"A Raisin in the Sun" TV adaptation of 2004 Revival at 8PM on ABC- Page 2

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:23pm

That scene just solidified Rashad's Emmy and Golden Globe nominations - if not, the win.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:25pm

After that last scene, Rashad can clear a spot on her mantle for her Emmy award. No doubt about it.

ETA: You beat me to it, Captain Hook. Updated On: 2/25/08 at 10:25 PM

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:26pm

This may have been mentioned before, but does anyone know if they will realease this on DVD? Or if someone will put it up on youtube cause I missed the last half hour

[iliketheater]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:34pm

I think someone said that a dvd will be released. And I wouldn't be surprised if ABC re-airs it.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:36pm

Of course it'll end up on DVD. Just look at those names! And I'm sure the ratings are gonna be larger than smaller.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:38pm

I'm watching it for a class, but I'm really enjoying it. Rashad and McDonald are wonderful.

[WordedGrace]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:41pm

Sean Combs is the worst part of this production. He shouldn't try to be an actor at all. Especially with three women who are amazing.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:48pm

I think combs is having his moments. But, If I am not mistaken, the drunken rant is coming up. Can't wait to see how he handles that.

[iliketheater]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:51pm

That last scene made combs ok for me. But honestly I'm still greatly bothered that this opportunity was given to him when there are so many black actors who would kill for this.

The underscoring has been really distracting, and the editing over-all has bothering me a lot. A lot of important moments have been rushed.

[grnsmwhr]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 10:59pm

David Oyelowo is very good. Sean should take lessons from him.

I'm trying not to compare, but it's hard not to. Sidney Poitier's, Walter, was a sympathetic character, you could feel his anguish and he was trapped and tight and it showed in his face and body language. He was a scene stealer. This remake belongs to the women.

Updated On: 2/25/08 at 10:59 PM

[iliketheater]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:05pm

The end of this play (/movie) is so beautiful. It gets me every time. I really enjoyed it over-all, but I do wish that a few things hadn't been cut out. O well.

Brava to the women!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:06pm

It definitely belonged to the women, particularly Rashad. Combs doesn't kill it though, and I look forward to the DVD release.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:07pm

I thought it was pretty well done, I agree Combs and Stamos seem out of place and the women are, in fact, running circles around Combs, but he wasn't bad, still no Sidney Poitier though. Taking the scene with Bobo and Walter out onto the stoop kinda lessend the effect for me, it worked better in that small room with everyone there to watch the crash and burn.

[grnsmwhr]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:14pm

I will be getting the DVD, too. Sean didn't kill it for me either and I will probably enjoy him more once I put aside critiquing his performance.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:23pm

I thought everyone (except for John Stamos) did an outstanding job. I am so mad at myself for not seeing this when it was on Broadway. Having seen Audra in Ragtime, I believe the woman walks on water.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:27pm

Well here in Denver, we are at the commercial after he finds out the money is gone. I had really hoped Combs would shine a bit more than he does. He is having moments but he is not consistant. I thought he might be better in front of cameras than onstage. (And he was fine onstage). But all in all, it is very good.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:27pm

According to Amazon.com, it will be released on DVD on May 6, 2008!

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:39pm

I had rehearsals and had to miss it. Does anyone know if it'll be up on the abc.com video player by any chance?

[gustof777]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 11:48pm

I'm praying BroadwayBaby...i missed it as well

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:04am

OK...was it me? Did I miss something or did they substitute his being in the bar for the scene where he comes home drunk and delivers the monolouge? And did they slice up the mother's big monolouge?

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:32am

McDonald appeared to be having some difficulties with her character in the beginning, I thought.

Rashad is AMAZING! Combs... not so much.

I thought it was a great adaptation with some amazing performances.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 1:11am

I really liked Combs actually. He plays it very different from how Sidney played it, which is nice and refreshing. I think someone on here said Ruby Dee would make a good Mom. I don't know if anyone is aware, but Ruby was in the original play and movie playing the wife (sorry, I don't remember their names). Thought that was interesting. I think everyone did a fantastic job. It's such a great story

[A Director]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 3:03am

What an awful production/movie! It was A Raisin in the Sun Diet Lite. There was no grit! Sean Combs were terrible; he doesn't have the chops for the role. Rashad was okay, but nothing special. Audra was so-so and , to me, not convincing in the role. The woman who played Beneatha was pretty much one note. John Stamos was even worse than Combs.

The music was awful. I've heard better in an elevator.

Some of the "opening up" of the play worked. It looked like some of Lorraine Hansberry's unfilmed original screenplay was used as a starting point. The final shot of going up the stairs to the bright blue sky was a major mistake because it gave the story a happy ending. When the play was first done in 1959, many people felt the ending was happy, but as Hansberry noted, life in Clybourne Park isn't going to be easy.

What sunk the show, along with the talentless Mr. Combs were the endless commercials. They sucked the drama, life and tension out of the play. The visuals in every commercial undercut the play and turned it into a quaint little period piece. The previews for the new Tyler Perry movie were too much. Talk about pleasing "Captain, Mistuh, Bossman."

I've seen the 1961 movie version with the original Broadway cast. It's okay, but it's too stage like. To get a real sense of the play and why it still packs a punch and has something to say, find a copy of the production shown on American Playhouse with Danny Glover as Walter Lee and Esther Rolle as Lena. They and the rest of the cast, act circles around Combs and Company.

[Popular]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 3:30am

Wow. All that and yet you still stuck around for the full three hours? I'll agree with you about the commercials. I too wished there were less of them.

I enjoyed it a lot. Say what you want about Sean Combs, but a lot of people discovered this story for the first time tonight and for that I applaud him. I thought he did a fine job and it goes without saying that the women in the cast more than held their own as well... there were some truly inspired moments and they should all be very proud of the movie.

[HeddaG]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 7:53am

I was disappointed. I loved the women but maybe it was the commercials - it just didn't build the way I needed it to. I should have Tivo'd it and skipped the commercials - maybe that would have been a smarter way for me to watch it. And sorry, Combs just didn't cut it for me. His eyes were dead and this being television - the closeness of that did no favors. But Rashad and McDonald made me watch the whole program. And anytime something like this is on regular television - and not some reality program or game show - it's all good!