In this part-scripted special, Jack Whitehall is on a mission to make it back to the UK in time for Christmas. Stranded in the US, he’s got just four days to get home to reunite with his family. So, with such a tough journey ahead of him, he enlists the help of stars including Michael…
“Wicked: Part 1,” arguably the most highly anticipated movie of the holiday season, has prompted debate over expectations of how audiences should behave during screenings of the musical, which hit theaters this weekend. To sing, or not to sing alongTheater chain AMC has urged viewers to stay quiet during the screening. However, some fans have strong opinions about whether they should be allowed to sing or not. Signs read, “To our guests seeing Wicked, we ask that you allow everyone to enjoy the cinema experience. Please refrain from singing during the show.”
Some online agreed with AMC, saying they want to hear the stars, not audience members. One moviegoer brought a poster to the theater reading, “attention Ozians: However beautiful (or not), no singing please!” Others argued that because the movie is a musical, people should be allowed to sing, especially on opening weekend.
“I say, if you come the first time and you sing through, sing through,” said actress Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the film, in an interview with StayTunedNBC. “But come a second time and let us sing to you.” Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda, added she understands the “tempting” urge to sing along but also respects why people would not. She said if someone throws popcorn, “maybe stop.” There is hope, however, for those with a song in their hearts. AMC will offer a sing-along version in some North American cinemas on Christmas Day, just over a month after the film’s premiere, according to Variety.
(L to R) Sophie Evans, Helen Woolf, Louise Dearman, Lucy St Louis, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Alexia Khadime, Kerry Ellis, Lucie Jones, Rachel Tucker and Alice Fearn attend the European Premiere of “Wicked: Part One” at The Royal Festival Hall on Nov. 18, 2024 in London, England.
Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage
Who is in the star-studded cast?Erivo is a Tony and Grammy-award-winning British actress and singer who rose to fame starring in the Broadway Revival of “The Color Purple.” She also received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in the 2019 biopic “Harriet.”
Grande is a Grammy-award-winning singer, songwriter and actress, who began her career in “13” on Broadway and then appeared in several Nickelodeon shows. She is widely known as a pop music superstar, with hits like “7 Rings” and “Thank U, Next.” Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero, a prince and Elphaba’s love interest. Bailey rose to fame starring in the Netflix series “Bridgerton” and has a musical background in West End productions like “Les Miserables” and “Company.” Elphaba’s sister Nessarose’s love interest, Boq, is played by Ethan Slater, best known as Spongebob in “Spongebob Squarepants” on Broadway.Oscar-winning icon Michelle Yeoh plays Madame Morrible, a Shiz University headmistress. Her most recent triumph came from starring in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” President Biden awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this year. Acclaimed actor Jeff Goldblum plays The Wizard. Two of his most famous blockbusters include “Jurassic Park” and “Independence Day.” He also has critically acclaimed roles in Wes Anderson films and appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dr. Dillamond, the goat-professor at Shiz University, is played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. He is most famous for his role as Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones.””Saturday Night Live” star and comedian Bowen Yang plays Pfannee, one of Glinda’s friends.
Keala Settle, best known for her role in “The Greatest Showman” and as Angelique/Nurse in the West End musical “& Juliette,” plays Miss Coddle. The original character was created for the 2024 film. What is it about (spoiler-free)? And what else to know “Wicked: Part 1” is the first of a two-part film series based on the musical “Wicked,” adapted from the Gregory Maguire book “Wicked.” It’s a take on “The Wizard of Oz.” The 2024 movie follows the Good Witch, Glinda, and the Bad Witch, Elphaba’s, unlikely friendship that blossomed as university roommates. The pair venture to the city of Oz to meet The Wizard. It as a runtime of 2 hours and 44 minutes. Fans should not anticipate a post-credit scene after the movie ends. “Wicked: Part 2” is slated for release on Nov. 21, 2025. What’s “Glicked?”A November Fandango survey found that nearly 65% of moviegoers were interested in seeing a double feature of “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” in theaters. Both films were released the same weekend. The movie-combo has been dubbed “Glicked,” reminiscent of 2023’s “Barbenheimer.”
The producers of the movie Reagan have released a much-requested Bob Dylan cover that was included in the film after months of copyright strikes against fans posting the song while watching the film.In an exclusive reveal to Newsweek, Mark Joseph, producer of Reagan through his company Rawhide Pictures, announced Dylan’s cover of the Cole Porter song “Don’t Fence Me In,” which was included for the end title credits of the biopic is now available on YouTube.Dylan fans have wanted to share the song since the film’s release, recording it and posting it online. Rawhide had struck down fan postings, but have now released the song on YouTube, though they have not made it clear when the song might be available on Spotify.A Rawhide Pictures spokesperson told Newsweek in an email response that the company had struck down apparent bootleg fan versions due to quality concerns, stressing that they “wanted to make a proper recording available.”
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Reagan received largely negative reviews from critics but outperformed box office expectations during its opening weekend. The film, loosely based on Paul Kengor’s 2006 book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, depicts the life of the former president, with Dennis Quaid in the starring role.Audiences responded far more favorably to the movie, handing the movie a 98 percent audience rating based on over 5,000 reviews in comparison to the 18 percent critic rating based on 68 reviews.Nobel laureate Dylan’s cover of “Don’t Fence Me In” was a welcome addition to a star-studded soundtrack that included a cover of the 1930s song “Stormy Weather,” performed by Gene Simmons of KISS, and country music star Clint Black covered John Denver’s “Country Roads,” according to Spin.com.
Dennis Quaid attends the Los Angeles Premiere of “Reagan” at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 20, 2024 in Hollywood, California with INSET: Bob Dylan performs as a surprise guest during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home…
Dennis Quaid attends the Los Angeles Premiere of “Reagan” at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 20, 2024 in Hollywood, California with INSET: Bob Dylan performs as a surprise guest during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center on September 23, 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana.
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Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic // Gary Miller/Getty Images
Quaid said he was “honored” to include Dylan’s song, revealing that the producers had given him “the freedom to do any song he wanted to do, whether an original or a cover, and he chose ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’ That was extra special since it was a song that Gene [Autry] made famous.”Quaid is a third cousin of Gene Autry, famously nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, a multi-talented performer who starred in singing cowboy movies.”Bob is a great lover of the American Songbook and we were delighted with the way he delivered the song,” Quaid said. “He’s a national treasure and was the perfect addition to the film. Gene and Clint were also generous with their time and Tanya has been a friend of many years and I’m thrilled to have her song as well.”The film’s director Sean McNamara said it was a “dream” to have Dylan contribute to the film, saying the song “helps the viewer understand Reagan’s journey in a deeper way and it gives our film an emotional depth that I’m grateful for.”
“Don’t Fence Me In” was written in 1934 with music by Porter and lyrics by Porter and Robert Fletcher, originally written for an unproduced film musical called Adios, Argentina. Porter used Fletcher’s poem for the lyrics and wrote a cowboy song.The song found continued life through a number of covers, such as Roy Rogers’ 1944 version that was used in the Warner Bros. movie Hollywood Canteen. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra both performed their own versions that same year—Crosby’s version releasing before Hollywood Canteen, and Sinatra’s version riding on its popularity.Willie Nelson released a version too on his 1979 album One for the Road (with Leon Russell), and even Clint Eastwood released a version for his album “Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites.”Update, 11/22/24 at 11:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a comment from Rawhide Pictures.Update, 11/22/24 at 11:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to correct the title of a spokesperson.Update, 11/23/24 at 12:00 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with corrections to the company’s name.
Your eyes don’t deceive you. That was Donna Kelce – mom of NFL superstars Jason and Travis Kelce – in Hallmark Channel’s newest holiday movie.
Mama Kelce made her acting debut in Christmas on Call, which aired Nov. 22. Set in Philadelphia, it featured Kelce playing the owner of a cheesesteak shop who dishes out some romantic encouragement along with her delicious sandwiches.
Donna Kelce appears in ‘Christmas On Call’
Donna Kelce as Donna, Sara Canning as Hannah, and Ser’Darius Blain as Wes in ‘Christmas on Call’ | ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Steve Ackerman
In Christmas On Call, Sara Canning plays Hannah, a new-to-Philadelphia ER doctor who is struggling to adjust to life in a new city as the holidays approach. She connects with Wes (Ser’Darius Blain), an EMT who introduces her to all that Philly has to offer – including its famous cheesesteaks.
Wes takes Hannah to his favorite cheesesteak spot, which he’s been visiting since he was a little boy. Working behind the counter is the store’s owner, Donna, played by Kelce.
Donna and Wes give Hannah a crash course in cheesesteak lingo. Later, she delivers something extra to their table.
“It’s on the house,” says Donna, who is wearing retired Eagles center Jason Kelce’s jersey. “Besides, anyone who can make Wes look that happy deserves a treat. Have fun, kids. But not too much fun.”
Mama Kelce will also appear in ‘Holiday Touchdown’
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With two NFL player sons, Kelce can’t be expected to pick sides. So, Hallmark is letting her cheer for both teams this season. She’s also set to appear in Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, which airs on Nov. 30. It’s about Alana (Hunter King), a Kansas City Chiefs superfan who is determined to make sure her family wins the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest.
Derrick (Tyler Hynes), the Chiefs’ director of fan engagement, is charged with evaluating how Alana and her family compare to other finalists in the contest. As he and Alana spend time together, they start to develop a serious connection. Kelce plays another restaurant worker in this movie, this time running the show at a KC barbecue restaurant.
Holiday Touchdown will also feature appearances by Jenna Bush Hager, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, and players Trey Smith, Mecole Hardman Jr., Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and George Karlaftis. But Travis Kelce – who also recently dipped his toe into acting – isn’t on the list of players involved in the movie. Nor is his famous girlfriend Taylor Swift. But will Swift be tuning in to support the woman who might be her future mother-in-law?
“I don’t know,” Kelce said during a recent appearance on Today. “That’s a good question.”
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story airs Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. Christmas on Call is streaming on Peacock through Nov. 25.
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Cher brands late Hollywood director a ‘pig’ after their hit 1985 film | Metro News Metro Shorts This post was originally published on here
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Universal Pictures
By Bill BriaUpdated: Nov. 22, 2024 7:09 pm EST
The concept of a prequel is a well-worn one in literature. Not only did authors like J.R.R. Tolkien further flesh out their characters and worlds in books set before previously published adventures, but L. Frank Baum, author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” wrote “Ozma of Oz,” the first prequel to be set in that particular universe. In cinema, however, the concept took a while to catch on, and it wasn’t really until “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” that the cinematic prequel became popular. To say that the process had some bumps in the road would be an understatement; “The Phantom Menace” and its two sequels were loudly reviled upon their initial release, with everything from their characters to their dialogue to their visual aesthetic taken to task for not looking or feeling enough like the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Despite George Lucas’ claims that the films were intended to be watched in episode order, it’s more apparent in hindsight that Lucas wasn’t merely making a straight prequel trilogy, but a revisionist one. It’s for this reason in part that the Prequels have undergone a recent wave of reappraisal.
Jon M. Chu’s film version of “Wicked,” an adaptation of the stage musical that itself adapted Gregory Maguire’s novel, didn’t necessarily need to connect itself to the 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Yet the fact that it does so makes it a prequel. Its revisionism, of course, is essential, as it’s the text of both the novel and the musical, which tells the tale of how a wave of falsehoods, scapegoating, and propaganda allows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) to become known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Therefore, “Wicked” the film ends up feeling remarkably like the movie musical version of the “Star Wars” prequels.
‘Wicked’ and the Prequels share a gaudy visual aesthetic
Lucasfilm
If you’re a movie fan and you’ve been on social media in the last few months, you’ve undoubtedly caught wind of the poor reputation “Wicked” has already garnered for its choices regarding CGI, set design, and most particularly its cinematography and color grading. Of course, a good portion of this bad rep can be chalked up to the way video is encoded on social media apps, as well as playback settings on everyone’s various devices. Still, there’s no doubt that the finished film looks A Certain Way. Setting aside larger discussions of changing mores in big-budget Hollywood filmmaking regarding cinematography, lens choices, and lighting design, how one feels about how “Wicked” looks is, of course, up to them.
What’s worth pointing out when comparing “Wicked” to “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith” is that, in the case of all four films, their gaudy, slick, almost off-puttingly garish aesthetic is the choice of their respective directors. For Lucas and “Star Wars,” the visual approach was undertaken for reasons involving the director’s interest in using the films to push the envelope of emerging technology (“Revenge of the Sith” was one of the first major Hollywood releases to be offered in digital projection, a format that’s now industry standard). For Chu and “Wicked,” the choice seems to be about emulating the look of Victor Fleming’s “Wizard of Oz” while using modern techniques, in addition to keeping the film looking like Oz is “a real place,” according to Chu. That approach, making a fantasy world realistic, is something on par with other fantasy movies made in the last several years.
For both “Wicked” and the Prequels, I’d argue there’s a secret third reason for this, however. Both films involve stories about faraway, magic-filled lands that are slowly but surely corrupted by the people in control of them. They’re essentially dark fairy tales, with their cheerful, colorful exterior masking the rot that emerges from within. What better way to demonstrate such contrast than making it as explicit as each film’s garish palette?
Elphaba and Glinda mirror Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship
Lucasfilm
At their core, the “Star Wars” prequels and “Wicked” share the same creative jumping-off point: taking two of the most iconic screen villains in movie history and making them the protagonists. Interestingly, though, while the Prequels chronicle the events and causes for what turned Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd in “Phantom,” and Hayden Christensen in the latter two films) into Darth Vader, “Wicked” details the circumstances of how Elphaba came to be essentially framed as, not necessarily transformed into, the Wicked Witch. Despite that distinction, both of what makes these characters’ arcs turn involves their relationships with their closest friends: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Glinda aka Galinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), respectively. Specifically, both couples experience a path that takes them from rivals, to friends, to enemies.
Both Anakin and Obi-Wan and Elphaba and Galinda enjoy an extended period of rivalry at the onset of their relationships. Obi-Wan is essentially replaced as Padawan by his Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) choosing to train Anakin when they find him as a young boy, and after Obi-Wan agrees to honor Qui-Gon’s wishes to train Anakin himself when he dies, the two men have a contentious rivalry that is only stopped from becoming bitter thanks to the underlying respect they have for each other. In Elphaba’s case, she is handpicked by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) for sorcery training over Galinda, drawing the girl’s ire, which makes her a target for Galinda’s mean girl-like clique during their time at Shiz University. Worse, the two are forced into being roommates, the setup bringing with it all those attendant petty living situation grievances as well.
Yet the rivals eventually turn into friends: Obi-Wan and Anakin become heroes of the Clone Wars, while Elphaba insists that Galinda be involved in magic training, which inspires Galinda to treat Elphaba better. If, in effect, these friendships become something close to a sibling or soulmate relationship, each is corrupted thanks to the machinations of a malevolent father figure: Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), respectively. Their corrupt grasp for power and the manipulation they employ draw a wedge between the friends, leaving each member of both couples going down a path that the other cannot follow.
‘Wicked’ does for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ what the Prequels do for the Original Trilogy
Universal Pictures
“The Wizard of Oz” is a pretty uncomplicated film, at least in terms of its morality. The Wicked Witch is evil, Dorothy and her friends are good, good conquers evil, and so on. The same goes for “Star Wars,” as Darth Vader and the Empire are using the Death Star to blow up innocent planets and such, Luke and his friends are good, they blow up the Death Star, The end. While the two sequels to “Star Wars” added their own shadings of complexity to the proceedings (namely the blood relation of Luke and Leia to Vader), the notion of the Rebel Alliance and the Jedi being righteous and the Empire being evil stayed intact.
The Prequels and “Wicked” both seek to reexamine such assumptions with their stories and just as they elevate the villains of the originals to protagonists, they flip the morality that was initially assumed. Sure, the main villains of the Prequels are still ostensibly the villains seen in the Original Trilogy, yet they go to great pains to point out just how easily a supposed progressive government can be manipulated and taken over from within. Not to mention the fact that the Jedi, whose rigorous dogma and code are a point of pride and tradition, only serves to contribute to their naiveté, pushing Anakin further toward Palpatine while blinding them to his plans.
In “Wicked,” the assumed goodness of the Wizard and his edicts is what’s allowing the realm’s society to hold together. Apparently, things are fragile enough that the Wizard believes if the land’s animal population aren’t made into scapegoats, everything could fall into chaos. As he and Morrible attempt to turn Elphaba into essentially a tool of the state, their plan backfires, and they pivot by making Elphaba into a Wicked Witch figure that they can hang their propaganda and fear onto.
The function of the Prequel Trilogy and “Wicked,” then, is to make audiences take another more sober, more mature look at their myths and fairy tales. They’re big, splashy, gaudy, often goofy films that carry with them an underpinning of critique and new context. As Glinda mentions at the beginning of “Wicked,” people have to be told the whole, true story before any judgment can be rendered. “Revenge of the Sith” ended with a thrilling yet heartbreaking lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan; might we be in for a Glinda/Elphaba magic duel in “Wicked: Part Two?” I’ll have “Battle of the Heroes” cued up just in case.
“Wicked” is now playing in theaters everywhere.
Cambridge is about to get its second movie theatre, but it’s a little smaller than you’d think. Little Prince Cine-Lounge is close to completion at its Cambridge location at the Gaslight District in downtown Galt.With its original, Stratford location named the smallest movie theatre in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records, the man behind the tiny theatre is hoping the second location has a big impact on local moviegoers. “I love movies and we used to host some film competitions for local filmmakers, amateur filmmakers; it was just open to whatever and was just a fun thing,” says Leigh Cooney, founder of the Little Prince. Originally from Kitchener, Cooney spent a lot of time at the Princess Cinema. When he was tasked with coming up with a name for his own theatre, he decided on the name Little Prince as a nod to the Waterloo movie house.Cooney opened up his first location in the back of his Stratford gift shop just before the pandemic hit and says he originally envisioned having a few chairs, a projector and some friends watching movies, but the demand soon started to grow.After building tiered seating, he earned a visit from the City of Stratford building department and was promptly shut down. “Apparently you can’t just build a movie theatre in your shop,” Cooney laughs. Having to deal with building departments in Stratford is something that Little Prince has taken head-on with their upcoming Cambridge location as they are working closely with the city and the Gaslight District to make sure everything is up to code.This has also pushed their opening date a bit further ahead than they would like, but Conney adds that doing things right the first time is the way to go.Being the second smallest movie theatre in the world also had its challenges as Cooney adds the city’s planning department doesn’t have any guidelines for micro-cinemas. “It was a learning process for all of us and things do keep on changing. They have building codes for movie theatres, but that is for a capacity of like 500, this is for 13, so we can’t always go by what is already there,” he says. The theatre sits on the second story of the Gaslight District, directly above the Foundry Tavern. Scott Higgins, president of HIP Developments and the Gaslight team sought out Cooney and his unique entertainment space as a perfect candidate for one of the small available studio spaces. After accepting the space, Cooney had to then start designing the theatre, taking a lot of inspiration from his Stratford location. “We really wanted to make this 13 seats, because the Stratford one has 12 and I really don’t want to be in competition with myself for the smallest theatre,” he says. “Everything you see in her we have hand built and done everything ourselves.” One of the most important things for the Little Prince business model is low cost and low overhead. Everything from the concession bar-like stand to the walls, flooring and seats were all built by Cooney and his family. “My parents will come in and help and so does my brother, but besides that, it is just me and some tools,” he adds. With only a 12 or 13-seat capacity, The Little Prince can be rented out for private screenings or birthday parties. While Little Prince can’t show films that are still in mainstream movie theatres, their licensing deal allows them to play over 30,000 movies as recent as three months old. “We sometimes will show the Oscar-nominated movies and by the time of the award show they aren’t new movies anymore, but for a lot of people this will be the first time they’ve heard of them, so it’s a pretty cool experience,” Cooney says. Opening in Stratford during the pandemic, Cooney noticed there was a demand for a unique and intimate viewing experience; something he is excited to bring to Cambridge. “Watching a movie I made, putting all this work into it and trying to watch it on a tiny little screen, or at best, watching it on my TV at home; that doesn’t feel the same as sitting in a theatre,” he says of amateur filmmakers. “It makes it feel like a movie; that makes it feel like an experience. That’s what we’re in the industry of, experience.”To make movie-goers feel even more immersed, the theatre will offer bottomless popcorn, retro candy, snacks and soft drinks. With the majority of the permits secured and only few minor details still in process, Cooney says he’s hoping Little Prince will be open for a soft launch just before Christmas. If everything goes well, Little Prince could also get a second location at the Gaslight, but in a different theme. Cooney has his eyes set on a 1980s neon if it works out. “My goal is to make the customer happy and enjoy their experience,” Cooney says. “I always want to make sure people leave here happy and want to return and I can’t wait to get this place open.”
The fact that Netflix’s The Piano Lesson is the work of a debutant director is evident in every frame of the film, in a wonderful way that is. Malcolm Washington’s gone all out with the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s wildly beloved play of the same name. Every emotion comes through in this strange genre blend that referees a fight between two almost-estranged siblings–a contest of their personal interpretations of what a grand piano, a significant family heirloom, actually stands for.
Spoiler Alert
What happens in the film?
A death’s brought the fire back in Boy Willie. The death of Sutter. A post-Depression Pittsburgh is where he’s headed with his buddy Tyson and his truck full of watermelons. He’s going to his uncle Doaker’s place, a place which has been home to his sister Berniece and her daughter Maretha ever since her husband Crawley passed. But that’s not all there is in Doaker’s humble home. There’s also that piano that’s been attached to their family ever since slavery was legal, which isn’t that long ago for a 1936 America. There’s a lot of love between Boy Willie and Berniece, but it’s the kind of love that’s rusted from distance, lack of communication, and misunderstandings. But the most significant thing that’s standing between them now is the piano. Boy Willie’s itching to sell it and stop waiting for the universe to open a door for it. With the money he’d get from selling it, he could buy the recently deceased Sutter’s land and start growing his own legacy. But Berniece is dead set against letting that piano go. While Doaker’s mostly a silent observer, sporadically chiming in to assuage a heated moment, he actually understands both the siblings’ arguments. Even his brother, Wining Boy, freshly back in time to mourn his estranged wife, is sensitive to Boy Willie’s ambition and Berniece’s attachment to the piano. The tension is only exacerbated when Sutter’s ghost shows himself to Berniece and Maretha, which makes Berniece paranoid thinking his brother killed Sutter.
How did the piano come into the Charles family?
The story of the piano’s origin and current circumstances are told to Boy Willie when Doaker wants him to understand why Berniece will never sell it. The piano’s been a memoir of their family’s experience with slavery and subsequently, their freedom from that evil. When Doaker’s grandparents and father were owned by Grandfather Sutter, the piano was an anniversary present Sutter wanted to get from Nolander. Sutter’s slaves were the only commodity he could pay with, so he broke the Charles family up and sent Doaker’s grandmother Berniece, and his father Boy Walter away with Nolander. Their departure affected his wife more than Sutter had expected. And to liven her up again, Doaker’s grandfather had to carve the likeness of his wife and son, two people he missed very much, on that piano. It must’ve been excruciating for him to decorate the piano that cost him his family, and as an expression of his rage, he etched his entire family history on it. Doaker’s brother, Boy Charles, who was father to Boy Willie and Berniece, couldn’t stand the fact that the Sutters still held on to the piano that would live as a reminder of the fact that the Charles family was slaves to the Sutters. So he stole the piano when the Sutters were busy at a 4th of July picnic, something we saw play out at the start of the film. He paid too great a price for that when his house was set on fire by a mob enraged over the stolen piano. Even though he tried to make a run for it and hopped on the Yellow Dog train, the mob caught up to him and gave him and the poor hobos in the boxcar the same fate as his house. What validates and also sort of underscores the presence of Sutter’s ghost in The Piano Lesson is that there’s another ghost lore surrounding Boy Charles and the hobos. When the Sutters kept mysteriously falling into their well and dying, people believed it was the work of the Ghosts of Yellow Dog. They came back to avenge all the pain the Sutters had put them through.
Why Didn’t Boy Willie sell the piano?
Boy Willie’s reason behind wanting to sell the piano is less a motive and more who he is as a person. He’s been eyeing Sutter’s land for a long time. If he gets to buy it, it’ll be his act of reclaiming his family’s honor and his agency as a self-made man. He’s desperate for an opportunity to make something of himself, to build a life and an identity that he can be proud of. It’s not that he isn’t hardworking. He’s hauled those watermelons all the way from Mississippi so he can sell them and earn a third of the money he needs to buy the land. While the other third is his own savings, he needs more, and the piano’s the only thing of material worth that his family’s left him and his sister. A little Boy Willie watched his father lose his life over that piano. But instead of hating or loving it, he sees the musical instrument as an opportunity. His emotional tie to the piano is his father, but there’s another thing his father taught him to love. His father showed him around the fertile land owned by the Sutters and made him touch the magical soil that birthed hope. Boy Willie’s been set on the idea of farming on his own land ever since. Being on the fields is probably the most endearing memory he has with his father. The soil is where he feels the kind of connection with him that transcends death. So, to Boy Willie, selling the piano and buying that land means fulfilling the potential that his father had seen in him. He wants to honor his ancestors by breaking out of the expectations the world has from a poor Black man in the 30s. He wanted respect for himself.
Why Does Berniece Want To Keep The Piano?
There’s been too many tectonic shifts in Berniece’s life. Even the last one was as recent as three years ago, when her husband died. But as everything changed around her, the piano was the only constant. At this point, the piano’s practically family to Berniece. She doesn’t understand it too well at times, but her attachment to it is unconditional. What Boy Willie sees as the token of his father’s fighter spirit, Berniece sees as the haunting reminder of the wayward rage that killed her father. It was Berniece who had to pick up the pieces when Boy Charles left his wife a shattered mess. Berniece and Boy Willie’s mother Mama Ola lived the rest of her life polishing that piano with her blood and tears. At that age, Berniece didn’t understand grief too well. But when Mama Ola passed, grief was all Berniece could associate with that family heirloom. She hit a blockage every time she tried to process that feeling. And then it was piled on by the death of her husband–another loss Berniece couldn’t process. She’d seen rage take her father from her. And then it was Crawley who fell victim to the kind of life that was inflicted on them. When the fight about the fate of the piano aggravates all the wounds she’s been silently enduring, Berniece blames Boy Willie for her husband’s death.
Boy Willie had no hand in Crawley’s unfortunate fate. He tested his luck too much when he pulled his gun on the folks who were after them for the wood they were pilfering. That’s what doomed Crawley. What Berniece feels toward her brother is this complicated feeling of abandonment. She doesn’t want to admit that she’s missed him. She doesn’t want to admit that part of her resents him for surviving the shootout that killed Crawley. Berniece has been reluctantly seeing Pastor Avery. The more he’s been pushing her for her hand in marriage, the more she grows averse to the idea of it. In a way, Avery wants to dictate the terms of her grief over her husband’s death. She’s made to feel that by being alone, she’s choosing to deny her feminine purpose. When Avery pushes her to let go of the pain that’s been holding her back, the look on Berniece’s face communicates that she’s not ready. The last time she played that piano was for her mother. Since then, she’s not touched a key. She’s terrified that it’ll summon the ghosts of her past. But it’s her grief. And Berniece is the kind of woman who doesn’t want to rush herself when she’s pressured by the world. She’s waiting to understand the meaning behind the tunes of that piano when it sings of everyone who came before her.
Why Does Boy Willie Agree To Let Berniece Keep The Piano?
The Piano Lesson’s emotional crescendo needed a spiritual ground. And that’s what Avery provided when he made his mind up about blessing the house. His decision might’ve had something to do with his intention to unburden Berniece so she could be with him fully. But Berniece doesn’t care about all that. All she wants is for Sutter’s spirit to leave her house. The fear of a ghost haunting her home aside, seeing Sutter was the reminder of what her family has gone through when his family exploited them. She’s scared for her little girl. So if it takes giving a rookie reverend a chance to prove his faith, Berniece is willing to give Avery that chance. In a way, she also needed her faith reaffirmed. So when she’s handed that candle as Avery chants his prayers, she holds on to it with the last bit of her hope.
Boy Willie didn’t show up to deal with all that. He showed up to take the piano. He was so determined to get what he came for that even Berniece getting a gun to scare him away had no effect on him. Boy Willie didn’t believe in ghosts. He thought it was all in Berniece’s mind. Earlier in The Piano Lesson, when Boy Willie tried to move the piano and it felt like the house itself was protesting that action, he didn’t think too much of it. But now, as the house practically growls, Boy Willie knows that he doesn’t quite grasp the situation as well as he thought he did. But being attacked by Sutter’s ghost doesn’t terrify him. If anything, that awakens the rage that has been eating away at him. It’s more likely that Boy Willie’s telling the truth when he claims that he didn’t kill Sutter. When Doaker spoke to Wining Boy about it, he mentioned that he’d seen Sutter’s ghost sitting at that piano days before Berniece saw him. Sutter’s ghost arrived at their house before Boy Willie did. He’s here for the piano. And because Boy Willie wants to sell it, it makes sense that Sutter’s ghost is furious at him.
During The Piano Lesson’s ending, Avery’s unseasoned faith loses its battle against the grim energy that’s taken over the house. All Berniece can think of at that moment is her brother, who’s being strangled by Sutter’s ghost. At this moment, she realizes that she can’t win this fight alone. She needs the strength of her ancestors. So by playing the piano and summoning the spirits of her ancestors, what Berniece is essentially acknowledging is that the piano isn’t just a memento of their pain, it’s also a vessel of their strength. She’s been hiding from her history because there’s just too much pain there. But by hiding, she’s only been keeping herself from absorbing all the love that was etched on the piano by her father.
In The Piano Lesson’s ending, the combined strength of the Charles family is what expels Sutter’s spirit. This terrifying process is what it took for Berniece to overcome her fear of looking back. Until now, she associated playing the piano with pain and loss. But now that she’s been shown that the piano also represents the strength of their history, she’s free to feel joy when she plays it with her daughter. Unlike her, Maretha will grow up with happy memories of the family heirloom. How could Boy Willie take that away from the two people he loved the most? All he really wanted was for his family to do better. What he envisioned for the Charles’ was a life that grieved the suffering and was open to happier things. Berniece’s personal and spiritual growth promised just that. And in a way, it may have also freed Boy Willie from the drive to run away from his truth.
Related
In retrospect, you do have to feel a bit sorry for the Sega Saturn, despite Sega shooting themselves in the foot during its lifespan. While the Saturn’s 1994 launch in Japan was deemed a success, the North American launch the following year was hampered by inexplicable decisions that ultimately culminated in the Saturn’s early demise in the region. It’s a shame, as there were some quality titles that could go up against what was going on for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 at the time, even if some of them were Japan exclusive. That also included a number of horror titles, some of which are bona fide classics. So, on the 30th anniversary of the Saturn’s launch, here’s a selection of those titles. Obviously, some are ports from other systems, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeking them out if you’re a collector for the Saturn (if you can afford it).
Resident Evil
While it’d be easy to say that it’s just Resident Evil, there are a few key differences between what PlayStation owners had in 1996, and what the Saturn received a year later. For starters, the port was handled by a third-party developer, Nextech, and thanks to the Saturn’s architecture, Nextech to rework the graphics. While this resulted in better colour and a bit more detail in the textures, the loading times during the door opening screens were increased. Not only that, but the transparent textures were swapped for dithered textures (a recurring issue with Saturn games), which didn’t look as good as the PlayStation version.
However, Resident Evil on the Saturn got a few exclusive goodies. The precursor to The Mercenaries Mode that we all know and love started as a “Battle Game” minigame, which has you taking on swarms of enemies as you move through rooms in the mansion. There are new costumes, as well as new enemies, including a new gold Tyrant, a zombie version of Wesker, and a replacement to the Hunter in the Tick.
Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight
A port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation, this was sadly a Japan exclusive. It also unfortunately wasn’t as good as the original. Much like what happened with Resident Evil, transparencies were again changed to dithered textures, and load times were increased, and there’s more slowdown. Since the Saturn doesn’t have a select button, you have to go to the status menu to access the game map. Due to the Saturn’s different resolution when compared to the PlayStation, the graphics were stretched, resulting in obvious distortion.
As for exclusives, two new areas in the castle were added with The Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden, each with new music that remixed “Bloody Tears,” “Beginning,” and “Vampire Killer.” Also, much like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, the Saturn version of Symphony allowed you to play as Maria. Her arsenal consists of kicks, but can also unleash magic attacks like in Rondo, as well as use magic summon spells akin to Alucard’s magic. Lastly, Richter has been redrawn from his original Rondo appearance to match the artwork by Ayami Kojima.
Deep Fear
Taking place deep under the Pacific Ocean at the aquatic lab known as Big Table, players assume the role of John Mayor, a Navy Seal stationed at the lab for security purposes. An incident involving a nuclear submarine results in an alien virus being unleashed, causing the inhabitants of the lab to mutate into horrific creatures. John must now fight for survival to escape.
Sega tried their hand at Survival Horror, and the results were pretty good with Deep Fear. Released in 1998 to capitalize on a certain other Survival Horror title’s success, Deep Fear shares similarities with Capcom’s baby, including the downright awful voice acting. Despite this, Deep Fear leans more towards the action side of Survival Horror, and doesn’t use all of the typical tricks that Capcom employed. The cinematic camera angles and the environment of the Big Table, for example, lack variety, resulting in things looking pretty same-y as you play. The music also doesn’t quite have the same dramatic effect as in Resident Evil.
Nonetheless, Deep Fear shines in the graphics, with character models getting far more attention than its inspiration. Also, seeing as you’re underwater, the air supply mechanic is used quite well to get the tension going. Daniel went into detail on Deep Fear in his article a few years ago, so check that out if you’re keen to learn more.
Corpse Killer: Graveyard Edition
Much like Digital Pictures’ other FMV title Night Trap, Corpse Killer is dumb cheese that you can switch your brain off to enjoy, even if the gameplay is still suspect. Still, it’s a bit puzzling for Sega to bring this one to its new console. The story for this one has you playing as an unnamed marine who’s been airdropped onto a tropical island on a top secret mission to stop the evil Dr. Hellman, who plans on releasing his army of zombies on the world. On top of that, you’ve been bitten and need to find a cure while also rescuing your fellow captured marines.
Being that this is the Saturn, Sega upgraded this version of Corpse Killer to the “Graveyard Edition”, which features a few exclusives such as full-screen FMVs as opposed to the compressed FMVs in the other versions, difficulty selection, new items and power-ups, and new zombie attacks where enemies pop up in front of you and attack. Oddly, the Saturn version lacks light gun support, though this is most likely due to the programmers being unable to put in a function to select from the new multiple ammo types.
Crypt Killer
Already an unremarkable game in the arcade in terms of its graphics, story and gameplay, Konami ported their lightgun shooter Crypt Killer to the Saturn, with the expected results. Granted, the Saturn does have faster load times when compared to the PlayStation port, but the graphics are somehow worse on the Saturn. Textures are a pixelated mess on the 3D assets, while the 2D sprites for the enemies are made all the more horrendous when they decide to pop up right in front of you as a jump scare.
It’s all on top the fact that this is still the boring, uninspired game that was in the arcades. Furthermore, unless you’re a hardcore lightgun fans, when you have the likes of Sega’s own The House of the Dead on the Saturn, it really begs the question of why you would want to bother with this one.
Digital Pinball: Necronomicon
When you think of horror pinball games, chances are you immediately go to Devil’s Crush or Alien Crush on the TurboGrafx-16. Meanwhile in Japan, developer Kaze had Digital Pinball: Necronomicon, a pinball game inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Surprisingly, Necronomicon does have a story, where a monk has discovered the text of the eponymous Necronomicon, and is slowly being driven mad as he reads the book, with his visions being the pinball tables you play. Of course, you can forego the story and play the tables individually.
Featuring some excellent ball physics with silky smooth 60 fps gameplay and crisp graphics, the entire experience is complemented by an awesome soundtrack by John Petrucci of Dream Theater. Best of all, for those looking to import the game (seeing as it was only released in Japan), everything from the menus to the options to spoken dialogue is all in English.
Enemy Zero
The second entry in Kenji Eno’s “D Trilogy” (the first game is also on the Saturn), Enemy Zero follows Laura Lewis, who awakens from cryosleep aboard the biological research spaceship AKI on its return to Earth. It seems that aliens that are invisible to human eyes have boarded the ship and are killing off the crew. Laura must now navigate the ship and stop the alien menace.
Apart from blatantly ripping of the plot to Alien and Eno’s animosity towards Sony, Enemy Zero‘s other noteworthy aspect was its gameplay. While navigation is similar to what players were doing in D, Enemy Zero utilized the unique mechanic of sound when it came to its invisible enemies. Getting their location and distance from the player is only possible by listening for audio cues. Coupled with the delayed time to charge your weapon, the fear generated here is obvious. It’s definitely not for everyone, since this mechanic can just as easily give way to frustration very quickly, but it’s this uniqueness that also makes Enemy Zero one to try at least once.
The House of the Dead
You knew this was coming. The story for The House of the Dead (much like the game itself) is over-the-top hilarity: Dr. Roy Curien, obsessed with discovering the secrets of life and death, unleashes his army of the undead on an unsuspecting populace. It’s up to AMS agents Thomas Rogan and his partner “G” to stop the scientist.
The Saturn is known for its excellent arcade ports of fighting games, but The House of the Dead still landed fairly well. The game wasn’t a perfect port from the arcade, with the graphics and sound taking a hit, and the slowdown and mid-level load times being an annoyance (particularly with the latter if there were enemies right around the corner). It’s still a lot of fun in spite of those niggles. And once again, Sega tried to offset those issues with console-exclusive extras. The Saturn Mode allows players to choose from different characters, each with their own stats like clip size, reload speed and life bar. There’s also a boss rush mode where you fight the game’s bosses in succession.
Dark Seed
Dark Seed tells the story of Mike Dawson, an author who has just bought a spacious mansion in Woodland Hills. On the first night in the house, Mike has a nightmare where a machine shoots an alien embryo into his forehead. Upon waking up, Mike discovers that within the mansion are portals to what’s called the Dark World. The Dark World is being taken over by aliens calling themselves the Ancients. The Ancients are now looking to get into our world, and Mike (with the embryo in his head) is the key. As a result, Mike must now find a way to stop the Ancients.
Another title we’ve talked about before several times, this was oddly given a Saturn port that was exclusive to Japan. Even weirder was the fact that despite the upgrade in every department when compared to its original PC version, the Saturn port doesn’t improve the visuals at all. This meant that the 16-colour VGA palette used on the PC version has Dark Seed looking extremely out of place when compared to what was also available on the Saturn at the time. The text was also translated to Japanese, but the voice acting is still in English.
Lunacy
Another FMV game, Lunacy was developed by System Sacom, who also made Mansion of Hidden Souls on the Sega CD. The game centres around a man named Fred, who finds himself imprisoned in Misty Town jail, with no recollection of who he is, or just how wound up in jail. The player soon learns that Fred came to the village in search of answers. Once Fred is released, he learns that the town ruler, Lord Gordon, has taken quite an interest in Fred, due to the strange mark on Fred’s forehead. The mark, it turns out, is only given to those who have been to the fabled City of Moons, of which Lord Gordon is quite obsessed with finding.
Being that this is an FMV game, the entire playthrough of Lunacy is filled with characters that you’ll be interacting with to tease out information on your journey, as well as adding colour to the game. System Sacom wisely added a time-saving mechanic for players, allow you to replay important conversations from Fred’s memory so that you can “recall” specific pieces of information. Another time-saver is the fact that walking sequences are pretty quick, avoiding the dreaded molasses movement of some FMV games. The whole atmosphere of Lunacy has an eerie feeling to it, with the game taking place in perpetual night, and the surreal music only accentuating that feeling. Not an outright scary title, but a definitely creepy one.
Mr. Bones
It’s hard to classify what type of game you’re getting with Mr. Bones. From the mind of Ed Annunziata, creator of the Ecco the Dolphin series, Mr. Bones combines platforming mechanics, along with rhythm game mechanics and other minigames. Mr. Bones tells the tale of the mad scientist DaGoulian, who sets out to purify the world with evil by using alchemy and a set of drums to summon an army of the dead from their graves as his skeletal soldiers. However, one of these resurrected skeletons is so “pure of heart” that he can’t be turned. DaGoulian quickly becomes aware of Mr. Bones, and sends the skeletal army after him.
While Mr. Bones employs platforming for a good deal of its gameplay, it’s not the only mechanic you’ll encounter. The opening level is a 2D platformer, while the next employs rhythm mechanics as you avoid skeletons trying to grab you. You’ll also have sequences of Mr. Bones jamming on his guitar or drums to turn parts of the skeleton army away from DaGoulian, or you’ll be running down a hill avoiding logs chasing after you. Along with the unique gameplay, Mr. Bones sports beautiful animation, as well as a soundtrack by Ronnie Montrose that mixes blues and hard rock. A definite highlight of the Saturn library.
PowerSlave
PowerSlave (or Exhumed as it’s known in Europe) unfortunately got caught up in the Doom clone craze, and was unfortunately overlooked by many FPS fans. This is especially frustrating, given that the developers, Lobotomy Software, were able to produce some impressive graphical effects and gameplay on the Saturn. PowerSlave centres on the Egyptian city of Karnak, which has been taken over by alien forces in the late 20th century. You along with a team of soldiers are to uncover what happened. However, your helicopter is shot down, and you’re left alone to battle the aliens, who are seeking to resurrect the ancient Egyptian pharaoh King Ramses and use his powers to control the world.
While the main gameplay for PowerSlave is typical FPS action of the day, there are some platforming elements. Also, PowerSlave isn’t linear, as you have several locations to visit across the map, which you’ll be revisiting in order to grab specific artifacts that grant you special abilities, such as being able to jump higher, breathe underwater, and so on. The levels themselves also sported complex layouts when compared to something like Doom or Quake. In fact, the developers made it so that if you were up for a challenge, you could find “Team Dolls”, dolls with faces of the members of the development team on them, scattered throughout the levels. Finding all 23 would unlock a minigame called Death Tank.