Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers:

Loretta Lynn (autobiography)
Thomas Rickman (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

She was married at 13. She had four kids by the time she was 20. She's been hungry and poor. She's been loved and cheated on. She became a singer because it was the only thing she could do. She became a star because it was the only way she could do it.

Plot:

Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.

Plot Keywords:

Loretta Lynn | Country Music | Poverty | Singer | Washington State

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Sissy Spacek	...	Loretta Lynn
Tommy Lee Jones	...	'Mooney' Lynn
Levon Helm	...	Ted Webb
Phyllis Boyens	...	'Clary' Webb
Bill Anderson Jr.	...	Webb child
Foister Dickerson	...	Webb child
Malla McCown	...	Webb child
Pamela McCown	...	Webb child
Kevin Salvilla	...	Webb child
William Sanderson	...	Lee Dollarhide
Sissy Lucas	...	Loretta & Mooney's child
Pat Patterson	...	Loretta's child
Brian Warf	...	Loretta & Mooney's child
Elizabeth Watson	...	Loretta & Mooney's child
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Patsy Cline

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bee, Virginia, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The set used for Loretta Lynn's parent's home was reassembled at Hurricane Mills, Loretta Lynn's current home, and is on the Hurricane Mills ranch tour.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Patsy brings out a box of her old maternity clothes to share with Loretta, a tag can be seen on the sleeve of a blouse. (Most likely the garment was purchased at a thrift store and the tag hadn't been removed for the film shoot.)

Quotes:

Loretta Lynn: [Loretta catches Doo with another woman] Woman, if you want to keep that arm, you better get it off my husband.
Girl at fairgrounds: Who are you telling what?
Loretta Lynn: I don't know who you are, but I know what you are.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "What a Year: 1980 (#2.1)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels

Character Development

The reason this film works (arguably the greatest bio-pic ever produced) is that it is ABOUT Loretta Lynn's life, not about country music. From the opening shots of a young Loretta riding a mule to the mines with her brother, you know this will be a film about extraordinary characters. It is over an hour before we hear one song from Loretta Lynn; director Michael Apted and writer Thom Rickman spend time to develop Loretta, Doolittle and her family. When her father dies, the audience cries with Loretta because we know her family, her father, we understand where this girl came from and why it is such a unique transition from backwoods girl to international star.

It's been said that Ms. Lynn was named after movie star Loretta Young. When approached by executives to make a movie about her life (based on her best-selling autobiography), she was savvy enough to realize that a film would end up on television anyway, and opted to have film made. I can imagine (most likely to the chagrin of studio execs) that Apted fought to develop a script that showcased the characters over the music. The result is a film that EVERYONE enjoys. When the film was released in 1980, I remember people going who were definitely not country music fans, and I remember their raves after the movie.

America is about the Horatio Alger storyline: everyone can achieve greatness. This film highlights that dream. While it does fall into some cliche trappings once Loretta Lynn is a huge success (the on-the-road montage, the drugs, the nervous breakdown), there are such cliches because the pressure performers feel is one in the same. Overall, it ages beautifully because it captures a time when the American hills spawned such unique talent (Lynn's contemporaries are either showcased or mentioned to great effect).

Of special note: If Oscars could be given for past work, Beverly D'Angelo should be voted the "Best Supporting Actress" of 1980 for this film. Unfortunately, she was not even nominated. You will be hard-pressed to find such a complete performance in film. Similar in screen time and impact as Dame Judi Dench's performance in "Shakespeare In Love", D'Angelo gives a Master Class in screen acting for her portrayal of the late Patsy Cline. Most likely, this flash of brilliance is what inspired the film "Sweet Dreams", the bio-pic of Cline, a film that pales in comparison to "Coal Miner's Daughter."

This is Spacek's only Oscar win thus far out of six nominations. She's a national treasure and this performance is outstanding. However, you should see this film for all its elements, working to create an outstanding picture. Highly recommended.