the immortal life of henrietta lacks movie

#THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS MOVIE MOVIE#

The HeLa cells, as they were known, represented a breakthrough whose impact can't be overstated.Ĭells from Henrietta Lacks became the foundation for a breathtaking series of developments, from the biomedical industry to research leading to treatments for such illnesses as polio, Parkinson's disease and leukemia. Those cells were cultured, and were found to be able to reproduce in a lab - the first time human cells had done that.

Without her knowledge or consent, doctors harvested her cells. She died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1951. Lacks was a 31-year-old African American woman who was descended from slaves. What happened to Henrietta Lacks, and those in her family, is powerfully, and at times painfully, dramatic. And though it's made with all the good intentions in the world, 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' feels rushed and cramped. But the story of Henrietta Lacks is too big to be compressed into 90 minutes. Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer and the star.

#THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS MOVIE MOVIE#

HBO has made a TV movie adaptation of Skloot's book, which comes bearing its own impressive credentials. It spent nearly six years on the New York Times bestseller list, and sparked countless discussions of race, class, poverty, science, and medical ethics. Skloot devoted 10 years to working on the book, which was published in 2010. The story former Portlander Rebecca Skloot told in her nonfiction book, 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,' was so remarkable it's not surprising that Skloot's book became a publishing phenomenon.

The immortal life of henrietta lacks movie