Hivpositive teenage protagonist of the 1996 book push and the 2009 movie precious, is an irrepressible character. Precious lives with her mother mary, who abuses precious both physically and emotionally. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving pictures. How author created film character precious through her own sexual abuse. Based on the novel push by sapphire, a film that won two academy awards and was directed by lee daniels. The storys world is stacked against precious, and the movies marketing engine is stacked against sidibe, but in some ways those. She avoids looking at people, she hardly ever speaks, shes nearly illiterate. Precious lives in the new york ghetto harlem and they survive on welfare since the mother faces unemployment.
The previous night, at the gala screening of his movie precious. She does see her, in fact, on one occasion, when her mother delivers yet more bad news. Caught my attention from the very first sentence and couldnt put it down until i was finished. Based on the novel push by sapphire movie script by geoffrey fletcher on. Based on a novel by sapphire, this is some pretty bleak stuff. The film stars gabourey sidibe, monique, paula patton, and mariah carey. It felt like a movie might box her precious in and i. Aspects of the story help illuminate many of the reasons emotional, physical, and particularly sexual abuse, are risk. Nov 06, 2009 an unstated but selfevident moral of precious, set during ronald reagans presidency and based on a book published in the year of bill clintons welfare reform, is that government can.
Based on the novel push by sapphire critics consensus. How author created film character precious through her own sexual. May 25, 2011 the movie precious tells two stories at once. Based on the novel push sapphire interview youtube. The future for young people like precious seems so unremittingly bleak, the social inequities so entrenched, the cruelty that parents can inflict on their children so damaging and bewildering, that one is overwhelmed by the sheer hopelessness and awfulness of it all. Original soundtrack to the 2009 motion picture precious. Thirteen years after its release, it was made into precious. Inside her lives a great hurt, and also her child, conceived in a rape. Based on the novel push by sapphire that is the starting point for precious, a great american film that somehow finds an authentic way to move from these beginnings to an inspiring ending. Based on the novel push by sapphire is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.
Psychological analysis of precious, the movie researchomatic. Based on the novel push by sapphire points viewers toward the original novel, but the great majority of viewers will never take the opportunity to compare film and text. This film marked the acting debut of sidibe, who portrays a young woman struggling against. Lee daniels gives us howls of a life, buried deep within. A sequel to the book was published in 2011, called the kid, about precious son abdul. Nov 09, 2009 sapphire, author of the novel push, talks about writing the book and the making of the film. The film, precious, named after its protagonist, took america by storm when it. 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. If this were slumdog millionaire, that kind of resilience would send precious to a better life. Precious eats the food in front of mom and breaks into a fantasy of being in an old italian movie with sophia loren in it since that is what mary was watching at the time. Precious push movie tiein edition precious push movie tiein edition by sapphire author on oct202009 paperback sapphire. Push is the 1996 debut novel of american author sapphire.
How author created film character precious through her own. Based on the novel push by sapphire, a film that won two academy awards and was directed by. Based on the novel push by sapphire critics consensus precious is a grim yet ultimately triumphant film about abuse and innercity life, largely bolstered by exceptional performances. Based on the novel push by sapphire, follows precious gabourey sidibe a pregnant, 16yearold, overweight teen in 1987 harlem whos longing for a way out of her gritty, anguished life. Nov 06, 2009 as the overly long title crediting the books author indicates the movie is based upon a novel. The movie is set in 1987, and i dont think there was a theater back then whose marquee could. Precious can be easily analyzed using basic motivation and emotion theories in psychology. Based on the novel push by sapphire could easily be construed as a horror movie from its truculent content.
Filmmaker lee daniels does a fine job in directing this rather troubling story. Gabourey gabby sidibe, a young actress in her debut performance as precious, says, i. Jul, 2017 sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child abuse. Precious excessive weight and eating plays a central role in the movie. Precious then receives news that she is hivpositive, which comes about when they find her father dead from aids. I found myself rooting for precious, caring for her, right away. The storys world is stacked against precious, and the movie s marketing engine is stacked against sidibe, but in some ways those.
Push, now known as the book that inspired last years muchrenowned hit film precious, is the firstperson account of the teenage life of claireece precious jones, a harlem teenager who as of writing this account has given birth to two children, a boy and a girl, both products of her rape at the hands of her biological father. Based on the novel push by sapphire, was directed by lee daniels and starring gabourey sidibe as precious. Sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child abuse. Weiss, precious must learn how to find a new lease on life, and in the immediate present, find a way to never have to go home and live in a house with her mother ever again.
The movie precious is based on the adaptation of the book push written by sapphire. 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. Sapphire, author of the novel push, talks about writing the book and the making of the film. Sapphires first book became the oscarwinning film precious but. The movie is about claireece precious jones and how she becomes a strong, independent woman. On the day sapphire meets me in manhattan, her novel push has just. Sapphire releases graphic sequel to push more than a decade after the novel push was published, audiences can learn about the son of pushs heroine, precious. Sapphire interviewed about new book, the kid, and child. Precious, the movie, which is based on push, the novel, irritates some africanamericans who say the harsh portrayal of one teenagers life.
Based on the novel push by sapphire t his movie has arrived heralded by voices of acclaim, not raised in celebration but weirdly lowered. 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 africanamerican girl who has survived multiple pregnancies by her father. Based on the novel push by sapphire because it told me two moving stories at once. And though the movie, and the book the movie is based upon, is fictional, the story of the abuses that precious endures are far too familiar in our society. Jun 11, 1996 push, now known as the book that inspired last years muchrenowned hit film precious, is the firstperson account of the teenage life of claireece precious jones, a harlem teenager who as of writing this account has given birth to two children, a boy and a girl, both products of her rape at the hands of her biological father. Precious struggles to put together the word day, cut to flashback of mary calling precious a dumb bitch. Oct 31, 2009 how did america fall in love with precious. The movie is based on the novel push by sapphire albers. Rain is a homo, a group that mary told her were dangerous, and starts learning to read. Her mother, defeated by life, takes it out on her daughter. Precious is at the welfare office a regular checkin is required talking to a social worker mrs. Yet the movie is not neutral on the subject of race and the prejudices that swirl around it, even in the supposedly postracial age of obama. They will never fully appreciate what was lost, gained, or rearranged, and they will never grasp where the narration has become dialogue or monologue.
Precious stays after class because of the fight, and ms. Based on the novel push by sapphire r, 1 hr 50 min. I saw the movie precious and saw an interview with the author of this book that the movie was based on. Precious gains selfrespect, successfully delivers a healthy baby, escapes from mary, and sets about the task of raising her children and getting an education. Of the hundreds of movies based on books, here are the 19 best, in no particular order. Push by sapphire share book recommendations with your. The kid is the sequel to sapphires 1996 novel push, about a girl called precious who is routinely sexually abused by both her mother and father. The film was directed by lee daniels and stars monique, paula patton, mariah carey, sherri shepherd, lenny kravitz and gabourey sidibe. Based on the novel push by sapphire, or simply precious, is a 2009 american drama film, directed and coproduced by lee daniels. Based on a 1996 book written by the new york based performance poet and author known as. The movie precious tells two stories at once huffpost. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel push by sapphire. Rowling, the hunger games by suzanne collins, harry potter and the order of t. Precious is groundbreaking and deserves to be seen.
Precious, a movie based on the book push written by sapphire, is an interesting movie directed by lee daniels. After precious is raped by her father, her mother, is angry not at. Weiss an almost unrecognizable mariah carey without makeup. The movie is based on the novel push by sapphire albers, 2009. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving. This is the first of two posts about the movie precious. This is a film that left me initially feeling profoundly. Although it was far from a light read it was powerful and i finished it in a day because it is relatively short and i was engrossed in the story. But good things can happen in this world and precious is blessed with an indomitable spirit that refuses to accept the negative reinforcement that bombards her. Rain asks precious to read a page of childrens book. An unstated but selfevident moral of precious, set during ronald reagans presidency and based on a book published in the year of bill clintons welfare reform, is that government can. Precious has critical eating disorders and finds comfort in constant eating.
Mar 08, 2010 but todaygiven the power of film, publicity, and celebritythe cinematic shadow often takes precedence. Even though the film precious packs quite a wallop, the gritty realism of the novel upon which the movie is based is even more. Impressions based on the hype for the movie precious based. Precious, the movie, which is based on push, the novel, irritates some african americans who say the harsh portrayal of one teenagers life. Nov 20, 2009 precious lives with her mother mary, who abuses precious both physically and emotionally. The movie revolves around precious who lives with her abusive mother monique and step father rodney. In the final scene we witness precious striding out cheerfully and purposefully with her two children, her future uncertain but her dignity triumphant.
Based on the novel push by sapphire is a 2009 film about an overweight, illiterate teen, pregnant with her second child, who is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction. Film analysis of the movie precious 2252 words 10 pages. Its all on the back of the film of the book, a film i swore id never let them make because i was worried that it would. That was even more true in 1987, the year in which precious. Based on the novel push by sapphire may be the worstfeeling feelgood story. Oct 25, 2009 yet the movie is not neutral on the subject of race and the prejudices that swirl around it, even in the supposedly postracial age of obama. Precious, a black american teenager, appears to have. Though the story is a fiction based life of claireece precious jones it is far from reality for many young women.
Nov, 2009 precious is groundbreaking and deserves to be seen. She is faced with the choice to follow opportunity and test her own boundaries. Precious is a grim yet ultimately triumphant film about abuse and innercity life, largely bolstered by exceptional performances. Discussion guide developed by heartland truly moving pictures to accompany 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 spirit and enable us to view stories that display courage, integrity and hope. Who is the real precious based on the movie by tyler perry and oprah winfrey. 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. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing precious. Though she loves math, she can barely read or write. Winner of the grand jury prize at the 2009 sundance film festival, precious.
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