Director: Kasi Lemmons
Screenplay: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Jake Smollett, Ethel Ayler, Diahann Carroll, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Roger Guenveur Smith, Lisa Nicole Carson
Country: USA
Running Time: 115 min (director’s cut) 108 min (theatrical cut)
Year: 1997
Kasi Lemons began her film career as an actress, featuring in a number of high-profile titles in the 90s after working largely in TV in the 80s. During this time, she began to write, collating a handful of stories from her childhood that had been swimming around her head for a while. She initially wasn’t sure what to do with them – maybe turn them into a novel or perhaps a screenplay. She eventually decided on the latter and, due partly to the autobiographical nature of the material, wanted it to form her directorial debut.
With no prior experience as a writer or director, it was a tough sell, but one producer believed in Lemmons. They said she needed to do a short first though, to prove she could step behind the camera. So Lemmons made Dr. Hugo. This was strong enough to catch the attention of some major players, including Samuel L. Jackson, who agreed to star in and co-produce the film that would become Eve’s Bayou.
It’s a film that deserves to be better known, particularly after recent incidents and changes in the industry, as it’s written and directed by a black woman with an entirely black and mostly female cast. It wasn’t a huge box office success but took in a respectable $14,842,388, a lot for a film that only opened in 672 theatres (compare it to similarly performing films here: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1997/). It received much critical acclaim too and picked up a handful of awards, even if the Academy ignored it.
Keen to remind us of the importance of the film on its 25th anniversary, the Criterion Collection are releasing it on Blu-ray in the UK and US. I got hold of a screener and my thoughts follow.
Eve’s Bayou follows the trials and tribulations of the affluent Batiste family, who live in rural Louisiana in the 1960s. The titular Eve (Jurnee Smollett) is the 10-year-old middle child of three. Her father Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) is a doctor and beloved pillar of the community but, after a party at their house one night, Eve catches him in the arms of a neighbour, Matty Mereaux (Lisa Nicole Carson).
Not quite understanding what she’d witnessed, she confides in her older sister, Cisely (Meagan Good). Being utterly devoted to her father, Cisely makes excuses for his behaviour, telling Eve not to worry or misconstrue what she saw.
Still confused then, Eve asks for advice from her aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan). This woman, who’s a practising psychic and is dubbed a ‘black widow’ by many due to her three husbands all dying before their time, tries to help the child. However, after further revelations appear to form more cracks in the seemingly perfect family, Eve decides to take matters into her own hands.
Eve’s Bayou weaves a rich and fascinating tapestry. On the surface, it’s a family melodrama and coming-of-age story, as Eve learns some of the dirty truths about adulthood and Cisely becomes a woman. But the film has much more to offer than that.
Lemmons says she wanted to explore “crossed and blurred boundaries”, which expands on the coming-of-age aspects, looking at the barriers between parents and children as well as husbands and wives and family members. Memory is an important theme here too and how it can be blurred and warped, depending on the perspective. The film ends on a wonderfully ambiguous note, linked to this idea. It’s made more potent in the director’s cut (included with this release) by the fact the disabled Uncle Tommy character is the only one that could offer real closure but he’s unable to articulate the truth to anyone.
Also adding an interesting angle is the mystical side of the film. Though the drama is largely anchored by a sense of realism, aided by the fact many aspects of the story come from Lemmons’ own childhood, it’s more of what you might call magical realism. Mozelle’s psychic visions play a big part and Eve seems to have inherited her aunt’s abilities too.
It all makes for an unusual blend but one that’s utterly intoxicating. In the words of Lemmons, it’s an “African-American Southern Gothic Melodrama”. The score, by Terence Blanchard, captures this unique description perfectly. Blanchard and Lemmons clearly had a strong creative connection as they’ve since worked together several times, including on an opera.
Another important collaborator is the DOP, Amy Vincent. She shot Dr. Hugo and clicked with Lemmons, so they worked together again on its follow-up. Her work on Eve’s Bayou is exceptional, making great use of the Louisiana locations to greatly add to the gothic atmosphere.
The cast is also a major factor in the success of the film. Jackson is the biggest star in the credits and he is excellent as the philandering doctor, capturing the necessary charm and gravitas required for the role. It’s the women that steal the show though. Lynn Whitfield and Debbi Morgan are particularly powerful presences. I must admit, I didn’t think much of Jurnee Smollett initially, with a couple of early line readings that felt a little over-performed. However, I don’t know whether or not the film was shot chronologically or if I simply warmed to her style, but she seemed to mature as the film went on and I was impressed by the end. Meagan Good similarly came across as a strong young actress. Both have gone on to have decent careers since.
Overall, Eve’s Bayou is a remarkably mature and polished debut feature from Lemmons. A sumptuous and richly layered drama that explores some thought-provoking universal themes, infused with enticing supernatural elements, it comes highly recommended.
Film: 
Eve’s Bayou is out on 31st October on Blu-Ray in the UK, released by The Criterion Collection. The picture quality is stunning. It’s an incredibly detailed transfer with wonderfully rich colours. The audio is rich and balanced too.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
– New 4K digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised by director Kasi Lemmons and cinematographer Amy Vincent, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
– New 4K digital restoration of the original 108-minute theatrical-release version
– Audio commentary on the director’s cut featuring Lemmons, Vincent, producer Caldecot Chubb, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire
– Dr. Hugo (1996), a short film Lemmons made as a proof of concept for Eve’s Bayou, in a new 4K digital transfer
– New interview with Lemmons
– Cast reunion footage
– Interview with composer Terence Blanchard
– New program showcasing black-and-white Polaroids that Vincent took during production
– Cast and crew photographs by William Eggleston
– Trailer
– English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– PLUS: An essay by film scholar Kara Keeling
– New cover by Nessim Higson
A big selling point to many will be the two versions of the film. To be honest, I didn’t have time to watch both cuts but the differences are discussed in some of the extra features. It sounds like the most notable difference is that the Uncle Tommy character was cut out of the theatrical cut. I can see why he was removed, as the character doesn’t add a great deal to the story. He does add depth though, through emphasising the theme of knowing the truth but being unable to act on it. Also, due to some references to him in other scenes, some important and beautiful sequences had to be either butchered or cut entirely.
The commentary is excellent, with the quartet of Lemmons, DOP Amy Vincent, producer Caldecot Chubb and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire discussing the production in detail. They note the differences between the two cuts and the reasons behind the changes. They have a strong rapport too, particularly Vincent and Lemmons, so it’s an easy listen.
The interview with Lemmons is also a valuable piece, offering a more refined telling of how the film came about, how it was made and what her intentions were.
I very much appreciated hearing from Terence Blanchard too, as the score is an important part of the film’s mood. He’s fond of his work on it and Lemmons also adds her thoughts on the music in the piece.
The short film Dr. Hugo, which acted as a dry run for Eve’s Bayou, is very enjoyable. It opens in a similar fashion to a scene in its feature-length counterpart but takes a wonderfully comic turn. It’s as deliciously sexy and handsome as Eve’s Bayou too.
The cast and crew reunion, which takes place over Zoom, is very much a love-in but the love is infectious and it’s a joy to see most of the principals together reminiscing. A lot is also said about how important the film was, having a black female writer-director and an all-black cast.
I must admit, I often skip photo galleries but I checked these ones out and appreciated them. The Amy Vincent gallery is accompanied by a director’s commentary so is definitely worth a look and the other, with photos by William Eggleston, contains some wonderful behind-the-scenes snaps that are far more interesting and artful than your usual EPK shots.
I wasn’t provided with a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately. Overall though, with such a wealth of supplemental material accompanying a strong film, the set comes very highly recommended.
Disc/package: 