Customer Reviews

Daughters of the Dust [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In the opening of her film, Daughters of the Dust, Julie Dash alerts the viewer that this is no ordinary African American story. Conversely, this is an American history lesson with African origins. A small informative note at the start of the film puts the entire movie in context. Without this explanatory foreword, many viewers would probably find the film hard to understand. Though the movie tells the story of the Peazant family's migration from the sea islands of the South, the story also gives a panoramic view of the Gullah culture at-large. Because the islands are isolated from the mainland states, the Gullah retain a distinct African ethnicity and culture. Ironically, the Peazants want to rid themselves of the old ways and heritage, thus beginning an exodus from the islands to the mainland. Taking place in 1902, just fifty years after the end of slavery, Daughter of the Dust explores the Peazant's struggle for survival and escape from poverty. The movie opens on the eve of the family's great migration to the mainland. A family celebration and farewell-of-sorts take place on the beach. The Peazants even hire a photographer to document this momentous occasion. As the movie progresses, the complexity of the family's departure from the island emerges. Difference and changing values mire the pending migration with conflict and strife. As the family prepares to leave, in search of a new life and better future, the film reveals the richness of the Gullah heritage. Narrations of "the unborn child" of Eli and Eula Peazant offer glimpses into problems the family has faced since their existence on the island. As explained by matriarch Nana Peazant, the Gullah are like "two people in one body." Though most Peazants were born in the Americas, their African heritage is forever evident. The internal conflicts of this duality haunt the family as they become ensnarled in battle, only to war against themselves. Through old African customs and rituals, such as glass bottle trees, salt water baths, and herb potions, Nana wants to ensure that the family stays together. Moreover, Nana, "the last of the old," has chosen to stay on the island. She celebrates everything that makes her who she is: the ugly and the good. She knows slavery and she knows freedom. Her life revolves around the continuation and strengthening of the Peazant family. Her rituals are often unappreciated and looked upon with scorn by other family members. Some family members are unwilling to grasp Nana's teachings and wisdom. They want to escape the island, to run away from the Gullah way of life. However, they cannot run from themselves. Just as Nana proclaims, they will always live a double life, no matter where they go. The trip to the mainland certainly cannot rid their indigo stained hands of its blue-blackish tint. Nor can the northern journey erase the memories of whom or what they are leaving. Unbeknownst to the younger Peazants, the duality, the recollections and remembrances, and the old way and traditions are gifts from their ancestors. Sadly, few are able to accept these gifts or comprehend their importance. Through authentic Gullah dialect, vivid imagery and colorful characters, Dash reveals the uniqueness of the Gullah people. A cousin, Yellow Mary, returns from Cuba to the island, facing the scorn of her people because she is a "ruint `oman." Haggar, a bitter woman who wants nothing to do with the old Gullah ways, does not realize that she cannot rid herself of whom she is. For example, she despises the "old Africans," yet retains their ways in her speech and use of African colloquialisms. Another cousin, Viola is full of Christian religious fervor and against the heathen practices and nature-worshiping traditions of her people. Eula, who gives a heart- wrenching soliloquy at the end of the movie, bears the burden of pregnancy and rape by a white man. Eli, Eula's husband, represents the strength and future of the Peazant clan. Besides being adept at character development, Julie Dash effectively educates the viewer about African-American history. Tales of flying Africans, water-walking Ibo, Islamic religion, and slave trading are skillfully woven in small snatches throughout the film. We also see connections between African-Americans and Native Americans. The lessons learned from this film are too numerous. One must see the film more than once to appreciate all the information presented. Daughters of the Dust awakens all the senses. The beautiful cinematography transports viewers to a surreal place and time, creating a visual paradise. Each scene makes its introduction with mesmerizing African music, which aptly fits each setting. As the Gullah women prepare food for the feast, one cannot help but imagine the taste and smell of gumbo, shrimp, and crab. This movie also arouses the heart. One can easily identify and empathize with the characters' passion and sincerity. Often, the characters relay sentiments and convictions so convincingly, that it is hard to believe that the players were acting. Understanding complete passages is often difficult because of the beautiful and authentic tonality of the language. Nonetheless, the use of standard English could not have conveyed Dash's message as successfully. We should appreciate this film for its originality and courage. Stories such as these are hardly ever told. Most films neglect the eclectic nature of the African American community, usually focusing on only aspects that are familiar to the masses. Here, Julie Dash reaches beyond the boundaries that are set for African-American films. Equally as important is her ability and willingness to validate the African-American experience. She eloquently and subtly deals with difficult subjects such as slavery, self-hatred, feminism, color prejudices, and rape. Dash does not throw one viewpoint in your face. Conversely, Dash gives the viewer a front row seat into the lives of a remarkable people. We are then left to draw conclusions for ourselves. One feels liberated, proud, and honored to be allowed a window into their lives. The movie is a celebration of the African-American diaspora. The images, language, and music of Daughters of the Dustwill linger in the minds of its fortunate viewers forever.

Julie Dash's film "Daughters of the Dust" is a movie of such enchanting beauty as to leave you spellbound. It's the story of a Gullah family in the Sea Islands of Georgia, preparing to relocate to the mainland in 1902. The Sea Islands, as Julie Dash tells us in the companion volume written for the film, were the Ellis Islands of the transatlantic slave trade, the dropping off point and processing center for the forced immigration of untold millions of Africans. Because of this, African cultural influences are more strongly rooted here than anywhere else in the United States.

At the head of the family is Nana Peazant, a matriarch whose quiet strength has seen her through slavery to the hard days of Reconstruction and beyond. Her children and their husbands and wives have decided to seek a future in the more modern environment of the mainland. They've grown tired of the backwardness of the island and want to spread their wings. But as Nana, who resolutely determines to stay put, has foreseen, they can remove themselves from the island, but they can't remove the island from within themselves, any more than they can remove the indigo dye of the island from their hands; they are marked forever by a part of their culture that will never go away.

Along with Nana, we meet Yellow Mary, a cousin who has returned from Cuba as a fallen woman, unconsciously clinging to her roots as hard as she tries to pull away from them; Haggar, a bitter, possessive woman who attempts to hold onto her two young daughters, MyOwn and Iona ("I Own Her"), even as they attempt to break away and make their own destiny; Viola, using her hidebound Christianity as a shield to hide from her African heritage, and Eula and Eli, coping with the devastation of Eula's rape and impregnation by a white man, whose Unborn Child is the narrator of this film. There is heartbreak for Nana, watching her family depart from the home that has been theirs for generations, and for Haggar, whose daughter Iona decided to make her own destiny by eloping with her Native American lover.

Julie Dash has managed to create film so real and so evocative that it transports us right into the action; we are there on the beach, feeling the heat, smelling the gumbo cooking, and listening to the exquisite tonalities of the Gullah dialect. The acting by all the characters is excellent throughout, with special mention for standout performances by Cora Lee Day as Nana Peazant, Alva Rogers as Eula Peazant, and Barbara O. Jones as Yellow Mary; but the real star in this film is the exquisite cinematography which is unlike anything I have ever seen in any film. The movie is so visually gorgeous that one just sits and watches awestruck. An equally strong script, well acted by the cast, gives the movie a depth and meaning that makes the film worth watching over and over.

"Daughters of the Dust" is much more than a movie; it's an emotionally charged history lesson of a little known place and a little known culture. It remains inside you, a part of you, long after the final credits have ended.

Judy Lind

I saw this film no less than four times in the theater, dragged all my friends to see it, and could not wait until it was available for home viewing. This film's stories, while part and parcel of a painful episode in African-American history, are above all, HUMAN stories that should touch the heart of ALL humanity, regardless of one's ethnic origin.

I loved each and every character, and wanted to know more about them. With every viewing, I pick up on details I've not noticed before -- the mark of well-crafted storytelling and multi-dimensional, well-developed characters.

The cinematography is breath-taking, the gorgeous music is perfectly married to the images, the overall ambience always beckons me back, and the plot unfolds delicately like petals of a flower. I cannot praise this movie enough.

My two disappointments have nothing to do with the actual movie, but with the fact that subtitles were not included on the DVD release (some of the Gullah language is a barrier for some viewers, although I found the language pertinent and necessary to the production's authenticity; plus, I hate for hearing-impaired folks to miss out on a great movie). However, a book of the script and interviews with film maker Julie Dash is available for those who are curious. Secondly, to my knowledge no music soundtrack was ever made available on CD. Thankfully, the DVD has the option of playing the isolated music track, although some sound effects were not separated from the music, and there are often long silences from one music cue to the next. Hopefully in some future edition, these issues will be addressed.

In closing, I have to say that this is an important movie, a beautiful movie, a resoundingly truthful movie that touched me on so many levels - especially as it addresses the gulf of yearning that exists between so many people and their families, or between human beings in general as we move through personal changes and differences. This movie is a paean to the yearnings of the human spirit. See it!!!

I had heard about Daughters of the Dust 14 years ago (1991) but it wasn't until I learned of my own Gullah heritage that I was compelled to find the video. I checked it out of the university library 4 times! and now am purchasing the DVD for my personal library. My paternal great-grandfather was Gullah and in viewing this film over and over, I have come to terms about why I've never quite "fit" with the movement to move away and forget about where my ancestors came from. I truly believe that there comes a time in every person's life when s/he realizes that moving away and trying to forget only leads to madness.

Daughters of the Dust is a richly evocative and absolutely beautiful film. Julie Dash masterfully combines her ten years of reseach in the moving film about a Gullah family on the verge of migration to the north. The performances are very strong and very moving. This movie must be seen more than once to capture the full meaning, but it is well worth the time. I would also recommend reading the screenplay which offers many insights into this incredibly deep and moving film. It is revolutionary in that it lovingly portrays wonderful strong and beautiful black women and tells their story in a manner that is free of sterotypes.

When asked what your knowledge of the history of the South encompassed what would you say? For me, it would be a brief overview of the Civil War, the Migration North for African Americans seeking a new life in the boroughs of New York and Chicago (among other places) and the Civil Rights Movement (with an emphasis on the life's work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of course). There is so much more to this history that we don't commonly hear about in textbooks though. Specifically, the subject I am referring to is that of the Gullah, a group of African Americans who made their home in the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia. They are also known as Geechee. They spoke their own distinctive dialect, prepared Gullah rice dishes (like red rice and okra soup), and herbal medicines based on traditional African practices.

In DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, a 1991 release directed by Julie Dash, we get a glimpse into the culture of the Gullah. I am not certain, but, I believe this may be the first and only film of its kind released in theaters to really explore them. The cinematography is beautiful and really is the highlight of this story. The colors are hypnotic and visual imagery rich. The subjects appear illuminated and have an ethereal glow.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on aesthetic beauty, here, does not carry into other aspects of the film. Scenes of the Gullah clan fighting, working, praying, performing ritual, falling in love, and reflecting on the deep wounds of ancestral pain are not presented in a linear or comprehensible way. I realize that in order to really comprehend what is going on, on a deeper level, it helps to have more of a background in the cultural practices of the Gullah. How many people truly have a grasp on this significance, though? It truly would have been wonderful if the director, Julie Dash, had been more inclusive of her audience. I almost sense that this film is a valentine to the past. We watch scenes of beautiful women walking along the shore, preaching gospel to young children, experiencing visitations from the spirit world and men struggling to make peace with themselves and their culture, in preparation to journey north, uprooting themselves from what they know. It's just a shame that the effect of the film comes across as being more of an indirect ode to a group of people more viewers ought to know about, as opposed to an insightful and enlightening work of historical fiction brought to the screen.

I had to watch this film several times. It was haunting. What was it I was missing? There was something here but I could put my hand on it. It was not my hand that was needed it was my heart.

The film opened my male heart to an idea I had not considered. The mystical powers of matriachy. It made me reconsider those core expperiences and histories of women in my own family and how these experiences, these srcaps of memory affect me, mold me. Cinema is an experience. it is not about where a film is or what it is about sometimes...but where a film takes you. The experience of cinema can still be sublime. Now that is a comfort to me as a cinema lover. Daughters is a sublime experience that I will always cherish.

I bought the DVD to learn more about the making of the film. It seems a miracle a film like this could even be made in America. The extra material on the DV really gives insigfht into the complex emotional and cultural history of African America.

The story takes place around the turn of the century, and is about a gathering of the black Pesant family of the Sea Islands off the Carolinas as they prepare to migrate north, out of the world of former slaves in a rural society and into the modern era in the city. I found this film to be visually beautiful and deeply human. The Sea Island English dialect of the characters took a little getting used to, but was well worth the effort of understanding. The clan is large and multi generational, and they take time to honor their oldest member, great grandmother Nana Pesant. Her statement, "The ancestor and the womb is one and the same. Respect your ancestors, call on them for strength." is the underling theme of the film. All of this action is clothed in profound visual beauty, and magical events and memory weave through the fabric of the film. Believe me, you don't have to be black to enjoy this film. I loved it, and feel that it is on a par with the best of Fellini.

This is the story of turn of the century early 1900's Gullah people. They resided on islands near South Carolina and Georgia, USA but were able to maintain some of their West African heritage. It is based on a the Payzant family led by a very strong elderly matriach who is a staunch defender of traditional ways and West African customs. The movie centers around a family reunion just before a number of the clan make the move to the mainland. We watch as members happy with their island existence struggle with the major life affecting decison of moving to the mainland and changing their lives forever. We see the destruction that gossip can do and the healing power and strength of love. The women have a very strong influence on what goes on in their community. The character of the unborn child adds mystery and suspense and almost tears a family apart. Yellow Mary is an outcast and at the same time a shoulder to cry on. The preparation of the food for the picnic displays how women use it as a forum. What I found intriguing though was the urge to keep the old ways and the struggle to cope with modern ways. It is obvious that those members of the clan who have experienced life on the mainland have a superior feeling over their relatives who remained on the island adhering to traditional ways. The struggle between Christianity and traditional ways and beliefs is intense with traditional ways winning in the end. The concept of compromise is tested. Each character is a strong personality culminating into a strong clan most would be proud to be a member of. The acting in this movie is excellent. The scenery is beautiful, the costumes are flawless. One is transported back to the time. In my opinion Daughters of the Dust is a showpiece of what Black American actresses, writers and movie producers can do. I hope to see more such films in the future.

This is one of the most visually gorgeous films I have ever seen. I had to watch it a second time to be able to understand the dialogue through the thick gullah accents, but that was no chore. Its story of family ties and the struggle between tradition and what's "new" is timeless. I have since watched it 7 or 8 times, and each time I see or understand something new.