The Grass Harp
Starring:Joe Don Baker, Bonnie Bartlett, Nell Carter, Adam Crosby, Nora Dunfee, Charles Durning, Sean Patrick Flanery, Grayson Fricke, Edward Furlong, Mia Kirshner, Piper Laurie, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Roddy McDowall, Ray McKinnon, Doris Roberts, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Scott Wilson
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product Type: DVD
Average customer rating:
- Nice Story
- the grass harp, excellent!
- Slow Paced Charmer
- Undiscovered Gem of Wonderful Surprises & Great Perfomances
- Hollywood's Nepotism Award goes to - Charles Matthau!
|
The Grass Harp
Starring: Joe Don Baker , Bonnie Bartlett , Nell Carter , Adam Crosby , and Nora Dunfee
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Baker, Joe Don
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Bartlett, Bonnie
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Carter, Nell
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Durning, Charles
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Flanery, Sean Patrick
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Fricke, Grayson
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Furlong, Edward
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Kirshner, Mia
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Laurie, Piper
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Lemmon, Jack
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Matthau, Walter
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McDowall, Roddy
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McKinnon, Ray
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Roberts, Doris
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Spacek, Sissy
| ( S )
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Steenburgen, Mary
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Similar Items:
- The Trip to Bountiful
- The Grass Harp
- Cross Creek
- The Front Page
- Other Voices, Other Rooms
ASIN: B0007P0XAA
Release Date: 2005-04-19 |
Customer Reviews:
Nice Story.......2007-03-05
"The Glass Harp" (1995) will remind a lot of viewers of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Not a huge surprise given that both stories involve Truman Capote's childhood (Harper Lee based the Dill Harris character on Capote). Both films also use small Alabama towns for their locations.
Capote loosely based his 1951 "The Glass Harp" novella on the eccentric maiden cousins of his childhood. For the film Piper Laurie plays good Aunt Dolly and Sissy Spacek bad Aunt Verena (who is even less likable than Pollyanna's Aunt Polly). Spacek gets to do something out of character and nicely underplays this one. Laurie gets to have even more fun and turns in a joyful performance. She is a little too good to be true but Laurie manages to sell the character with a remarkable performance. In the 1950's Laurie was an extremely pretty (and hot) young starlet but it is obvious from this and her performance in "Carrie" (playing Spacek's mother) that there was a lot of substance in that pretty package.
Edward Furlong (best know as John Conner in "Terminator 2") avoids the "Pollyanna" trap and is pretty easy to take. The coming-of-age side of the story works quite well.
"The Glass Harp" is a bit underrated, probably because the screenplay fails to capture the lyrical quality of Capote's storytelling, giving the viewer a surfeit of sentimentality compounded by a too sweet score. The title is a reference to the musical sound of blowing grass, a metaphor about intergenerational connections and the primary theme of the story.
Walter Matthau directed and would have benefited from a little more restraint. This is not a fatal flaw but the film would have been more powerful with Mockingbird's toned down production design and less colorful characters; maybe even going so far as to release it in black and white.
Those looking for action adventure and hot romance should look elsewhere. But there are a lot of "Mockingbird" fans out there who should really enjoy "The Glass Harp". Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
the grass harp, excellent!.......2006-02-23
I loved this film adaptation of Truman Capote's classic novel. Even if you haven't read the book, the movie stands on its own and conveys the wit, humor and depth of the characters as intended by the author.
Slow Paced Charmer.......2005-12-14
The main fun of this film is picking out the stars often
playing minor roles. In the movie Carrie, Piper Laurie
played Sissy Spacek's religious fundamentalist mother. In
this film the roles are reversed with Spacek playing Laurie's
domineering sister. Keep an eye out for Walter and Charles
Matthau, Nell Carter, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen, Joe
Don Baker, Charles Durning, Roddy McDowall and Doris Roberts
(Mildred on Remington Steele).
The movie is extremely slow paced. You know how movies
often go syrupy right at the end where the actors start
mouthing platitudes and smiling benignly into the sunset or
running over fields. This movie goes on like that for the
last 20 minutes of the movie. It became so unbearably
saccharine I started laughing.
The other pleasure of this movie is the recreations a
gentler time, the south in the 1930s. Lavish interiors,
antique cars, prudish townspeople and nature in fall colours
are a feast for the eye.
Undiscovered Gem of Wonderful Surprises & Great Perfomances.......2005-04-27
Set in the 30's, The Grass Harp is a story about an orphan boy who is sent to live with his eccentric aunts. The story follows the plight of social "outcasts" with humor and insight.
On the surface this story is about love and our connections to others - both living and dead. Yet underneath run themes of social prejudice, racial inequality, religion, morals and the struggles of social conformity vs. individual expression - but the film never preaches. It just reveals.
Director Charles Matthau accomplished the near-impossible task of adapting Truman Capote's classic book into a beautiful rendered film. Wisely, he approached this multi-layered story with a light touch, allowing the material and talent to shine. Matthau skillfully captures a myriad of complex relationships and emotions, allowing the characters to live and breathe without placing judgment on who they are.
The boy's coming-of-age story is entertaining, humorous and poignant. As the film unfolds, Collin encounters a diverse group of characters, from which he gains valuable insights about life. Now an adult he looks back (as the narrator) reflecting on this formative time.
Each character is uniquely distinct and true-to-life. The entire all-star cast is at the top of their game.
This is the best performance of Piper Laurie's career. She is delicate and mesmerizing as the fragile Dolly Talbo. Her scenes with Spacey and Matthau will break your heart.
For those of you who have only seen Walter Matthau in grumpy curmudgeon roles, you are in for a treat! Matthau is wonderful as a Judge Cool, a Southern gentleman struggling to find meaning in his retirement years. As Piper Laurie's love interest he is tender and charming yet dignified. A man of integrity and honor, Judge Cool is the only "accepted" towns person with compassion for the outcasts.
As a collective, the ensemble cast captures the social pecking order with uncanny accuracy.
Jon Don Baker is great as the Sheriff, Nell Carter is a hoot as the eccentric housekeeper and Sissy Spacek is an amazing blend of steely resolve masking her conflicted feelings of vulnerability and insecurity.
Roddy McDowell is the delightfully sarcastic barber. Jack Lemmon and Mary Steenbergen are great fun as out-of-towners who stir things up. Mary as a traveling cowgirl evangelist out to save souls - never mind that she is a single- mother of fourteen kids...all by different fathers! She pulls it off with comic charm and sad poignancy. Lemmon is a "chemical engineer" (read quack potions salesman) with a scheme to get his hands on Dolly's herbal potion. Although some locals may be skeptical about Lemmon and Steenbergen motives, they never play their roles in black and white terms.
The film is exceptionally well written, particularly considering how many characters there were to juggle. All the characters are well-developed and performed. Even the shady characters are oh-so-human in their desperate schemes to survive the Great Depression.
There is also one of the most delightful casts of furry creatures ever assembled: a host of cats, dogs, fish, and a scene-stealing Rooster named Ralph. It looked to me like Ralph was huffing around wishing he had more lines. I'd be all for him getting his own sequel.
Hollywood's Nepotism Award goes to - Charles Matthau!.......2003-12-06
A boy grows up in the thirties. Collin Fenwick (Edward Furlong) feels attachment to his aunt Dolly (Piper Laurie), a good-natured, warm-hearted, somewhat fidgety woman. But her domineering sister Verena (Sissy Spacek) considers Dolly unfit for life. In her eyes she is not presentable and she feels ashamed for her. When Verena falls for a trickster (Jack Lemmon) who pretends to market Dolly's medicinal draughts she blames her sister for her disappointment. Dolly and the other subjugated members of the household seek shelter in a tree-house. An old judge (Walter Matthau) who feels some affection for Dolly joins them...
When Truman Capote's autobiographic novel was published in 1951 the literary critics wrote that it was poetry. It seemed so pure and unadulterated. So american. Especially when compared with all this nihilist and existentialist stuff post-war Europe had to offer. Besides: they didn't have THE WALTONS then. This know-all family had at least a backbone. The film THE GRASS HARP has none. Not everything is bad. It has a feeling for the thirties atmosphere, some nice views of the countryside, and Piper Laurie's performance is heartfelt and deeply moving. But all this is not enough to save the film. Walter Matthau is just as indifferent and gloomy as in the - equally unwatchable - THE MARRIAGE FOOL. Mary Steenburgen delivers a routine evangelist-Aimee-Semple-Macpherson performance. Jack Lemmon - the only reason why I watched this film at all - appears, looks snappy in his outfit, plays a self-composed song on the piano and disappears. A cameo. Sissy Spacek seems downright piqued: She used to play Laurie's daughter in CARRIE and Lemmon's daughter in law in MISSING. And now they play her younger-looking sister and her cheating boyfriend. On the other hand, it takes courage from a sympathetic woman like Spacek to portray such an unpleasant character. Director Charles Matthau is the son of a rich filmstar. His parents adored him and when he decided to become a director his father gave him every conceivable assistance. Famous actors (Daddy's friends) worked in his films for a fraction of their usual salary (those who gave him the nepotism award over all the other star kids knew whom they chose). Why is it that one of the most privileged persons on this planet makes such depressing films? Watch THE GRASS HARP if you want, but it you need psychotherapy afterwards to keep you from jumping off a bridge - send your bill to Mr. Charles Matthau.
![The Grass Harp [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/215S9W5RECL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Nice Story
- the grass harp, excellent!
- Slow Paced Charmer
- Undiscovered Gem of Wonderful Surprises & Great Perfomances
- Hollywood's Nepotism Award goes to - Charles Matthau!
|
The Grass Harp [Region 2]
ProductGroup: DVD
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| Television
| Westerns
Similar Items:
- The Trip to Bountiful
- The Grass Harp
- Cross Creek
- The Front Page
- Other Voices, Other Rooms
ASIN: B0000Z0H94 |
Customer Reviews:
Nice Story.......2007-03-05
"The Glass Harp" (1995) will remind a lot of viewers of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Not a huge surprise given that both stories involve Truman Capote's childhood (Harper Lee based the Dill Harris character on Capote). Both films also use small Alabama towns for their locations.
Capote loosely based his 1951 "The Glass Harp" novella on the eccentric maiden cousins of his childhood. For the film Piper Laurie plays good Aunt Dolly and Sissy Spacek bad Aunt Verena (who is even less likable than Pollyanna's Aunt Polly). Spacek gets to do something out of character and nicely underplays this one. Laurie gets to have even more fun and turns in a joyful performance. She is a little too good to be true but Laurie manages to sell the character with a remarkable performance. In the 1950's Laurie was an extremely pretty (and hot) young starlet but it is obvious from this and her performance in "Carrie" (playing Spacek's mother) that there was a lot of substance in that pretty package.
Edward Furlong (best know as John Conner in "Terminator 2") avoids the "Pollyanna" trap and is pretty easy to take. The coming-of-age side of the story works quite well.
"The Glass Harp" is a bit underrated, probably because the screenplay fails to capture the lyrical quality of Capote's storytelling, giving the viewer a surfeit of sentimentality compounded by a too sweet score. The title is a reference to the musical sound of blowing grass, a metaphor about intergenerational connections and the primary theme of the story.
Walter Matthau directed and would have benefited from a little more restraint. This is not a fatal flaw but the film would have been more powerful with Mockingbird's toned down production design and less colorful characters; maybe even going so far as to release it in black and white.
Those looking for action adventure and hot romance should look elsewhere. But there are a lot of "Mockingbird" fans out there who should really enjoy "The Glass Harp". Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
the grass harp, excellent!.......2006-02-23
I loved this film adaptation of Truman Capote's classic novel. Even if you haven't read the book, the movie stands on its own and conveys the wit, humor and depth of the characters as intended by the author.
Slow Paced Charmer.......2005-12-14
The main fun of this film is picking out the stars often
playing minor roles. In the movie Carrie, Piper Laurie
played Sissy Spacek's religious fundamentalist mother. In
this film the roles are reversed with Spacek playing Laurie's
domineering sister. Keep an eye out for Walter and Charles
Matthau, Nell Carter, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen, Joe
Don Baker, Charles Durning, Roddy McDowall and Doris Roberts
(Mildred on Remington Steele).
The movie is extremely slow paced. You know how movies
often go syrupy right at the end where the actors start
mouthing platitudes and smiling benignly into the sunset or
running over fields. This movie goes on like that for the
last 20 minutes of the movie. It became so unbearably
saccharine I started laughing.
The other pleasure of this movie is the recreations a
gentler time, the south in the 1930s. Lavish interiors,
antique cars, prudish townspeople and nature in fall colours
are a feast for the eye.
Undiscovered Gem of Wonderful Surprises & Great Perfomances.......2005-04-27
Set in the 30's, The Grass Harp is a story about an orphan boy who is sent to live with his eccentric aunts. The story follows the plight of social "outcasts" with humor and insight.
On the surface this story is about love and our connections to others - both living and dead. Yet underneath run themes of social prejudice, racial inequality, religion, morals and the struggles of social conformity vs. individual expression - but the film never preaches. It just reveals.
Director Charles Matthau accomplished the near-impossible task of adapting Truman Capote's classic book into a beautiful rendered film. Wisely, he approached this multi-layered story with a light touch, allowing the material and talent to shine. Matthau skillfully captures a myriad of complex relationships and emotions, allowing the characters to live and breathe without placing judgment on who they are.
The boy's coming-of-age story is entertaining, humorous and poignant. As the film unfolds, Collin encounters a diverse group of characters, from which he gains valuable insights about life. Now an adult he looks back (as the narrator) reflecting on this formative time.
Each character is uniquely distinct and true-to-life. The entire all-star cast is at the top of their game.
This is the best performance of Piper Laurie's career. She is delicate and mesmerizing as the fragile Dolly Talbo. Her scenes with Spacey and Matthau will break your heart.
For those of you who have only seen Walter Matthau in grumpy curmudgeon roles, you are in for a treat! Matthau is wonderful as a Judge Cool, a Southern gentleman struggling to find meaning in his retirement years. As Piper Laurie's love interest he is tender and charming yet dignified. A man of integrity and honor, Judge Cool is the only "accepted" towns person with compassion for the outcasts.
As a collective, the ensemble cast captures the social pecking order with uncanny accuracy.
Jon Don Baker is great as the Sheriff, Nell Carter is a hoot as the eccentric housekeeper and Sissy Spacek is an amazing blend of steely resolve masking her conflicted feelings of vulnerability and insecurity.
Roddy McDowell is the delightfully sarcastic barber. Jack Lemmon and Mary Steenbergen are great fun as out-of-towners who stir things up. Mary as a traveling cowgirl evangelist out to save souls - never mind that she is a single- mother of fourteen kids...all by different fathers! She pulls it off with comic charm and sad poignancy. Lemmon is a "chemical engineer" (read quack potions salesman) with a scheme to get his hands on Dolly's herbal potion. Although some locals may be skeptical about Lemmon and Steenbergen motives, they never play their roles in black and white terms.
The film is exceptionally well written, particularly considering how many characters there were to juggle. All the characters are well-developed and performed. Even the shady characters are oh-so-human in their desperate schemes to survive the Great Depression.
There is also one of the most delightful casts of furry creatures ever assembled: a host of cats, dogs, fish, and a scene-stealing Rooster named Ralph. It looked to me like Ralph was huffing around wishing he had more lines. I'd be all for him getting his own sequel.
Hollywood's Nepotism Award goes to - Charles Matthau!.......2003-12-06
A boy grows up in the thirties. Collin Fenwick (Edward Furlong) feels attachment to his aunt Dolly (Piper Laurie), a good-natured, warm-hearted, somewhat fidgety woman. But her domineering sister Verena (Sissy Spacek) considers Dolly unfit for life. In her eyes she is not presentable and she feels ashamed for her. When Verena falls for a trickster (Jack Lemmon) who pretends to market Dolly's medicinal draughts she blames her sister for her disappointment. Dolly and the other subjugated members of the household seek shelter in a tree-house. An old judge (Walter Matthau) who feels some affection for Dolly joins them...
When Truman Capote's autobiographic novel was published in 1951 the literary critics wrote that it was poetry. It seemed so pure and unadulterated. So american. Especially when compared with all this nihilist and existentialist stuff post-war Europe had to offer. Besides: they didn't have THE WALTONS then. This know-all family had at least a backbone. The film THE GRASS HARP has none. Not everything is bad. It has a feeling for the thirties atmosphere, some nice views of the countryside, and Piper Laurie's performance is heartfelt and deeply moving. But all this is not enough to save the film. Walter Matthau is just as indifferent and gloomy as in the - equally unwatchable - THE MARRIAGE FOOL. Mary Steenburgen delivers a routine evangelist-Aimee-Semple-Macpherson performance. Jack Lemmon - the only reason why I watched this film at all - appears, looks snappy in his outfit, plays a self-composed song on the piano and disappears. A cameo. Sissy Spacek seems downright piqued: She used to play Laurie's daughter in CARRIE and Lemmon's daughter in law in MISSING. And now they play her younger-looking sister and her cheating boyfriend. On the other hand, it takes courage from a sympathetic woman like Spacek to portray such an unpleasant character. Director Charles Matthau is the son of a rich filmstar. His parents adored him and when he decided to become a director his father gave him every conceivable assistance. Famous actors (Daddy's friends) worked in his films for a fraction of their usual salary (those who gave him the nepotism award over all the other star kids knew whom they chose). Why is it that one of the most privileged persons on this planet makes such depressing films? Watch THE GRASS HARP if you want, but it you need psychotherapy afterwards to keep you from jumping off a bridge - send your bill to Mr. Charles Matthau.
![The Grass Harp [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)
Average customer rating:
|
The Grass Harp [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
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ASIN: B000FTD67K |
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