Synopsis

Film adaptation of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Jane Smiley, which is loosely based on King Lear but with a feminist slant. Larry (Robards) decides to give his daughters joint ownership of his land. His youngest daughter, Caroline (Leigh) questions the idea and her father disowns her.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Film; Video

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Year of release

1997

Duration

101 mins

Credits

Director

Jocelyn Moorhouse

Producer

Kate Guinzburg; Lynn Arost; Marc Abraham; Sigurjon Sighvatsson; Steve Golin

Cinematographer

Tak Fujimoto

Writer

Jane Smiley

Screenplay

Laura Jones

Music

Richard Hartley

Cast

Jason Robards	Larry Cook (Lear)
Jennifer Jason Leigh	Caroline Cook (Cordelia)
Colin Firth	Jess Clark
Jessica Lange	Ginny Cook Smith (Goneril)
Keith Carradine	Ty Smith (Duke of Albany)
Kevin Anderson	Peter Lewis (Duke of Cornwall)
Michelle Pfeiffer	Rose Cook Lewis (Regan)

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

King Lear

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Reviews

Ezell, P. A. ‘Thousand Acres: King Lear for the Heartland’ in Creative Screenwriting 5.2 (1998), p16-19.

Production Company

Name

Prairie Films

Name

Via Rosa

Distributor

Name

4 Front Video

Phone

020 7079 6000

Fax

020 7079 6524

Address

Universal Pictures Video
Prospect House
Third Floor
80-110 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1HB

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Retail outlets