#roz batiste

[misandriste]

Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste in EVE’S BAYOU (1997) dir. Kasi Lemmons

[maggiecheungs]

Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste in EVE'S BAYOU (1998) dir. Kasi Lemmons

[vivian-bell]

Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste in Eve’s Bayou (1997)

[elizabethramos]

Eve's Bayou Thoughts

Eve’s Bayou was a movie that kept me interested from beginning to end. At the beginning of the movie, the music, the dancing, the laughter, and the dresses are an indicator of a happy black community. All the women were dressed elegantly, with beautiful figures and shiny faces coming off as wealthier families. Their dancing was an expression of the freedom and happiness that they all carried with them. The movie was not centered around racism, discrimination, or financial struggles. The family seemed to be wealthy especially since the father, Louis Batiste, was a doctor. I thought it was centered around a dysfunctional family and the uncontrollable desires of a man. I noticed that Eve was often ignored by her mom and her father. There was one moment in the movie when her brother Poe went running toward his mom and she greeted him with such joy and warmth while Eve stood there watching in jealousy. Another instance, was when her father began dancing with Cisely instead of her. Her face expressed her disappointment such that Mozelle’s partner asked her if she wanted to dance. I found this strange throughout the movie, that Eve was constantly overlooked and almost manipulated. Firstly, when she caught her dad and Matty Mereaux being intimate, she was convinced by her father and her sister that that was not the case when it was. Her father also did not appear to show any embarrassment or guilt after the incident considering that Eve was very young and innocent at the time. Also, when Louis Batiste was dancing vulgarly with Matty Mereaux, Roz Batiste stood watching with a smile as if her husband was not doing anything wrong. It was almost as if she refused to recognize that her husband was disrespecting her and acting unacceptably, especially in front of their children. I also suspected that the husband was acting inappropriately with his oldest daughter and favored her in some way. When the incident of the kiss happened and Cisely was depressed, I thought he had committed rape because of how the character had acted from the beginning of the movie. However, I believe the father did contribute to that event happening or even making his daughter think that the kiss was necessary to fix things around the house. Regardless of who initiated the kiss, I believe the father was at fault for everything that led to that moment. At the beginning of the movie, Roz confesses to Mozelle that she is unhappy with her husband and realizes that he isn’t “the one” but has turned out to be the definition of a man. In the end, I don’t believe that Louis Batiste cared about his children as he made them believe and wasn’t embarrassed or regretful of his infidelity. 

[blackfilmshowdown]

New Film Submissions

Def by Temptation (1990) dir. James Bond the Third Joel (James Bond III), a quiet divinity student from North Carolina, starts to question his faith. So he heads to New York to visit his friend K (Kadeem Hardison), a struggling actor, who takes him out bar-hopping. They meet a gorgeous seductress (Cynthia Bond) who turns out to be a succubus, a demon spirit luring black lotharios to their deaths. When she sets her eyes on Joel, K turns to the help of Dougie (Bill Nunn), a drunken cop who specializes in supernatural investigations.

Bones (2001) dir. Ernest Dickerson Jimmy Bones (Snoop "Doggy" Dogg) is a legendary protector and patron of his thriving neighborhood. Cool, handsome, and respected - Bones is the benevolent caretaker of his people until he is betrayed by those closest to him. Flash forward 20 years. Crime and drugs have crumbled the neighborhood and Jimmy Bones has become a charismatic emblem of better times. But his spirit is about to make a comeback.

The Blackening (2023) dir. Tim Story Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. They must pit their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies against the murderer to stay alive.

Ganja & Hess (1973) dir. Bill Gunn Germs from the stab of an ancient dagger turn two lovers (Duane Jones and Marlene Clark) into immortal vampires.

Eve's Bayou (1997) dir. Kasi Lemmons Over the course of a long, hot Louisiana summer, a 10-year-old black girl, Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), discovers that her family's affluent existence is merely a facade. The philandering of her suave doctor father, Louis (Samuel L. Jackson), creates a rift, throwing Eve's mother, Roz (Lynn Whitfield), and teenage sister, Cisely (Meagan Good), into emotional turmoil. Eve, though, manages to find some solace with her quirky psychic aunt, Mozelle (Debbi Morgan).

Nanny (2022) dir. Nikyatu Jusu An African woman hopes her new job as a nanny will help bring her young son to the United States. However, when a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and reality, it threatens to destroy everything she's fought for.

His House (2020) dir. Remi Weekes A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface. Black Box (2020) dir. Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour

After losing his wife and memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

[africanamerican112ablog]

Week Five Blog

A recent film I watched and wanted to address in this week’s blog is Eve’s Bayou by Kasi Lemmons, as it had a very interesting plot. The 1997 movie Eve's Bayou, directed by Kasi Lemmons, is frightening and gorgeous on the outside. The movie, which is set in 1962 Louisiana, depicts the tale of 10-year-old Eve Batiste, whose family is ripped apart by adultery, secrets, and the paranormal. With a spooky and surreal visual aesthetic, Lemmons' directing brilliantly integrates complicated themes of family, ethnicity, gender, and spirituality. The film's beautiful and moving visuals, which are inspired by Louisiana's rich cultural past, provide a memorable ambiance and mood. In Eve's Bayou, a family's struggle to accept its own secrets and betrayals is at the center of the narrative. The drama portrays the complex relationships within the Batiste family, whose patriarch Louis is a prosperous physician with a misdirected gaze. The family starts to fall apart when Eve's mother, Roz , learns of Louis' adultery, exposing a web of secrets and falsehoods that threatens to obliterate them all. Eve turns to her Aunt Mozelle a clairvoyant with the ability to see both the future and the past, for guidance as she negotiates this world of adult secrets and wants. In a world that looks engulfed in gloom and misery, Mozelle's magical abilities provide a feeling of promise and hope. Eve's Bayou is notable for how it addresses racial and gender issues without ever coming off as didactic or pompous. The Black characters in the movie are fully developed, flawed people with their own goals, aspirations, and shortcomings. The movie also examines the intersection of gender and power, notably through the lens of Louis, a character whose privilege and entitlement lead him to assume he can have everything he wants, no matter the repercussions. Eve's Bayou has gained cult status in the years following its publication and is recognized by both reviewers and readers for its disturbing storytelling, fascinating characters, and incredible imagery. The directing of Kasi Lemmons is masterful; it brilliantly captures the depth and beauty of Louisiana as well as the dark, sinister mysteries that lie just under the surface. Eve's Bayou is a movie that shouldn't be missed if you enjoy drama, horror, or just excellent filmmaking. In conclusion, there are many different lessons that could be learned from the award-winning film and it continues to resonate with audiences today for a reason.

[samuelbandarizadeh]

Eve's Bayou

The 1977 drama film Eve's Bayou, directed by Kasi Lemmons, is about a young girl named Eve who is growing up and traversing the intricacies of her family's relationships and circumstances. She is part of the Batiste family, which is an affluent black family, with a well-known and respected doctor, Louis, as a father. The central events of the movie are about Eve learning of her father's adultery, and the effects it has on her and the rest of her entire family. The impact of traumatic occurrences is a major theme in Eve's Bayou, especially since it affects a number of the characters. In the film, Eve is coping with the stress of having witnessed her father's adultery and the effects it has on her family. Certainly, the trauma affected the relationship between Eve’s parents, Louis and Roz as well. In short, the film examined how trauma affects people and their relationships, emphasizing the enduring consequences it may have on a person's life. 

Family secrets is another significant theme in the film that has a major impact on the characters also. As seen in the film, family secrets such as Loius’ affairs, caused much strife in the family dynamic and left some long-lasting effects as well. In the film, Eve finds out about her family's past history, and with the effect of her witnessing her father's affair, Eve is felt very lost and emotionally and mentally overburdened. The film additionally demonstrates how family secrets may have long-lasting effects that affect many generations, as Roz and Louis, have a troubled relationship that is a result of their unaddressed emotional issues from the past that they carry on to their children. In truth to end this cycle and attain healing, individuals must confront these truths and traumas and come to grips with them to live a more healthy and peaceful life. Certainly then, honesty and communication are major factors in ensuring healthy relationships exist in family dynamics. Secrest and lies create nothing but problems and emotional difficulties, that could undoubtedly destroy a family. Eve’s memories is also a recurring theme in the film, especially the memories that she has of her father. When trying to understand the world around her, Eve’s memories, specifically those that are not so pleasing or happy, such as her family’s past struggles, play a significant role. The film also examines the manner in which memories may be selective as well. This is best exemplified by the numerous individuals in the film who have diverse recollections of prior occasions in Eve’s family’s history, and how these various memories add to miscommunications and conflicts within the family dynamic.  

[broadwayswift13]

Blog Post #5: Eve’s Bayou: The Importance of Casting Black

This week the class was assigned to watch Eve’s Bayou. It starred Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield, and Debbi Morgan. The film follows little Eve, Jurnee’s character, and her family in a small southern town. The movie features gothic elements such as voodoo and visions to create an atmosphere of gothic horror. Eve’s Bayou was an excellent palette cleanser coming off of a couple of weeks with  heavy-handed themes distinctly tied to race relations such as Wet Pain, Tales From the Hood, and both Candyman’s. That is not to say that Eve’s Bayou is a light film or doesn't have heavy material: it does. However, the plot has very little, if anything, to do with being black. 

Eve’s Bayou is about an affluent family in the south. Louis Batiste, SLJ’s character, is the patriarch of the family and seems to double as the patriarch of the community. He is an esteemed and well liked doctor. In the opening scenes fof the film, we see the family hosting a large gathering, all eyes on them. Louis’s wife, Roz, is the most beautiful woman in the room which both the family and their guests know. Louis and Roz have 3 beautiful children – it seems like they have it all. Everything is not as it seems as we quickly find out. Mr. Batiste is cheating on his wife, which his youngest daughter discovers after witnessing them in the throes of passion. That very same daughter, who the film is named after, also seems to be jealous of her big sister and the attention afforded to her by their father. All of these conflicts are normal. Men of all races cheat everyday, especially those who have the inflated ego Mr. Batiste displays. And children get jealous of their siblings all the time.

The main aspect of the film that is tied to blackness is the aunt’s (Debbi Morgan) dealings with voodoo. Both she, and a woman from the market, practice the craft. We witness the aunt get visions of her lovers and children dying. The audience also sees Morgan’s character seek out advice from the market voodoo woman. That woman reads both Mrs. Batiste and her sister's palm but no brazen magic casting is seen in the film. In fact, had they chosen to make this film with a white cast instead, all they’d have to do is turn Auntie Batiste and the voodoo lady into witches; it wouldn’t change the plot whatsoever. 

The material the film chooses to engage with is void of race. Eve’s Bayou is about: the danger of revenge, keeping secrets in a family, and how fickle one’s memory can be. The film also touches upon the loss of childlike innocence. The thematic elements of this film can be related to by anyone, regardless of racial identity. I believe it is just as important to have films that accomplish this as it is to have films that deal with the injustices done by white people to black people. Nevertheless, black people are more than just our blackness. We are more than the racist acts done to us throughout the ages. We deserve stories that deal with any and everything because we are not a monolith and we can have experiences no different from our white counterparts. I also believe that films that cast black but choose not to heavily deal with race also black people a chance at true escapism, they get to engage in a world where everything isn't about race and for me at least, it is a needed break.

[luciajameau]

Blog Post #5: Thoughts on Eve's Bayou

As far as horror movies go, Eve’s Bayou is certainly a horror of real life rather than fiction. The film displays fears and hardships from different perspectives within the home; growing up too fast at a young age, the responsibilities of being a wife and mother, infidelity, and so forth. This film touches upon very intimate horrors of reality; all that tie in to the collective horror of a broken home.    

Louis Batiste’s infidelity was the root cause for everything that unraveled ahead. Eve catching him and Matty Mereaux was the first of many tough life lessons that she would have to learn at a very young age. It also caused a great amount of tension between Roz –the wife–  and Louis, which resulted in constant fighting in the home, as well as familial tension between the parents and kids. Additionally, Louis' habit of cheating with other women planted the idea in Cisely's mind that she may be able to persuade him to stop leaving his family for other women if she could be more attractive. This ultimately leads to the most controversial part of the film: the kiss between Louis and Cisely. 

When I had initially seen the kissing scene, I was convinced that Louis was the one who initiated it, due to his past sexual tendencies. However, I was shocked to find out that Cisely’s version of the incident was only one side of the story. During our class lecture, the question of whose story was true came up, and as unsettling as it feels to say, I think that Cisely was at fault. 

At the beginning of the film Cisely seemed like an obedient daughter and good sibling, but as the story progressed, she began to challenge authority more –especially her mother– with the exception of her father. It seemed like she was vying more for her fathers attention and well being, regardless of his betrayal to his wife and family. When Cisely came back to the house with her hair cut just like her mothers, I had thought that maybe she wanted to be her mother, or that she was envious of her –which would explain her constantly butting heads with her. It wasn’t until the end of the film, when Eve looked into Cisely’s mind and saw that she leaned in to kiss her father that it all made sense. Cisely, being a young girl entering her teens, took it upon herself to try and resolve the issue of her fathers infidelity by showing him that he didn’t have to look outside of the family to find the sexual appeal of a woman. 

Although Cisely may have initiated the kiss, it was ultimately the fathers wrongdoings that led her to do so. Further, it was his dishonesty, secrecy, and unfaithfulness that ruined his own family.  

[misandriste]

Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste EVE’S BAYOU 1997, dir. Kasi Lemmons

[blackvalyrians]

Let’s eat pomegranates...till our hands turn red and...and all we can think about is getting the juice off.

[shycrazzzycool]

Jurnee Smollett in Lovecraft Country giving me Lynn Whitfield vibes from Eves Bayou.... jus me?

[blackinperiodfilms]

Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson) and Roz Batiste (Lynn Whitfield) in Eve's Bayou (1997).

[recycledmoviecostumes]

This beautiful orange/red sweater has been used at least three times over the years.  It was first seen in 1997 on Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste in Eve's Bayou. Ten years later in 2007 it was worn by Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway in Mad Men. In 2020 it was seen on Jurnee Smollett as Letitia "Leti" Lewis in Lovecraft Country.

Interestingly enough, according to The Costume Designer’s Guild’s Instagram, Jurnee Smollet, who played Lynn Whitfield’s daughter in Eve’s Bayou recognized its reuse when the costumer Dayna Pink selected it for her to wear in Lovecraft Country.

Pink says, “When I pulled the piece I had no idea what it was and we were planning on trying it for inspiration but we fell in love with it. Jurnee was the one who figured out [where it was from] and we were all floored by the amazing coincidence that it had come full circle. It reminds us that we hold pieces of history when we pull these clothes. They have each had a life and a journey and we are keeping their stories alive!”

Costume Credit: Mor, Katie S. Costume Designer’s Guild, Jurnee (though she did not submit it here, she was the one to find it, so she gets credit!)

E-mail Submissions: submissions@recycledmoviecostumes.com

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[whippedcloudsofcream]

Lynn Whitfield as Roz Batiste in Eve’s Bayou (1997)

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

R

Rachel Hall The Rookie | Rachel Marron The Bodyguard | Rae Sloane Star Wars Rebels | Raina Agents of SHIELD | Raina Temple Star Wars The Old Republic | Raina Thorpe Gossip Girl | Ramona Royale AHS Hotel | Ramonda Black Panther | Ramsey Fast & Furious Franchise | Rapunzel Fairy Tales | 

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Robyn Stewart The Best Man | Rochelle Left 4 Dead | Rochelle Zimmerman The Craft | Rocky Blue Shake It Up | Romana Warehouse 13 | Roni Evers Doom Patrol | Ronnie The Players’ Club | Rosalee Underground | Rosaleen Daise The Secret Life of Bees | Rosaline Capulet Still Star Crossed | 

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