Frances (film)

Frances
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Graeme Clifford
Produced by	Jonathan Sanger Uncredited: Mel Brooks
Written by	Eric Bergren Christopher De Vore Nicholas Kazan
Starring	Jessica Lange Kim Stanley Sam Shepard
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	László Kovács
Editing by	John Wright
Studio	EMI Films Brooksfilms
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03)
Running time	140 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$5,000,000

Frances is a 1982 American biographical film starring Jessica Lange as actress Frances Farmer. Kim Stanley and Sam Shepard appeared in supporting roles.

The film chronicles Farmer's life from 1930s high school student, her short lived film career, her 1940s institutionalization for alleged mental illness and her 1950s deinstitutionalization and appearance on This Is Your Life. Upon its release, the film was advertised as a purportedly true account of Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. In particular, the film depicts Farmer as having been lobotomized; this is reputed to never have happened.^[1]

Plot

Born in Seattle, Washington, Frances Elena Farmer is a rebel from a young age, winning an award by writing a high school essay called "God Dies" in 1931, for which she wins $100. In 1935, she becomes controversial again when she wins (and accepts) an all-expenses-paid trip to the USSR to visit the Moscow Art Theatre. Determined to become an actress, Frances is equally determined not to play the Hollywood game: she refuses to acquiesce to publicity stunts, and insists upon appearing on screen without makeup. She marries Dwanye Steele in defiance of the studio's recommendation not to, but ends up cheating on him with pseduo-Communist "Harry York" on the night of her hometown's premire of the film adaptation of Come and Get It, in which she starred with Bing Crosby. Her defiance attracts the attention of Broadway playwright Clifford Odets, who convinces Frances that her future rests with the Group Theatre.

But once she leaves Hollywood for New York City, Frances learns, much to her chagrin, that the Group Theatre intends to exploit her fame only to draw in more customers, the Group Theatre's London tour of its play, Golden Boy, is replacing Frances with a wealthy actress for its needed backing and that Odets will return to his wife, Louise Rainer, upon Rainer's return from Europe. Her desperate attempts to restart her film career, combined with her increasing dependence on alcohol and amphetamines and the pressures brought to bear by her stage mother mother, who becomes Frances' legal guardian in 1943 in response to her legal problems (driving bright lighted in a wartime blackout zone, resisting arrest, assaulting a studio hairdresser and failing to appear for probation and court when scheduled), result in a complete nervous breakdown. While institutionalized in her home state's Western State Hospital by her mother during the 1940s, Frances is abused by the powers-that-be: she is forced to undergo insulin and electroconvulsive shock therapy, is cruelly beaten, periodically raped by the male orderlies and visiting nearby soldiers and eventually involuntarily lobotomized.

In 1950, Frances is released back in the custody of her mother, who persists in browbeating her until Frances discovers the legal means to break away in 1953. The film comes to a climax when Frances is paid honor in 1958 by the network program, This Is Your Life. When asked about alcoholism, illegal drugs and insanity, Farmer denied them all. She commented, "If a person is treated like a patient, they are apt to act like one." The film ends with Frances Farmer walking down a Los Angeles street with Harry York. Ending lines state that Frances Farmer moved to Indianapolis shortly afterwards and was host of a local daytime TV program (Frances Farmer Presents) from 1958-1964, before dying of esophageal cancer on August 1, 1970 at age 56: dying just as she had lived—alone.

Cast

• Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer
• Kim Stanley as Lillian Farmer
• Sam Shepard as Harry York
• Bart Burns as Ernest Farmer
• Jonathan Banks as Hitchhiker
• Jeffrey DeMunn as Clifford Odets
• Kevin Costner as Luther (uncredited)
• Zelda Rubinstein as Mental patient
• Anjelica Huston as Mental patient
• Pamela Gordon as Mental patient

Production notes

Directed by Graeme Clifford, the story was written for the screen by Eric Bergren, Christopher De Vore, and Nicholas Kazan (son of Elia Kazan, who worked with the real Frances Farmer in several plays), based upon William Arnold's Shadowland, a fictional biography of Farmer. In pre-production, the producers reneged on their option to use the book as source material. Arnold filed an unsuccessful copyright infringement lawsuit but many of his fictional elements were incorporated into the final film. On the commentary of the DVD release, director Clifford stated, "We didn't want to nickel and dime people to death with facts." Mel Brooks was executive producer of the film, but received no credit for his participation.

Many actresses were considered candidates for the role of Frances Farmer including Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, Blythe Danner, Susan Dey, Patty Duke, Mia Farrow, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Liza Minnelli, Susan Sarandon, Cybill Shepherd, Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, Natalie Wood and Tuesday Weld.^{[citation needed]} Susan Blakely went on to portray Farmer in the 1983 CBS television film Will There Really Be a Morning?.^[2]

The original music score was composed by John Barry. According to Barry, his idea of carrying the main theme using a harmonica was initially disliked by producers until they heard it fully orchestrated.

Awards and nominations

Frances was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jessica Lange) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Stanley). The film was also entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival where Lange won the award for Best Actress.^[3]

References

External links

• Frances at the Internet Movie Database
• Frances at allmovie