Kasi Lemmons

Eve’s Bayou

Eve’s Bayou

“The summer I killed my father, I was ten years old . . .” So begins Kasi Lemmons’s spellbinding feature debut, an evocative journey into the maze of memory, steeped in fragrant southern-gothic atmosphere. In 1960s Louisiana, a young girl (Jurnee Smollett) sees her well-to-do family unravel in the wake of the infidelities of her charming father (Samuel L. Jackson)—setting in motion a series of deceptions and betrayals that will upend her world and challenge her understanding of reality. Rooted in Creole history, folklore, and mysticism, Eve’s Bayou is a scintillating showcase for a powerhouse ensemble of Black actresses—including Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, and the legendary Diahann Carroll as a voodoo priestess—as well as a profoundly cathartic exploration of trauma, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of truth.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1997
  • 115 minutes
  • Black and White/Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #1154

DIRECTOR-APPROVED TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised by director Kasi Lemmons and cinematographer Amy Vincent, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • New 4K digital restoration of the original 108-minute theatrical-release version
  • Audio commentary on the director’s cut featuring Lemmons, Vincent, producer Caldecot Chubb, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire
  • Dr. Hugo (1996), a short film Lemmons made as a proof of concept for Eve’s Bayou, in a new 4K digital transfer
  • New interview with Lemmons
  • Cast reunion footage
  • Interview with composer Terence Blanchard
  • New program showcasing black-and-white Polaroids that Vincent took during production
  • Cast and crew photographs by William Eggleston
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Kara Keeling

    New cover by Nessim Higson

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised by director Kasi Lemmons and cinematographer Amy Vincent, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • New 4K digital restoration of the original 108-minute theatrical-release version
  • Audio commentary on the director’s cut featuring Lemmons, Vincent, producer Caldecot Chubb, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire
  • Dr. Hugo (1996), a short film Lemmons made as a proof of concept for Eve’s Bayou, in a new 4K digital transfer
  • New interview with Lemmons
  • Cast reunion footage
  • Interview with composer Terence Blanchard
  • New program showcasing black-and-white Polaroids that Vincent took during production
  • Cast and crew photographs by William Eggleston
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Kara Keeling

    New cover by Nessim Higson
Eve’s Bayou
Cast
Jurnee Smollett
Eve Batiste
Meagan Good
Cisely Batiste
Lynn Whitfield
Roz Batiste
Samuel L. Jackson
Louis Batiste
Debbi Morgan
Mozelle Batiste Delacroix
Diahann Carroll
Elzora
Lisa Nicole Carson
Matty Mereaux
Roger Guenveur Smith
Lenny Mereaux
Branford Marsalis
Harry
Ethel Ayler
Gran-mère
Jake Smollett
Poe Batiste
Vondie Curtis Hall
Julian Grayraven
Tamara Tunie
Narrator
John O’Neal
Uncle Thomy
Credits
Director
Kasi Lemmons
Written by
Kasi Lemmons
Produced by
Caldecot Chubb
Produced by
Samuel L. Jackson
Cinematography by
Amy Vincent
Edited by
Terilyn A. Shropshire
Score composed by
Terence Blanchard
Art direction by
Adele Plauche
Costume design by
Karyn Wagner
Production design by
Jeffrey Howard
Casting by
Jaki Brown
Casting by
Robyn M. Mitchell

Current

Eve’s Bayou: The Gift of Sight
Eve’s Bayou: The Gift of Sight

One of the few American films of its era directed by a Black woman, Kasi Lemmons’s feature debut advances a critique of patriarchy and asks questions about gender and sexuality that still resonate today.

By Kara Keeling