Amazon.com

Actress Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve's Bayou begins with ominous narration: "The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth. Barely seen during its theatrical release, this lushly photographed film deserves to be rediscovered on digital video disc. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Feel The Heat
Eve's Bayou is a spectacular movie. The color and scenery is wonderful and the people are elegant and troubled. Even the character's names stir up visions of dark swamp water and sultry heat. The story is told and seen through the eyes of little Eve Batiste played by a wonderful young actress named Jurnee Smollett. Eve takes us deep into her world which is filled with colorful characters and complex personalities.Diahann Carroll is fabulous as the old fortune teller Elzora with her insane laughter. Debbi Morgan as Aunt Mozelle Batiste Delacroix is something to behold. Aunt Mozelle has promised her family that she will not use her "second sight" to tell fortunes, but neighbors won't let her keep her promise. They seek her out to find missing husbands anyway. Lynn Whitfied as the manor born wife is beautiful and poised as she tries to keep her family together in spite of her wandering husband (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackson is very sexy in this movie and his character has roving eyes as well as roving hands that don't stop even when he is caught in a compromising position by his youngest daughter, Eve. This starts a set of events that lead to the total destruction of an already deeply troubled family.Although this movie did not make history at the box office my guess is that it will become a cult classic. Years from now this movie will be viewed for what it is, a brilliantly produced film. You can literally feel the Louisiana heat from Eve's Bayou. Vannie

A Poetic Accomplishment
This movie is moving and poetic in every sense of the word. From the acting right down to the musical score. I was astounded to learn this is a directorial debut.
Debbi Morgan is absolutely amazing in her role as the sister with the "gift of sight". She provides us with the most amazing scene in the film. In the scene, she is recalling a confrontation between her secret lover and husband. She recalls the events while looking through a mirror, and the scene is acted out as "reflections" in the mirror. This is one of the most powerful scenes I have witnessed. Now that I own the DVD, I can watch it over and over, it is that powerful.
My 2nd favorite performance is by Dianne Caroll, who plays the town voodoo witch.
The DVD has great commentary and an equally well produced short featurette.
The film is complimented by the musical score, which helps the story flow like velvet. I even bought the soundtrack for its amazing hypnotic quality.

Top 10
Eve's Bayou is one of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite young actresses, Jurnee Smollett. You may remember her from On Our Own, a sitcom with her siblings all apart of the cast. The acting is great and the whole movie is a lot different(including the setting) than the usual stuff that comes out. Samuel Jackson is the loving, but adulterous husband and Jurnee doesn't like it. When she decides he goes too far she does the unthinkable to protect her family.

Loved this movie!
Mystery, Magic, and Family what a wonderful base for a movie. I loved the setting, the characters, and the story. It left enough to the imagination to keep it believable. This movie is worth owning!

Eve's Bayou
This is one of the most beautifully written, directed, filmed & acted films of all time! Kasi Lemmons outdid herself with this smoldering family drama set in 1950's Creole Louisianna.

With a stellar cast including Sam Jackson, the incomparable Debbie Morgan, Lynn Whitfield, Diahann Carol, Megan Goode & Jurnee Smollet, this drama seethes with intensity broken by moments of levity. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Samuel L. Jackson gives a virtuoso performance in this intensely visual suspense film. Jackson stars as Romulus Ledbetter, a brilliant musician whose mental demons have driven him onto the streets. When Ledbetter finds a murdered man outside the cave he calls home one morning, he is compelled to find the real killer. While interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention, the mystery of The Caveman's Valentine is a distant third to Jackson's performance and the film's sumptuous visuals. The film is gorgeously shot, and lights and abstract images are effectively used to show Romulus's beautiful but tormented inner world. While the plot does take a silly leap of logic or two, Romulus's illness and the strain it puts on his family are sensitively and realistically handled. His all-too-real run-ins with his policewoman daughter are nicely contrasted with his visions of his ex-wife, who serves as a combination of Greek chorus and muse. If one is willing to suspend a little disbelief here and there, this picture is well worth a look. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (37)

An Underappreciated Award Winner
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has honored actor Samuel Jackson, director Kasi Lemmons, and her sister, Dr. Cheryl Lemmons, the psychiatrist who served as a consultant to the movie, with its 2001 Outstanding Media Award for a dramatic motion picture---because of its portrayal of a homeless man with paranoid schizophrenia, who is both protagonist and hero. Jackson's character, Romulus Ledbetter, who solves a murder mystery, is a figure of intelligence, insight, talent and dignity, even as he experiences paranoid delusions and hallucinations (which he calls--correctly--"brain typhoons"). The Caveman defies the stereotypes and stigma usually associated with mental illness, and represents a major, cultural breakthrough for Hollywood. Viewers will come to know and like Romulus as an individual. There are many funny, ironic moments, but he and his illness never are used as the butt of jokes. The acting, direction and visual effects are superb, the mystery only so-so, but there IS a twist at the end. The realism also is greater than many may believe. Don't expect a big, wonderful, warm, happy ending. Romulus is a man whose spirit survives, and he prevails...but so does his illness.

Respectable Sophomore Effort from "Eve's Bayou" Director
Rather than simply make a continuation of her debut feature, EVE'S BAYOU, Kasi Lemmons wisely chose to "stretch her creative muscles" with her next effort. While not entirely successful, THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE is nevertheless an intelligent and provocative film.

Based on the novel by George Dawes Green (who also wrote the screenplay), THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE tells the story of Romulus Ledbetter (played effectively by Samuel L. Jackson), a mentally ill cave-dwelling man. One day, he discovers a dead body just outside his living space, causing him to immediately embark on a search to find the killer.

It doesn't take long before you realize that you are not watching a run-of-the-mill murder mystery. Instead of bombarding you with pointless car chases and noisy special effects, THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE focuses on the demons inside Ledbetter's mind. This is represented through a series of highly stylized hallucinations and flashbacks.

The film also explores the strained relationship between Ledbetter and his daughter, Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis of MEN OF HONOR). Their situation is further exacerbated by the fact that Lulu is a cop involved in the murder investigation. Simply put, there is no shortage of character conflict nor eye candy here.

The dialog also crackles in the film. The best line is spoken by Tamara Tunie (the narrator on EVE'S BAYOU), who plays the role of Sheila, Lulu's mother. Written by an (uncredited) Lemmons, the line is sure to elicit a response from fans of Terry McMillan and similar novelists.

Overall, THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE is an intriguing character study which includes a touching father-daughter relationship. This comes at the expense of gripping "edge of your seat" suspense, but don't let this keep you from experiencing this rich and complex film. Amelia Vincent's cinematography and Terilyn A. Shropshire's editing are first-rate. Terence Blanchard's score is seamless. (These three also collaborated with Lemmons on EVE'S BAYOU.)

If you're a fan of typical summer movies that seem to care more about style over substance, you'll probably be better off to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you've grown weary of loud thrillers with formulaic plots, you'll really appreciate this film. Check it out.

Sam Jackson is wonderful!
The great thing about DVD and movie rentals are to be able to catch those gems that were here this morning, gone this afternoon from the movie theater. This is a can't miss film from Kasi Lemmon (Eve's Bayou) starring Sam Jackson as Romulus Ledbetter, a former Julliard trained musician who has been driven to the streets due to mental illness. He discovers a "valentine" in the form of a dead body that was left outside of his cave on Valentine's Day and sets out to track down the killer.
The movie just rumbles along with plot twists, the mental images are beautiful and the movie is a thriller to the end.
I was disappointed with the deleted scenes. It would have been nice if the director could have let the viewer know why the scene was deleted and what the relevance was.

There is a short cast and crew bio that is pretty nice and of course the director's commentary.

A good adaptation of the book
There were many things missing or different from the book, but what movie adaptation is perfect?... Samuel L. Jackson was wonderful as Romulus, and the story made a good movie. If you enjoy the movie, you should pick up the George Dawes Green book -- same author as The Juror, also adapted into a movie starring Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin.
Also, on the DVD's "Deleted Scenes" section there is a WONDERFULLY choreographed scene with Rom's "moth-seraphs" which is just amazingly beautiful to watch! It's too bad they cut it from the movie, but be sure to take it in when you're going through the Bonus Features.

Hidden gem!
I got this movie just because of Samuel Jackson. It turned out to be a great movie. On the one hand, it's a very decent thriller, on the other hand, it's a good psychological drama. The story of homeless man witnessing a murder is not the most original but the movie makes it fresh by very good character development. Having said this, the thriller part of the movie is not perfect. There are certain aspects of it that could be done better or plot sometimes could be more logical. But still the overall approach to the movie, its atmsosphere and great Samuel Jackson play make this movie worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Feel The Heat
Eve's Bayou is a spectacular movie. The color and scenery is wonderful and the people are elegant and troubled. Even the character's names stir up visions of dark swamp water and sultry heat. The story is told and seen through the eyes of little Eve Batiste played by a wonderful young actress named Jurnee Smollett. Eve takes us deep into her world which is filled with colorful characters and complex personalities.Diahann Carroll is fabulous as the old fortune teller Elzora with her insane laughter. Debbi Morgan as Aunt Mozelle Batiste Delacroix is something to behold. Aunt Mozelle has promised her family that she will not use her "second sight" to tell fortunes, but neighbors won't let her keep her promise. They seek her out to find missing husbands anyway. Lynn Whitfied as the manor born wife is beautiful and poised as she tries to keep her family together in spite of her wandering husband (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackson is very sexy in this movie and his character has roving eyes as well as roving hands that don't stop even when he is caught in a compromising position by his youngest daughter, Eve. This starts a set of events that lead to the total destruction of an already deeply troubled family.Although this movie did not make history at the box office my guess is that it will become a cult classic. Years from now this movie will be viewed for what it is, a brilliantly produced film. You can literally feel the Louisiana heat from Eve's Bayou. Vannie

A Poetic Accomplishment
This movie is moving and poetic in every sense of the word. From the acting right down to the musical score. I was astounded to learn this is a directorial debut.
Debbi Morgan is absolutely amazing in her role as the sister with the "gift of sight". She provides us with the most amazing scene in the film. In the scene, she is recalling a confrontation between her secret lover and husband. She recalls the events while looking through a mirror, and the scene is acted out as "reflections" in the mirror. This is one of the most powerful scenes I have witnessed. Now that I own the DVD, I can watch it over and over, it is that powerful.
My 2nd favorite performance is by Dianne Caroll, who plays the town voodoo witch.
The DVD has great commentary and an equally well produced short featurette.
The film is complimented by the musical score, which helps the story flow like velvet. I even bought the soundtrack for its amazing hypnotic quality.

Top 10
Eve's Bayou is one of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite young actresses, Jurnee Smollett. You may remember her from On Our Own, a sitcom with her siblings all apart of the cast. The acting is great and the whole movie is a lot different(including the setting) than the usual stuff that comes out. Samuel Jackson is the loving, but adulterous husband and Jurnee doesn't like it. When she decides he goes too far she does the unthinkable to protect her family.

Loved this movie!
Mystery, Magic, and Family what a wonderful base for a movie. I loved the setting, the characters, and the story. It left enough to the imagination to keep it believable. This movie is worth owning!

Eve's Bayou
This is one of the most beautifully written, directed, filmed & acted films of all time! Kasi Lemmons outdid herself with this smoldering family drama set in 1950's Creole Louisianna.

With a stellar cast including Sam Jackson, the incomparable Debbie Morgan, Lynn Whitfield, Diahann Carol, Megan Goode & Jurnee Smollet, this drama seethes with intensity broken by moments of levity. ... Read more