Main Cast: Alva Rogers, Barbara O, Adisa Anderson, Cora Lee Day, Kaycee Moore
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
At the turn of the century, West African slaves were brought to a small island near South Carolina to labor in the indigo trade. Isolated in the swampy atmosphere, the Gullah community was built based on ancient Yoruba traditions. They spoke in a distinct dialect, a combination of English and West African languages. This unique community is explored in Julie Dash's debut feature Daughters of the Dust, a costume drama about the Peazant family, a fictional group of Gullah natives living on Ido Landing. The secluded family experiences conflicts surrounding religion, industrialization, and tradition. The mystical matriarch Nana (Cora Lee Day) holds true to the beliefs of their anscestors, while Haagar (Kaycee Moore) can't wait to move away. Yellow Mary (Barbara O) returns from a life as a prostitute in Cuba with her girlfriend, and gets morally attacked by the reformed Christian Viola (Cheryl Lynn Bruce). Meanwhile, indifferent Eula (Alva Rogers) is pregnant with a baby that may or may not be the result of a rape. While the story doesn't attempt to follow a standard Eurocentric narrative, the plot revolves around a picnic on the shore in honor of the family members who chose to move to the prosperity of the north. The narrator is a spirit called the Unborn Child, who appears sometimes as a rambunctious little girl. A photographer accompanies the group to capture the events on film. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
Even with a meager budget, director Julie Dash manages to visually capture a unique time and place in the historical epic Daughters of the Dust. Rich images of long white lacy dresses, a grandmother's indigo-dyed hands, and a soul food buffet on a seashore create a vivid context for entering into the Peazant family's memories. The narrative itself is a collection of memories, as remembered by the Unborn Child, offering a connection to both the past and future. Not following a traditional plot line, it instead evokes feelings of the excitement and confusion of an isolated community coming into contact with the outside world. The presence of the photographer suggests that the memories are being created and recalled simultaneously. The story is difficult to follow anyway, and it doesn't help that the characters speak in the Gullah dialect, which makes use of subtitles. Dash did extensive research about this extraordinary community, including her own family history. The historical information isn't presented clearly, so it is sure to cause confusion for the casual viewer. However, with the help of cinematographer Arthur Jafa, the compelling images compensate for lack of narrative cohesion. For a lyrical and atmospheric tribute filled with playful storytelling, Daughters of the Dust offers a rewarding cinematic experience. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Cast
Alva Rogers - Eula Peazant
Barbara O - Yellow Mary
Adisa Anderson - Eli Peazant
Cora Lee Day - Nana Peazant
Kaycee Moore - Haagar Peazant
Eartha Robinson - Myown; Bahni Turpin - Iona Peazant; Cheryl Lynn Bruce - Viola; Trula Hoosier - Trula; Joe Taylor - Peazant Man; Stanley White - Indigo Plantation; Trula M. Marcus - Companion; Raymond Paige - Baptismal Procession; Sherry Jackson - Older Cousin
Credit
Michael Kelly Williams - Art Director, Arline Burks - Costume Designer, Larry Meistrich - First Assistant Director, Nandi Bowe - First Assistant Director, Julie Dash - Director, Joseph Burton - Editor, Amy Carey - Editor, Lidsay Law - Executive Producer, John Barnes - Composer (Music Score), Kerry Marshall - Production Designer, Arthur Jafa - Cinematographer, Julie Dash - Producer, Arthur Jafa - Producer, Veda Campbell - Sound/Sound Designer, Julie Dash - Screenwriter
Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film written and directed by Julie Dash. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah women at the turn of the 20th century and focuses on the family's migration from the Sea Islands to the American mainland.
Featuring an unusual narrative device, the film is told by an unborn child. The movie gained critical praise, for both its rich language and use of song, and for its use of imagery.
In 2004, Daughters of the Dust was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Daughters of the Dust is also a novel written by Julie Dash, published by Plume Books, a division of Penguin USA, in February 1999.
