Should have left this alone

Let me start off by saying I absolutely adore Cicely Tyson and think her performance as Miss Jane Pitman is one of the greatest performances ever put before a camera. However, this film and her performance can not escape the enormous shadow of Geraldine Page.

I understand Cicely had a huge success with the revival on stage and won a Tony for it and they probably wanted to have the performance on record. The problem with turning it into a fully fledged film, is that audiences can immediately draw comparisons to the relatively recent 1985 film and, most importantly, the performances.

Geraldine Page in the original film was extraordinary. The genius behind her performance, and why she won the Oscar, was that as well as being incredibly serious and moving, she also saw the humour behind Carries situation. The comical aspect, especially in the first half as she ran about the house and hid her cheque, is what made her final journey and the desolation of her home at the end so moving and powerful. Audiences were truly taken on a figurative journey from laughter to tears.

This version is very humourless, earnest and takes itself so seriously that some characters comes across as a little self-righteous (Tyson), bland (Underwood) or theatrical (Williams). Therefore the trip to bountiful isn't one that takes you very far or that you particular enjoy and the pay off at the end isn't as profound.

Again, I adore Cicely, but there are some performers who leave such a mark on a role, that you simply should not go near it. Geraldine Page is one of them.