These movie probably wouldn't interest alot of people. But since I'm Creole it meant alot to me. Cause it taught me about how the creoles of colour were back then.

I read some of the other reviews and lucky for me, I've never read any of Ms. Rice's novels; otherwise, I guess I'd be disappointed to.

However, I have read Joel A. Rogers' work: Sex and Race, which deals with the Balls depicted in this stiring film.

When I heard about this film on Showtime and saw the previews, I couldn't wait to see it and I wasn't disappointed.

At some point, I'll read the book and get more into the characters, but I have no idea when.

in Antebellum Louisiana, Gens de Colour. As a woman of African, American Indian, and White ancestry, I've always been fascinated by those people in New Orleans who formed an aristocracy unto themselves and were free. They have their rituals, customs, and amusements such as the famous Quadroon Balls. They have rights and freedoms that most blacks and multiracials, slave and free, in antebellum America didn't have, yet they were not completely free because the power elite of that time didn't want to share power with the free people of color. They may conduct business with them, but refuse to invite them to their houses for dinner or social function.

Anne Rice has done an excellent job telling the story through the eyes of young Marcel, who came of age at 17, was promised by his absentee father an education abroad. However, because of the racism and jealousy of the Ferronaire family as well as the economic troubles at Bontemps, he was denied his lifelong dream of going there to pursue his prestigious education at the Sorbonne. He took matters in his own hands and went to the plantation where his father lives and was forbidden by his father to visit there. It was there where Marcel was brutally whipped and kicked by his own his father, in the presence of his estranged wife and children. What man would abuse his own flesh and blood? It has to be motivated by race and class: Marcel must learn his place in the white world of 19th-Century Louisiana. He learned it the hard way through the denial of privileges his absentee father enjoy as well as his humiliation and abuse by M. Ferronaire. He now learned that he must cast his allegience to people of color, whose lives have been shaped by society's limitations and its racist, classist behavior and ritual.

His mother's insane devotion to her absentee protector didn't help Marcel's recent problems, yet he must leave his family to live at his schoolteacher's house or else they lose monetary and material support from M. Ferronaire. Humiliated and hurt, Marcel offer himself to him, but Mercier refuses, citing his childish dependency upon others, especially by those whom didn't truly love him. His father was a prime example.

The free multiracial women of New Orleans were in a very precarious position. While they were praised for their "exotic" beauty, they weren't allow to marry white men. Pernicious class prejudices made it difficult to marry free multiracial men for that meant lower social status. Some of the women chose convent life, but even that is out of the question for most of them. So they settle into a lifestyle of their mothers: That being a well-kept mistress of a white man. Only certain white men qualify. He has to be wealthy, refined, educated, and of the upper class. Those women wouldn't settle for less. Case in point: Cecile Ste Marie and her daughter. When Cecile's daughter Marie chose to be married to Monsieur de Lemontant's son, she was disappointed at her daughter's choice, for she is expected to follow her mother in the tradition of having a wealthy, refined white man as her protector. She recently lost her lover to death and didn't leave her family any provisions for their survival. Marcel's still at San Souci and her daughter's pursuit of Richard Lemontant didn't help her current financial woes. She summon her long-neglected daughter to discuss about the situation and for her to accept placage, which her daughter consider it another form of slavery in a gilded cage without the benefit of marriage. They had a very heated argument over it that caused her mom to summon her less than respectable friend, Dolly Rose to her house to help Marie to see that her decision of marrying Richard isn't in her mom's best interest. She steadfast held to her position which led to disasterous consequences afterwards.

I couldn't forgive Cecile St. Marie for the neglect of her daughter, indifferent to the suffering her son had at the hands of his callous and insensitive father, the brutal rape of his sister and the suicide of their half-sister Lisette following the incident at the voodoo brothel. He finally found peace with his people at the end of the movie. He decides to become a photographer and to work with the people in his hometown instead of studying abroad. He also found renewed love from Anna Bella Monroe played by Bianca Lawson from "Save the Last Dance." Anna Bella emerge as the stronger character in all of this and much more, even with the placage with Aglae's brother and eventual abandonment by him. He didn't left her in poverty, for he left her the house along with all the possessions as well as lifelong monetary support which Philippe didn't do for the Ste. Marie family.

I wish Americans know more of this least-known group of people andstop the unnecessary divisions among the human race. America needs to acknowlege their ties to one another, that racial/ethnic category terms such as "blacks" and "whites" are just artificial social categories design to keep people apart and resentful of one another. We are one people regardless of our various racial and ethnic origins.

I recommend this movie to those who want to know the whole truth about American history instead of the doctored version parroted by the media and educational system.

I first saw this movie on Showtime and had been checking to see when it would come out on DVD or VHS. When it came out, I immediately purchsed it. This is an outstanding movie. I have asked all my friends and relatives if they saw the movie. I also carry it with me in my suitcase when I go to Louisiana and Texas to make sure my relatives see the movie. The ones that have, also concur that the movie is outstanding. I try to see all movies regarding slavery to understand what my ancestors went through during slavery time.

I am a man of African, Native American and White descent. My father and mother both from (previous) Slaves states (mother from Virginia and father from Texas) never discussed what they knew about my family history regarding slavery and the only history I learned up until high school was about White American history, so when I became an adult I had a desire to find out about American history which included slavery, because that is a part of America history. I've read several books about the subject and seen (I thought) all the movies about slavery in America. I'm glad that Anne Rice wrote the novel and allowed the movie to be made from her book, otherwise, I wouldn't have known about this part of American history. This movie moved me so much because I could identify with the characters of mixed heritage and I think every American of all races should see this movie. Just one more true story that all American's should know about so we can understand how blessed we are to have moved from that very terrible time to now. In America we still have problems, but not like the ones that existed during Slave time. I've seen this movie 6 times during 2003. It's one that I know I will be watching again and again. I've also purchased the book based on the ratings I saw at Amazon.com so I could compare it to the movie. I'd highly recommend this movie to everyone, but parents should be cautioned about showing it to young children because some of the scenes are very difficult to watch.