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IMDb > The Bell Jar (1979)

The Bell Jar (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   105 votes
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Down 10% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Larry Peerce
Writers:
Marjorie Kellogg (writer)
Sylvia Plath (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Bell Jar on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 October 1981 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Tagline:
Sometimes just being a woman is an act of courage.
Plot:
Julie Harris in an adaptation of Plath's autobiographical novel, which details a young woman's summer... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Poet Sylvia Plath's Son Commits Suicide
 (From PEOPLE.com. 23 March 2009, 12:00 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
no, it's not the book, but...a flawed, intriguing interpretation nonetheless more

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Marilyn Hassett ... Esther Greenwood

Julie Harris ... Mrs. Greenwood
Jameson Parker ... Buddy Willard
Anne Jackson ... Dr. Nolan
Barbara Barrie ... Jay Cee
Robert Klein ... Lenny
Donna Mitchell ... Joan
Mary Louise Weller ... Doreen
Thaao Penghlis ... Marco
Scott McKay ... Mr. Gilling
Meg Mundy ... Bea Ramsey
Carole Monferdini ... Hilda
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ruth Antonofsky ... Singer
Dick Carballo ... Frankie
Allan Eisenman ... Cab driver

Christine Estabrook ... Student editor
David Faulkner ... Professor Edwards
Annie Gagen ... Student editor (as ruth van poons)
Michael Gordon ... Cab driver

Nicholas Guest ... Young man
Margaret Hall ... Jane McLode
Dan Hannafin ... Doorman

Roxanne Hart
Karen Howard ... Toni LaBouchere
Elizabeth Hubbard ... Vikki St. John
Carolyn Hurlburt ... Jody
Beth McDonald ... Student editor

Debbie McLeod ... Betsy
Bonnie Sue Parker ... Nurse
Gil Rogers ... Dr. Richards
Shelley Rogers ... Student editor
Boomer Tibbs ... Waiter
Peggy E. Turnley ... Nurse
Ruth Van Poons ... Student editor
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Additional Details

Runtime:
107 min | Australia:113 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Errors in geography: New York taxis, (unlike L.A. cabs) do not now nor did they ever have their telephone numbers on them. more
Movie Connections:
Version of The Bell Jar (2011) more
Soundtrack:
Here Comes The Night more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful:-
no, it's not the book, but...a flawed, intriguing interpretation nonetheless, 2 December 1999
8/10
Author: rrrusty from the big green (wa)

I saw this movie when it first came out, before I had read the book. It's impossible to capture the immensity of Esther's pain as she staggers toward oblivion, but watching the movie gave me a definite sense of a life in utter chaos. Yes, the film is flawed, but in my mind it stands alone as a separate entity. Marilyn Hassett's portrayal of Esther is terrifying--I haven't empathized so completely with a character on the brink of dementia since Kathleen Quinlan as Deborah in "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden." The supporting cast is equally solid--it's not their fault that there's just too much ground for one little movie to cover. Donna Mitchell stays in my mind as creating, in Joan's character, a young woman as doomed and in as much mental disarray as Esther. Mitchell is an amazingly underrated (and under-used) actress. I'm not sure if our boys would have given it two thumbs up, but it remains one of my closet classics.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
New movie? Puccapunkie23
The Bad Jar *SPOILERS* marciebelljar
This book is unfilmable JanetWeiss
Was the book published before or after she died? bbwibb02
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