A Thousand Acres

Starring:Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jason Robards, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Colin Firth, Keith Carradine, Kevin Anderson, Pat Hingle, Anne Pitoniak, John Carroll Lynch, Vyto Ruginis, Michelle Williams, Elisabeth Moss, Ray Toler, Kenneth Tigar, Steve Key, Dan Conway, Stan Cahill, Ray Baker, Beth Grant
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer are quietly dazzling in this underrated adaptation of Jane Smiley's best-selling modern version of King Lear. The two play sisters of a stubborn, alcoholic Iowa farmer (Jason Robards), who decides to leave his fertile farm to them and their youngest sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh). It is a decision that rends the family, setting siblings against one another and forcing long-held secrets out of their guilty closets. The family dynamics become ever more destructive, and the refuge of sanity the two older sisters have created may be their only salvation. It's a tragedy not quite on a Shakespearean scale, but anyone who appreciates the difficulties of a dysfunctional family will relate to the heartbreak--and the promise of redemption. Pfeiffer especially is breathtaking as the good housewife Rose, whose rage at her father and her husband is never far from her placid surface. --Anne Hurley

Description

Academy Award(R)-winner Jessica Lange (Best Actress, 1995, BLUE SKY) and Michelle Pfeiffer (ONE FINE DAY) join Jennifer Jason Leigh (GEORGIA) and Oscar(R)-winner Jason Robards (1977, Best Supporting Actor, ALL THE PRSIDENT'S MEN) in this widely acclaimed motion picture about silence and betrayal ... rivalry and revenge! When an aging father retires, he passes the thriving family farm on to his three daughters. But this generous gift ignites an exposive series of events that threaten to tear the family apart forever! This powerful story of shocking secrets, unspoken rivalries, and hidden desires is a film you must see ... with performances you'll never forget!

Customer Reviews:

Very Dramatic, Great Performances, & Memorable.......2007-04-15

This is one of those very dramatic dramas that seem to stay with you after you watch it. Three sisters have very conflicted feelings towards their father who is growing more and more disorientated as he ages and continues to be an alcoholic. What happened in the past to make this father resent his daughters so much and why do they feel the way they do? If you like family in distress movies then this is sure to peak your interest. Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange have a very good on screen chemistry.

EXCELLENT MOVIE.......2007-03-30

Not a big box office success this is really a very good movie. Great performances from Michelle Pfeiffer, Colin Firth, Jessica Lange and Jason Robards.

Subtle and thoughtful drama with a powerhouse cast.......2005-09-22

I wish this hadn't bombed at the box office because this was an excellent film adaptation of one of my favorite contemporary novels by Jane Smiley. I guess the themes are a little tough--incest, madness, marital infidelity, ugly family secrets, cancer and the corrupting power of sex and money aren't exactly pick-me-ups. But the actors are superb--Jessica Lange really captures the essence of her trapped-in-girlhood character as does Michelle Pfeiffer as her feisty younger sister who masks her pain behind anger. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keith Carradine, Jason Robards and my favorite, Colin Firth (complete with Midwestern accent--check out how he tries to say "farm" like an Iowan!) complete this stellar cast and everyone is terrific.

The story is a slightly different take on the story of King Lear, with Robards as an aging farmer who decides to leave his one-thousand acre farm to his three daughters, sparking life-changing conflict for them all. The story is quietly told, with two of the sisters finally acknowleding the abuse of their childhoods and searching for new hope as adults. Mixed into the tale is a subplot of adultery and betrayal.

I looked for this film for years after reading the book and am glad to have finally experienced it. If you like the stuff of real-life drama, this is a compelling story that will hold your attention and make you think.

Jessica Lange!.......2004-11-26

I initally saw this film in the theater. It deeply moved me since it realistically paralleled an event that had recently occurred in my own family. A couple years later, I watched it again on video to see if my reaction had been more personal than an actual response to the art of the film. No doubt, the acting, story and scenery evoke feelings that persist to this day.
Without the realistic and nuanced performance of Lange, the movie would be considerably less effective. As she recently did in Normal and in other respectable interpretations as in Frances and Music Box, Lange nails the intricate emotions and mannerisms that allow the viewer to get into her skin and empathize with her character's reality. Her character deals with loyalty, innocence, devotion, and betrayal, all of which Lange portrays in rich colors.
Pfeifer and Leigh are also commendable in their interpretations, and with the other talented actors a quilt of familiar comfort is weaved. Yet, as the film progresses, we see that the wear and tear of life experiences can unravel and fray that which was once beautiful, or at least had the potential to be.
A Thousand Acres is subtle but unforgettable. I'm purchasing it to view at my leisure and to share with others.

Pfeiffer and Lange: Powerhouse Performances.......2004-10-26

This is one of movies where the memorable performances of the leads particularly Pfeiffer and Lange was probably now forgotten because of the failure of the movie, at least in the box office and reception by the critics. The movie has some flaws at least from my point of view, like the lack of coherence of the whole movie, some felt rushed and underdeveloped, lacked of style in storytelling, and weakness in the script. But I personally think this movie is still worth seeing, it has a certain quality that made it compelling and very relatable.

Michelle Pfeiffer gave a tour de force performance she interpreted Rose with such anger you almost feel why she's angry. She gave so much depth to her interpretation, the way her eyes well up and the intensity of her face in the confrontation scenes. It was heartbreaking and very touching. ("I did not forgive the unforgivable, that's my sole solitary and only accomplishment") Jessica Lange gave the subtler and more vulnerable attack to the character. She's a little laid back and understated and the result is really moving performance. I think Pfeiffer gave the better performance only because she got to play the more intense, showy, and ultimately tragic character.

The late Jason Robards was very good. He created a character that's both disgusting and also compelling. In the scene where he appeared to start exhibiting signs of senility and he just lost in the case regarding the farm, You can just feel what Pfeiffer was feeling when she said to her dad while going out in the court "Daddy, you lost" and she said it with such desperation and anger. That's probably one of the worst feelings, not being able to make the person who've done you wrong know what he did.

For fans of Pfeiffer and Lange, I recommend this movie. They gave one of the best performances of their careers. For those who are not, but you're a fan of good performances I also recommend this film.

Grade: B+ (the performances I give A)

Average customer rating:

We need this on Region 1 DVD now!
What TV drama should be
great little show, why no Region 1 dvd?

Two Thousand Acres of Sky [Region 2]
Starring: Michelle Collins , Paul Kaye (IV) , Michael Carter , Henry Ian Cusick , and John Straiton
Director: Roger Gartland , Dermot Boyd , and Morag Fullarton
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001KZO0K

Customer Reviews:

We need this on Region 1 DVD now!.......2007-03-23

I saw this on a PBS station a few years ago. I have been hoping that PBS would show it again but no such luck. It is a shame that it is not available on Region 1 DVD's. It is an extremely good show with interesting people and story.

What TV drama should be.......2006-09-01

The writing on this show was great. Why oh why no DVD available for US viewers?

great little show, why no Region 1 dvd?.......2006-02-05

The story of a single mother from London who persuades her best friend Kenny to pretend to be her husband and accompany her and her two children to Ronansay, a small Scottish island, whose inhabitants advertised for a young family to take over the local B&B and help keep their small school open. This series was shown on PBS stations in the US so it is a great disappointment that it is not (yet?) available on DVD here. Sweet, funny, and sad, and also a realistic portrayal of the stuggles of people on remote islands to prevent a way of life from dying out. Good acting. Paul Kaye is especially fine as Kenny.

Charlie Rose with Jessica Lange (September 22, 1997)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Jessica Lange (September 22, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Jessica Lange talks about her interest in theater and about co-starring in the film, A Thousand Acres with Michelle Pfeiffer. She also talks to Charlie about a new project in the works, Hush, which will also star Gwyneth Paltrow.

A Thousand Acres with Michelle Pfeiffer (DIVX) DVD

Average customer rating:

A Thousand Acres with Michelle Pfeiffer (DIVX) DVD

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

A Thousand Acres starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange. THIS IS A DIVX, NOT DVD.

Average customer rating:

The Horse Whisperer/A Thousand Acres
Starring: Kathy Baldwin Keenan , Kate Bosworth , William 'Buddy' Byrd , C.J. Byrnes , and Chris Cooper
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000067DH4
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Description

A Thousand Acres - DVD- Academy Award(R)-winner Jessica Lange (Best Actress, 1995, BLUE SKY) and Michelle Pfeiffer (ONE FINE DAY) join Jennifer Jason Leigh (GEORGIA) and Oscar(R)-winner Jason Robards (1977, Best Supporting Actor, ALL THE PRSIDENT'S MEN) in this widely acclaimed motion picture about silence and betrayal ... rivalry and revenge! When an aging father retires, he passes the thriving family farm on to his three daughters. But this generous gift ignites an exposive series of events that threaten to tear the family apart forever! This powerful story of shocking secrets, unspoken rivalries, and hidden desires is a film you must see ... with performances you'll never forget! The Horse Whisperer - English/French DVD - Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Redford (Best Director, 1980, ORDINARY PEOPLE) stars with Adademy Award(R)-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (Best Actress, 1996, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) in this landmark epic adapated from one of the most acclaimed novels of our time! After a devastating riding accident, a young girl and her beloved horse are both left with serious physical and emotional scars. Determined to help, the girl's desperate mother (Thomas) puts her busy, big-city life on hold and travels west to seek out the "Horse Whisperer." When she meets this rugged, down-to-earth rancher (Redford), she discovers his extraordinary gift with animals also touches the lives of the people around him! Featuring Hollywood favorites Sam Neill (JURASSIC PARK) and Oscar(R)-winner Dianne Wiest (Best Supporting Actress, 1994, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) in a superb cast -- critics and moviegoers alike were captivated by this powerful motion picture event!

Charlie Rose with Amre Moussa; Jennifer Jason Leigh (October 2, 1997)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Amre Moussa; Jennifer Jason Leigh (October 2, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Charlie asks Egyptian Foreign Minister Amre Moussa about Egypt's role in the Mideast peace process. Plus, Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh talks about playing unlikely heroines in her film career.

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