At once a plea to end human suffering and a ray of hope for israelipalestinian harmony, journalist shlomi eldars documentary precious life chronicles the plight of mohammad abu mustafa, a four. Its a glimmer of hope that keeps the story moving in a world that is hard edged and usually leads nowhere. Thirteen years after its release, it was made into precious. Based on the novel push monique interview duration. Mary is not happy she asks where precious has been but also asks to hold the baby. Aunt dot told me, filling in the blanks that daniels intentionally kept in his life story. Originally called push but recently renamed precious to coincide with the film, the book, by the writer known simply as sapphire, tells the story of a darkskinned, heavyset, illiterate african. And, yes, tony lip played by viggo mortensen really did eat 25 hot dogs in one sitting according to vallelonga, everything depicted. How author created film character precious through her own sexual abuse. Its not some feelgood, friday night datemovie or some bigbudget popcorn thriller. Precious 38 movie clip a visit from a social worker. Precious story, precious hollywood movie story, plot. Sapphire, who is in her early 60s, was born ramona lofton. May 25, 2011 the films first story is about precious herself, a character whose endlessly miserable life is like something out of the trojan women.
Some people tell a story n it dont make no sense or be true. Jan 16, 2010 stories like precious do happen in the real world, often in oppressed communities where assistance from one person can be the beginning of turning a horrific situation around. Its based on a bestselling 1996 novel called push, by the poet sapphire. Aspects of the story help illuminate many of the reasons emotional, physical, and particularly sexual abuse, are risk. Rather, precious is a composite character, she says, created from the reallife stories she encountered while teaching for seven years, from. Sapphires first book became the oscarwinning film precious but, she says, her. I pray that it stops happening but sadly with the evil rampant in this world it still does.
Donoghue was actually inspired to write her novel by a reallife. The movie tells the story of preciouss gradual escape from that ravenous gravitational well, out of the apartment of cigarette smoke and pigs feet and bed springs and casual cruelty and into. Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. I wish i had a lightskinned boyfriend with real nice hair. The previous night, at the gala screening of his movie precious, which he. Cooing at first, she throws the baby down and throws a glass at precious. They are two africanamerican success stories who have helped to. Based on the novel push by sapphire, with gabourey sidibe in the title role, opens friday in selected cities.
Not all movies have remained true to the genuine history of the event or the characters they are portraying, often adding action and drama to increase the substance and popularity of the movie. Lee daniels gives us howls of a life, buried deep within. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving. The gritty realism of the film precious is even more intense in the novel push. Preciouss life is like a grand guignol version of reallife tragedies, with a mother who. Precious s life is like a grand guignol version of real life tragedies, with a mother who isnt just uncaring and angry, but sexually. Claireece precious jones, referred to as precious throughout the movie has been played by the actress gabourey sidibe who made her acting debut with precious. Precious finds a way out of her traumatic daily life by escaping into.
Nov, 2009 the movie tells the story of preciouss gradual escape from that ravenous gravitational well, out of the apartment of cigarette smoke and pigs feet and bed springs and casual cruelty and into. In much of the conversations regarding the impact of the movie precious, the debasement of black motherhood, incest, rape, and poverty feature as primary topics for discussion. But these women saw true stories reflected onscreen. She is the daughter of her two antagonist villain parents carl and mary jones. She even gets pushed around by strangers on the street. Mar 16, 2012 a social worker grace hightower comes to check on mary monique who puts on an act that life is decent in the apartment. True to this belief, sapphires second novel, the kid, is even more unflinching. At once a plea to end human suffering and a ray of hope for israelipalestinian harmony, journalist shlomi eldars documentary precious life chronicles. The movie got a lot of praise for the acting and the story that was portrayed but it also got a lot of heat from the race that was portrayed in the movie. A movie like this that tells a precious story maybe is only way to stop it. The movie follows the hopeless romantic tom hansen, played by. Sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving pictures to accompany precious. Precious, the movie, which is based on push, the novel, irritates some africanamericans who say the harsh portrayal of one teenagers life demeans the black community.
Seven amazing films about reallife love stories which. The heartbreaking movie seems ripped from the headlines. Pretty much any movie can be based off a true story, but there are a select few that take reallife events and turn them into cinematic masterpieces. The movie precious tells two stories at once huffpost. Anne marie fox gabourey sidibe stars in lee daniels film precious. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving pictures. Mary does nothing but smoke, watch television and collect welfare through fraud as she doesnt ever look for a job and believes that education does nothing for precious, who she would rather also collect welfare if only to bring money into the household. Seven amazing films about reallife love stories which every couple should see. Sep 28, 2009 oprah, tyler perry and a painful, precious life the queen of all media and the king of the urbanaudience comedy have lined up to make sure youll want to see lee daniels wrenching drama, the. Birth of a nation has a mainstream movie demeaned the idea of black american life as much. A great story of real genuine people, life, consequences, empathy, surviving, compassion, and more. Precious excessive weight and eating plays a central role in the movie. The story s world is stacked against precious, and the movie s marketing engine is stacked against sidibe, but in some ways those structures explain why were hearing about this young woman in the. Precious finds a way out of her traumatic daily life by escaping into daydreams in which she is loved and appreciated.
With the help of a prominent israeli journalist, precious life chronicles the struggle of an israeli pediatrician and a palestinian mother to get treatment for her baby, who suffers from an incurable genetic disease. The only thing that got me through the movie precious was knowing that it was a true story, other than that i couldnt help but question who in the world would come up with something so horrific. In real life, pocahontas was a member of the pamunkey tribe in. Precious is saved as her story concludes, but what oprah is hinting at is this. Mar 08, 2010 it should be intellectually possible to see a story like precious first of all as a story of a young girls battle against sexual abuse with marginal racial connotations, but white is overwrought by the idea that the movie might be taken as a brushstroke depiction of the whole black race especially the lower classes. Anne marie foxgabourey sidibe stars in lee daniels film precious. Sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child abuse. Gollum was a stoor hobbit of the riverfolk, who lived near the gladden fields. Originally known as smeagol, he was corrupted by the one ring and. Create beautiful life story keepsakes that will be treasured forever register here to enter your precious life story interview. Precious, the harrowing story of a 350pound illiterate teenage girl who is pregnant. The movie revolves around precious who lives with her abusive mother monique and step father rodney. The difference compared to the movie is only in the fact that in real life the couple knew each other before the accident, and her husband doesnt have to win the love of his wife every day.
How push became precious the gritty realism of the film precious is even more intense in the novel push, upon which the film is based. The worldindeed, this very country of oursis in many places overwhelmed with pain and misery too horrible to speak of. Precious, the movie, which is based on push, the novel, irritates some. Precious has ruined her life, she claims, when precious revealed the truth and welfare cut off the checks.
Nov 20, 2009 precious lives with her mother mary, who abuses precious both physically and emotionally. Given whats going on in real life, including the family in the white house. She brings abdul home and runs into the little girl ruby who pesters her. Based on the novel push by sapphire, or simply precious, is a 2009 american. Each must face their most profound biases as they inch towards a possible friendship in an impossible reality. A life story doesnt just say what happened, it says why it was important, what it means for who the person is, for who theyll become, and for what happens next. Poverty, abuse and hope unflinchingly portrayed in precious.
This is a list of films that are based on actual events. It happens the guardian asked risthardh hare, a social worker in hackney, east london, what he thought of mariah careys film portrayal of social work and sexual. Was the movie precious a true story based on someones life. Ever since then its lived in one form or another, right up to the disney movie and even today. Her story illuminates a far greater tragedy than her own. The novel centers on claireece precious jones, a 16yearold girl from harlem who has been repeatedly raped by her drugaddict father and physically and mentally abused by her invalid mother. Push is the 1996 debut novel of american author sapphire. Precious finds a way out of her traumatic daily life by escaping into daydreams in. For precious it starts when the white bitch school counsellor rang mary and preciouss doorbell with vital information about how to enrol in an alternative school. Sapphire, author of the novel push, talks about writing the book and the making of the film.
As the movie opens, precious is pregnant for the second time, overweight, nearly illiterate, and withdrawn. Even though the film precious packs quite a wallop, the gritty realism of the novel upon which the movie is based is even more. Based on the novel push by sapphire the other journal. Precious lives in the new york ghetto harlem and they survive on welfare since the mother faces unemployment. Weve collected 7 of the best inspirational and beautiful short stories to help you get through lifes challenges.
Im quite sure that nobody i know has lived a life like preciouss. Oprah, tyler perry and a painful, precious life the queen of all media and the king of the urbanaudience comedy have lined up to make sure youll want to see lee daniels wrenching drama, the. When shes not getting raped and impregnated by her father, shes getting sexually, physically, and verbally abused by her mother mary monique. Claireece precious jones is the main protagonist of both the book, push by sapphire and the 2009 film, precious. Based on the novel push by sapphire, recipient of the truly moving picture award, an honored distinction given to films that unlock the vast potential of the human. Jul, 2017 sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child abuse. Claireece precious jones is an obese, illiterate 16yearold girl who lives in harlem with her abusive mother mary. Based on the novel push sapphire interview youtube. Based on the novel push by sapphire because it told me two moving stories at once. The true story of pocahontas history smithsonian magazine. Nov 20, 2009 precious is a film that is driven by a strong story and an emotional cast that cares about the work they are doing. He started by telling the story fairly objectively, then clearly became more and more involved emotionally in the. The films first story is about precious herself, a character whose endlessly miserable life is like something out. Inspired by her new teacher, blu rain paula patton, precious finally learns to read and write.
The films first story is about precious herself, a character whose endlessly miserable life is like something out of the trojan women. How author created film character precious through her own sexual. But lee, due to his charm and belief, makes his fantasies real. Much like in real life schools, conformity is part of the agenda. Never content to resort to pat answers or sappy lifetime madefortv movie melodrama, precious is a memorable story of hope thats really difficult to watch. Based on the novel push by sapphire, a film that won two academy awards and was directed by lee daniels.
Dec 27, 2009 you thought precious was good check this out. Section a the movie under analysis is precious and the character whose diagnosis will be presented is precious herself. Based on the novel push by sapphire, recipient of the truly moving picture award, an honored distinction given to films that unlock the vast potential of the human spirit and enable us to view stories that display courage, integrity and hope. Whatever you might feel about precious, her life, or her ability to pull herself out of the hell from which she came, you cannot watch this movie without wondering how, and why, we as a society havent done more to prevent these circumstances from existing in the first place. I just thought this is someone who is willing to take a risk, sapphire said, and at the same time, is a real artist. Based on the novel push by sapphire isnt an easy sundayafternoon watch by any stretch of the imagination, but theres a devastatingly heartbreaking story about the hardship of inner city life and illiteracy within young poor american society. Great film with all too real life topics handled in a head on. Based on the novel push by sapphire had racked up plaudits for its groundbreaking depiction of the inner life of a black, overweight, ghettodwelling. Shlomi eldars documentary precious life examines a theme that also illuminated several dramatic features shown at this years telluride film festival. The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician ray charles, from his humble beginnings in the south, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s. He was introduced in the 1937 fantasy novel the hobbit, and became an important character in its sequel, the lord of the rings.