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      Cora Unashamed

      TV-PG 2000 1h 35m Drama List
      Reviews 80% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A black servant (Regina Taylor) develops a close bond with her wealthy employers' daughter (Molly Graham) in the 1930s. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Strong inspiring woman. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of those tales that tug at your heart strings. "Cora Unashamed" is a movie of love, lost and most of all courage. With such wonderful acting and beautiful scenery, it is definitely worth seeing. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a touching, beautifully sad story. Fabulous acting. Nice scenery. Regina Taylor, Cherry Jones, and Cch Pounder did a really nice job. Sad, sad turn of events, though. Not a very happy movie... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Powerful movie of love that transcended the color-line in a small town in Iowa during the 1930's. Regina Taylor (Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner) plays a household domestic for a well-to-do white family. She has a small daughter who dies at an early age and, in her grief, she turns to her employer's small daughter (Jesse) for solace. Little Jesse is not as "bright" as her social-climbing mother would like and is constantly pushed to "fit in". Jesse's father goes to/from work and is largely uninvolved with both household issues and the raising of his children. When Jesse grows up she meets a nice Greek boy in the town and they plan to marry. Father is fine with that plan but Mother is appalled ("loss of social standing"). Jesse confides to Cora that she's pregnant by Willie (the young Greek man) and mother whisks her too to the big city for some "shopping". When they return, Jesse is broken--physically and emotionally. Cora wants to comfort her but Mother suddenly acquires a sense of motherhood and shuts Cora out. You must watch this movie to see the end result of a mother's arrogance and a friend's love. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member beautiful yet so sad Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is based on a short story by Langston Hughes, which you can read at http://ncteamericancollection.org/coratext.htm (insert obvious spoiler alert here). Great storyline, even though they may have stretched a few details with some of the plot elements. I'd say the acting was mediocre, given that this is a PBS film. I wouldn't know how people behaved back in the early 20th century, but it was believable, so I'll give the actors and actresses credit for that. Some interesting tidbits since I'm an Iowan: This movie may have been filmed in the Boone-Ames-Marshalltown area (including Ledges State Park), as indicated at the ending credits, and allegedly taking place in a non-existent (or former?) town of Melton. The town apparently resides in Monroe county, which is southeast of Des Moines. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture You will not see two better performances on stage or screen anywhere this season. Feb 6, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A black servant (Regina Taylor) develops a close bond with her wealthy employers' daughter (Molly Graham) in the 1930s.
      Production Co
      WGBH, Alt Films
      Rating
      TV-PG
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      1h 35m