


Copyright 1995 ABC-CLIO. This review was taken from the ABC-CLIO Video Rating Guide for Libraries on CD-ROM, a 5-year compilation of over 8900 video titles and reviews, 1990-1994. For information regarding order VRGL CD-ROM, contact: ABC-CLIO, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911; 805-968-1911
This following text has been included in the UCB Media Resources Center Web site with the kind permission of the publishers.

Toni Morrison consists mainly of the author seated behind a desk,
discussing her career and her novels. This approach is
disorienting as there is no interviewer asking questions or
directing the course of the interview. Instead, the video
consists of Morrison talking (and it appears to no one in
general) and dramatizations from her novels. Sometimes the
dramatizations are juxtaposed with the shot of Morrison seated at
the desk.
The dramatizations of passages from Beloved, The Bluest Eye,
and Jazz are an interesting diversion from the discussion portion
of the video. Each dramatization consists of a visual image and a
voice-over by a character figuring prominently in the novel or in
that passage. Integrating this type of action into the video is a
good way to get viewers interested in Morrison's works and also
adds an extra dimension to the video. In many ways, the
dramatizations are the best part of the video.
Technically, the video is well made. Shots of Morrison are
focused and clear, and the quality of sound is good. Narration by
Edwina Moore is clear and easy to understand. The voice-overs by
extras are audible and enthusiastic. However, as a whole, the
video is poorly structured. Although what Morrison has to say is
valuable and interesting, she appears to be speaking to herself.
There appears to be no format for the video, and no link is
apparent between what Morrison is saying and the direction the
video takes.
This video does not do justice to Morrison or her
accomplishments. Identifiable Qualities: A Film on Toni Morrison
(Women Make Movies, 1989 - see review in the Spring 1991 issue,
entry no. 2:815) is a much better choice. A more structured
approach to the video, and more substantial narration (such as an
introduction of each topic Morrison will address preceding that
discussion) would greatly improve the quality of this video.
Toni Morrison

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