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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 31 OcTOber 2019
Erivo engages in imperfect but

important 'Harriet'

By JOCELYN NOVECK tention with "Eve's Bayou" abusive master, Minty, now
Associated Press in 1997. And it stars a truly in her 20s, has suffered sei-
Legendary American hero- singular talent in Cynthia Er- zures and blackouts, during
ine that she is, there are ivo, in one of her first major which she has visions.
certain things for which screen roles. On this day Minty is awo-
Harriet Tubman is overdue. Erivo is a Tony-winning ken by her husband, a free
One is her spot on U.S. cur- stage actress of such man, who surprises her with
rency: Google "Tubman" unique power and inten- documentation he's ob-
and "$20" and "Trump." An- sity that it's not overstating tained of a promise from
other is a major feature film it to say she can thrill with her owner's ancestor to
This image released by Focus Features shows Cynthia Erivo as
Harriet Tubman in a scene from "Harriet." based on her life: Google a single note — she's simply grant the slave family its
Associated Press "Tubman" and "Hollywood" one of the most talented freedom, now overdue. But
and "why so long?" dramatic singers alive to- the owner — Gideon's fa-
Well, that $20 bill has been day. If you want a hint of ther — shreds the letter in a
delayed, but finally there's that, make sure to catch nasty rage.
a Hollywood film, "Harriet," the closing credits; Erivo Minty now knows she has
that seeks to honor Tub- sings "Stand Up," a song she no choice but to flee. She
man and her extraordinary co-wrote. makes it off the plantation,
place in the anti-slavery And though she doesn't get only to be caught by Gide-
movement. to sing much in the movie on and his posse, trapped
Hollywood doesn't make — there are snippets of spir- on a bridge over a raging
tons of movies about fe- ituals here and there, and if river. She stuns Gideon by
male heroes or black he- you were Lemmons, you'd jumping off, to a certain
roes, let alone black fe- find every reason to have death.
male heroes. One can only Erivo sing, too — the ac- But she survives — and
imagine the pressure the tress does turn in one of the makes it to Delaware,
creative team must have deeper portrayals. Many where a friend helps her
felt to get it just right. And other characters seem to the border of free Penn-
that's exactly what comes one-dimensional, a failing sylvania. She walks the
across in the final product. of the screenplay more last bit by herself. This in-
"Harriet" is built on such than the cast, which is filled credible achievement —
good intentions and such with estimable names like imagine the obstacles she
a fierce desire to get it right Janelle Monae and Leslie faces, covering 100 miles
that it seems risk-averse Odom Jr. The main "villain" (160.93 kilometers) on foot
creatively, a fairly formulaic role of Gideon (Joe Alwyn), — is largely hinted at, not
biopic created more for a the owner's son at the plan- shown. In Philadelphia,
history classroom than the tation where Tubman grew Minty is welcomed by abo-
multiplex. up enslaved, feels particu- litionist William Still (Odom,
This is not to say "Harriet" larly underwritten. playing a real-life char-
is an unworthy enterprise, We begin at that planta- acter) and given a room
but it could have pierced tion, in Maryland, with Ara- in a house owned by the
more deeply than it does. minta Ross — aka "Minty"— elegant Marie Buchanon
In the plus column, it marks lying on her back in a field. (Monae, playing a fictional
the welcome return to the Since she was a little girl, one.) Offered a new name
director's chair of Kasi Lem- when her head was split for her new life, she be-
mons, who first drew at- open in a blow from an comes Harriet Tubman.q

John Legend co-writes new take on

'Baby, It's Cold Outside'

NEW YORK (AP) — John ode to date rape. a new expanded version of
Legend and Kelly Clarkson, Legend and comedian his first Christmas album, "A
his fellow coach on "The Natasha Rothwell of HBO's Legendary Christmas: The
Voice," have joined forces "Insecure" wrote the new Deluxe Edition," out Nov. 8.
on a reimagined version of take, which includes Clark- The original song won an
the oft-criticized Christmas son leading the lyrics: Academy Award in 1949
classic "Baby, It's Cold Out- "What will my friends think (I after Esther Williams and
side." think they should rejoice) Ricardo Montalban per-
The song, written by Frank If I have one more drink? formed it in the film "Nep-
Loesser in 1944, is a duet (It's your body, and your tune's Daughter." Among
that has a man trying to choice.)" Gone are such the famous who have re-
convince a woman to stay lines as, "Gosh, your lips prised it are Lady Gaga
overnight at his home on a look delicious," sung by the and Tony Bennett, Ella
cold winter's night. It's been man, and "Say, what's in Fitzgerald and Louis Jor-
a flashpoint of the #MeToo this drink?" by the woman. dan, Amy Grant and Vince
era, with foes calling it ev- The Grammy-winning Leg- Gill, and Fantasia and Cee-
erything from sexist to an end includes the song on Lo Green.q