found in the heart of the family.
The
plot of “The Secret Life of Bees” is quite nontraditional, yet filled with
tragic events. Every scene in the story melt’s the heart of the audience as it
depicts of harsh times of the period. This movie surpasses others due to its
underlying themes and relevance to society. “The Secret Life of Bees” speaks to
the concepts of love and searching for hope. It demonstrates how the dark
moments in life will always lead to a new life and bright future. The story
deepens with the Mary of hope and the strong heart she gives to the family. The
black Mary and the “wisdom of the beehive” demonstrate the underlying themes of
African American power and the sisterhood of women. It encompasses the
inspiring message that dreaming is a part of hope, and to be truly happy, one must always “view
what they can’t see.”
While
one might argue “The Secret Life of Bees” is unfocused due to the abundance of
tragedy, it is the tragedy and the dark moments that make up life and that
strengthen the love demonstrated in the story. “The Secret Life of Bees” incorporates
historical truth to emphasize the importance of love and hope in society to
move past the “wailing walls” that all people keep inside. The story of love is
not one of a over romanticized cliché, but a passionate story of unconditional
love. “The Secret Life of Bees” represents the beloved book whose sentimental
and timeless story was intrigues all audiences.
I have been wanting to see this movie for a while and this was a very helpful and well written evaluation! Your criteria was clear and persuasive because of its logical and emotional appeals. Specifically, the description of the visual design and music and its emotional impact on the audience presented a subjective topic objectively. Your consideration of opposing views also made your argument more credible, increasing it's persuasion. My only suggestion would be that you mention what audience in specific would be drawn to this movie. Overall, great evealuation! :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful as usual Julia! I think your evaluation truly captures what makes this movie so great. You use pathos when talking about how there is hope in the darkness. This is something that people look for when they watch movies. I personally appreciate a nice happy ending or at least some hope, so I think mentioning that makes your argument relatable. I also appreciated the way you described how each actress fit their role in the movie and explained how believable acting is necessary for a great film. Plus, the way you described the themes and the relevance to the setting(1960's) of the movie added to your credibility. You also explain some of the abstract components of the movie which intrigue the audience without giving away what happens. What I think is unique about your evaluation is your assessment of the scenery. Its refreshing to see how that can change the mood of a movie, and it shows how much you were enticed by the movie, which helps to convince your audience that this isn't another romantic clique. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAs a fan of this movie myself, I believe you do a great job connecting each aspect to the excellence of the film as a whole. The way you mention part of your criteria and then transitioned into your summary is very smooth and readable. You appeal to logos successfully by having numerous criteria and explaining them thoroughly, and even addressing a possible counterargument. Your appeals to ethos are more subtle, yet still effective. For example, it is apparent that you know all about the background and by saying that August was cast perfectly, it hints that you've read the book, showing the audience your extensive knowledge. You clearly have very interesting insight on all facets of the film, and you show a passion in your writing. The only change I might suggest would be to grab the audience's attention with an emotional appeal in the beginning and close the same way. But overall this is a great argument!
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