Feast of All Saints - Peter Medak

Feast of All Saints started out as a novel by Anne Rice, published in 1979. It was her second novel and her follow-up to Interview with the Vampire (1976). The story was about the Free People of Color in New Orleans during the 1840's. Being a fan of Anne Rice I read it quite some time ago and learned a lot of history about New Orleans, as well as Haiti. I thought the characters were well developed and at 571 pages, it kept me reading to the end. History and fiction mixed in a new-to-me world that caught my attention. For those who are new to this, the Free People of Color were not slaves, but they weren't fully accepted into white society either. The story mainly deals with a second generation of younger people who have a white father and a black mother. It is their story that is being told, how the young men are gentlemen, but still considered a different class due to their heritage, and not allowed the full freedom that their white siblings (same father but white mother) may have. This usually came about due to the balls that were thrown where lighter skinned black girls were allowed to dance with white gentlemen who would then select one and set them up as a mistress with a house in New Orleans, and pay their way and their childrens way in life. That is a much diluted and probably poorly worded explanation so please take the time to read the book. 

In 2001 this book was adapted into a two-part Showtime Television series. The cast is amazing: Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Pam Grier, Jasmine Guy, James Earl Jones, Gloria Reuben, Ben Vereen, Forest Whitaker, and Eartha Kitt! I mean, with a cast like that!!! For me, the 571 pages of great writing, and historical context, and character development were not able to be condensed into 212 minutes. I felt the main character of Marcel did not grow or change much at all. Maybe that was a choice of the actor, director, or script adaptation but it really didn't work for me. That being written, take a chance and make up your own mind.