Marie (film)

Marie (also known as Marie: A True Story) is a 1985 film starring Sissy Spacek as the real-life Marie Ragghianti, former head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles, who was removed from office in 1977 after refusing to release prisoners who (it was discovered) had bribed aides to then-Governor Ray Blanton. Ragghianti, a single mother and political appointee, was hounded for failure to cooperate with the culture of corruption with which she found herself confronted (many of Blanton's aides faced prosecution for their roles in the scandal). The film was based on the book Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas.

It was directed by Roger Donaldson, with a screenplay by John Briley (best known as the screenwriter of Gandhi); and also starred Jeff Daniels, Keith Szarabajka, Morgan Freeman, Fred Thompson, Lisa Banes, John Cullum, Graham Beckel, and Macon McCalman. It was rated PG-13.

Critical reception

Most reviewers praised Spacek's performance. Gene Siskel found Sissy's performance as a typical noble woman to be nothing special; thus, giving the movie a thumbs down while Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs up. Several reviewers praised the acting performance of Fred Thompson, who, until then, was known primarily as a peripheral figure in the Senate probe of the Watergate scandal. Thompson, was Ragghianti's attorney during the actual trial, and played himself. This was his first film role.

References

External links

• Marie at the Internet Movie Database
• Marie at Box Office Mojo
• Review by Roger Ebert
• Review in The New York Times