In the press notes for Precious, the film already garnering predictions around the world of awards glory next year, producer Oprah Winfrey is described as a ‘global media leader and philanthropist’ and ‘one of the most respected and admired public figures today’.
Such largesse might seem unnecessarily self-important if it was anyone other than Oprah. After all, the woman who once used to simply present a TV chat show now owns a publishing empire more powerful than a thousand Richard and Judys and produces an entire network of television shows including her own self-titled chat show, and others presented by Dr Phil, Dr Oz and Rachael Ray. She is already, even in others’ estimations, one of the most powerful figures in media. Now, she is set to become one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.
Oprah’s no stranger to Tinseltown, of course. Since her acclaimed acting role in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple in 1985, the 55-year-old has produced movies under the Harpo Films banner since 1998’s Beloved. Most of these have been made-for-TV weepies, but with Precious, Oprah looks like she will finally join the upper echelons of the Hollywood cabal. The film ticks all the boxes for awards success: unstarry performances from starry people (including a pale and washed out Mariah Carey as a Harlem social worker), a stirring tale of self-improvement, and an accomplished African-American cast and crew. I suspect this last box will be the deciding factor, feeding as it does into the larger American narrative of 2009.
Winfrey is already anticipating the prestige that will come from Precious. Harpo Films has been very busy since the film won the Sundance Audience Award earlier this year. First, it announced plans to film the Broadway musical of The Color Purple. Recently, it bought the rights to Will You Be My Black Friend?, a comedy about a white man trying to make black friends that will star Chris Rock.
And last month Harpo announced it would produce Sam Mendes’ adaptation of Netherland, Joseph O’Neill’s novel about a cricket club in New York in the months after 9/11. This last one practically has awards potential embossed in its contract. The paperback has a front page flannel quote from one Barack Obama, and the film will be released close enough to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to satisfy some of the need for healing that will be engendered by the event. The takeover is imminent. In two years’ time Oprah Winfrey could be the most successful producer in Hollywood.
But movie-making is too fickle a business to leave such potential success to chance. Oprah will cement her position as Hollywood’s biggest power player through what buzzword enthusiasts like to call synergy. What is the point of being a ‘global media leader’ if you can’t use your vast empire to promote your own interests? So, in the weeks leading up to next month’s release of Precious, Oprah’s TV show – syndicated to over 44 million viewers a week, fact fans – has been dedicating programs to themes of incest and child abuse, coincidentally the themes explored in eye-watering close-up in Precious. What are the odds the stars of the film will end up on Oprah’s couch before the end of November?
The potential for synchronised meta-promotion at every level of the Oprah entertainment infrastructure is almost limitless, and that’s before the launch of the sinister-sounding ‘Oprah Winfrey Network’, described as a ‘multi-platform media venture’ that will ‘debut in approximately 70 million homes’ next year. You shouldn’t underestimate Oprah’s power with a certain demographic of the American people. Whenever she recommends a book, a million people flock to buy it (and yes, O’Neill’s Netherland was one such book). Many people consider Oprah’s endorsement of President Obama a key reason for his triumph over rival Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina primaries. You remember that episode of 30 Rock when Liz Lemon is asked what religion she is and she replies, “I pretty much do whatever Oprah tells me to do”? That wasn’t a joke.
This may sound a death knell for those who think the rise of Oprah brings us another step closer to the abyss, but as I’ve already reported elsewhere, Precious is actually pretty damn good. Okay, so it’s not Mike Leigh but it taps into a genuine American realism a lifetime away from the type of made-for-TV movies Harpo has done up until now (Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings, just one example).
Having read and greatly enjoyed Netherland, I was excited to hear about a movie adaptation and Mendes – like the book’s central character an expatriate in America – is an excellent choice to direct it. In short, if Harpo puts out decent product, then perhaps we should not be too afraid of Oprah’s rise to the top of the Hollywood power rankings.
