| The Trip to Bountiful | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Masterson |
| Produced by | Horton Foote Sterling Van Wagenen |
| Written by | Horton Foote |
| Starring | Geraldine Page John Heard Carlin Glynn Richard Bradford Rebecca De Mornay |
| Music by | J.A.C. Redford |
| Cinematography | Fred Murphy |
| Editing by | Jay Freund |
| Studio | Bountiful Film Partners FilmDallas Pictures |
| Distributed by | Island Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 25, 1985 |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Trip to Bountiful is a 1985 film starring Geraldine Page, John Heard, Carlin Glynn, Richard Bradford and Rebecca De Mornay. Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Carrie Watts. The movie was adapted by Horton Foote from his television play. The Trip to Bountiful premiered March 1, 1953 on NBC-TV, directed by Vincent J. Donehue with Lillian Gish, Eileen Heckart and Eva Marie Saint. Lillian Gish and Eva Marie Saint reprised their roles when Donehue took the play to Broadway later that year for a total of 39 performances.
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The Bountiful of the title is a fictitious Texas town. (See Bountiful for other places by this name.) Although set in Houston, Texas (as was the original play), the movie was filmed by director Peter Masterson in Dallas.
The film features an all-star cast including John Heard and Geraldine Page and a soundtrack by J.A.C. Redford featuring Will Thompson's "Softly and Tenderly" sung by Grammy-award winner Cynthia Clawson. The film won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Page) and was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
The film, set in the 1940s, tells the story of an elderly woman, Carrie Watts (Page), who wants to return home to the small town where she grew up, but is frequently stopped from leaving Houston, Texas by her daughter-in-law and an overprotective son who won't let her travel alone.
Old Mrs. Watts is determined to outwit her son and bossy daughter-in-law, and sets out to catch a train, only to find that trains don't go to Bountiful anymore. She eventually boards a bus to a town near her childhood home. On the journey, she befriends a girl traveling alone (DeMornay) and reminisces about her younger years and grieves for her lost relatives. Her son and daughter-in-law eventually track her down, with the help of the local police force. However, Mrs. Watts is determined. The local sheriff, moved by her yearning to visit her girlhood home, offers to drive her out to what remains of Bountiful. The village is deserted, and the few remaining houses are derelict. Mrs. Watts is moved to tears as she surveys her father's land and the remains of the family home. Her son eventually turns up, and drives her back to Houston.
On April 12, 2005, MGM released The Trip to Bountiful on DVD in region 1 US in a widescreen format.
Academy Award
Boston Society of Film Critics Award
Golden Globe Award
Independent Spirit Award
Mainichi Film Concours
Writers Guild of America Award