I saw this years ago, and I liked it. But seeing it now, it's like Jessica Lange's performance consisted of being obnoxious and screaming a lot. I'm amazed if Frances Farmer was really like this that no one clocked her more than she allegedly got!
shareI'd be amazed how she escaped being bitch slapped on daily basis also if she was really anything like the film portrayed her. I'm researching on what she was really like, but just from seeing the film , I thought she was no more than an obnoxious, narcissistic slut who garnered way more attention than she deserved.
shareI'd call the picture "troubling" rather than "annoying". Her performance was very good, interesting, heartfelt, to me.
"Did you make coffee...? Make it!"--Cheyenne.
so true, i don't know how anybody could stand being around a woman like that would having the urge to slap herWhen there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...
I couldn't disagree more. What a bunch of misogynists you all seem to be - and conformists, to boot. Haven't you ever heard of rebellion against a corrupt and oppressive, powerclad system? I loved her performance in 1982 and I still do. Sure the character brings some of what happens to her on herself by her emotional impulsiveness to oppression, but not all by a long shot. The system is to blame for a lot of her misery.
On another note, I researched Farmer's real life a couple of years after seeing this film, and discovered that the film exaggerated the facts of her life, especially the damage done to her by the lobotomy. Still, even if the film isn't entirely true to the facts, it's a riveting film, in my opinion, and greatly enhanced by Lange's brave performance.
Sorry, genius, Frances Farmer never HAD a lobotomy. The author of "Shadowland," from whom this fictionalized account is drawn, said exactly that when he sued the movie's producers for stealing his "fictionalized" portrayal (his words in the trial, and the same words used by the judge when his lawsuit was dismissed.)
http://jeffreykauffman.net/francesfarmer/sheddinglight.html
Lange is always always good, but this is one of the strongest performances I've ever seen. She's 100% commited in every single scene.
Apparently the real Frances Farmer was too much for a lot of Hollywood people to handle. My mother's friend was a hairdresser she'd go to, and he said other clients would call ahead of time and ask, "Uh, is Frances coming in today?" And if she was, they'd change their appointment.
She was certainly under a lot of stress, though...and on amphetamine for weight loss during her acting days, so, those things can make someone very elevated and erratic.
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The "bitch slap" comment should have been removed as inappropriate for this board.
The producers commentary on the DVD was quite informative, and discussed many of the issue on this board. Also the Wikipedia article is extensive and well researched, and worth reading by anyone who has gotten this far.
The film was brilliant, but there were exaggerations. Based on evidence presented in the Wiki article she never got a lobotomy, but it is possible if unlikely. As far as the egregious abuse that was routine in state assylums in that era, the producers acknowledge that it would seem like exagerations for those who never saw the documentary "Titicut follies" Whether ever abuse actually occurred to Farmer is unknown, but it did happen in such settings on a regular basis.
The other major question is whether her mother was the evil character depicted, or, in my view more likely, simply misguided by the professionals of the era. Kim Hunter who played the role was described as strong willed, and the actors did have input in the development of the plot. I just wonder if she didn't see the way to making her part central. If so it worked, since she was nominated for an academy award for supporting actress.
Interesting
I thought Lange was being understated for the sake of being understated. How else would a person react in those situations without screaming? If she didn't scream in certain scenes, we would be saying she wasn't emoting enough.