Shoot the Moon (1982)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writer:

Bo Goldman (writer)

Release Date:

19 February 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A fifteen year marraige dissolves, leaving both the husband and wife, and their four children, devastated...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Police | Bathtub | Family Relationships | San Francisco California

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Albert Finney	...	George Dunlap
Diane Keaton	...	Faith Dunlap
Karen Allen	...	Sandy
Peter Weller	...	Frank Henderson
Dana Hill	...	Sherry Dunlap
Viveka Davis	...	Jill Dunlap
Tracey Gold	...	Marianne Dunlap
Tina Yothers	...	Molly Dunlap
George Murdock	...	French DeVoe
Leora Dana	...	Charlotte DeVoe
Irving Metzman	...	Howard Katz
Kenneth Kimmins	...	Maitre D'
Michael Alldredge	...	Officer Knudson
Robert Costanzo	...	Leo Spinelli
David Landsberg	...	Scott Gruber
Lou Cutell	...	Willard
James Cranna	...	Harold
Nancy Fish	...	Joanne
Jeremy Schoenberg	...	Timmy
Aesop Aquarian	...	Rick (as Stephen Morrell)
Jim Lange	...	M.C. at 25th International Book Awards Dinner
Georgann Johnson	...	Isabel
O-Lan Jones	...	Countergirl (as O-Lan Shepard)
Helen Slayton-Hughes	...	Singer
Robert Ackerman	...	Waiter
Eunice Suarez	...	Mexican Woman
Hector Morales	...	Mexican Man
Morgan Upton	...	Photographer
Edwina Moore	...	Reporter
Kathryn Trask	...	Nurse
Bill Reddick	...	Priest
Bonnie Carpenter	...	Mourner
Margaret Clark	...	Mourner
Jan Dunn	...	Mourner
Rob Glover	...	Mourner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fran Ryan	...	Judge (uncredited)

Directed by
Alan Parker

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bo Goldman		writer

Produced by
Alan Marshall	....	producer
Stuart Millar	....	executive producer
Edgar J. Scherick	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Michael Seresin

Film Editing by
Gerry Hambling

Casting by
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Geoffrey Kirkland

Art Direction by
W. Stewart Campbell		(as Stu Campbell)

Set Decoration by
Robert Nelson
Doug von Koss

Costume Design by
Kristi Zea

Makeup Department
Paul LeBlanc	....	hair stylist
Don Le Page	....	makeup artist
Martin Samuel	....	hair stylist
Richard Sharpe	....	makeup artist
Rick Sharp	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Nancy Giebink	....	unit production manager
Ned Kopp	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Greenfield	....	first assistant director (as Raymond L. Greenfield)
François Moullin	....	second assistant director
Lope Yap Jr.	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Tom Sindicich	....	construction coordinator
Burt C. Wiley	....	property master

Sound Department
Eddy Joseph	....	sound editor
David MacMillan	....	sound mixer
Alan Paley	....	sound effects editor
Steve Powell	....	boom operator
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects

Stunts
M. James Arnett	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Hymes	....	stunts (as Gary M. Hymes)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert G. Finley	....	best boy
Gary Gill	....	dolly grip
Jeff Gilliam	....	gaffer
Jon Guterres	....	key grip
Lance Hughston	....	best boy
Gilbert Johnson	....	electrician
Michael Maley	....	electrician
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
Ron Pearce	....	lighting consultant
Bobby Powell	....	electrician
John Stanier	....	camera operator
Baird Steptoe	....	first assistant camera
Donald E. Thorin Jr.	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
April Webster	....	casting: Los Angeles

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Elizabeth Still	....	ladies costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Daniel Candib	....	assistant editor
Richard Candib	....	assistant editor
Leonard Green	....	assistant editor
Richard Hymns	....	assistant editor
Stefna Smal	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Henry Travers	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Allen Burry	....	publicist
Rory Enke	....	location manager
Don Levy	....	unit publicist
Pat Newcomb	....	publicist
Ron Phipps	....	financial controller
Alice Tompkins	....	script supervisor
George Zimninsky	....	landscape coordinator

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• SLM Production Group

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Nicasio, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

George Dunlap: I'm not kind anymore.
Faith Dunlap: Me either.
George Dunlap: You're kind to strangers.
Faith Dunlap: Yeah. Strangers are easy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ellie Parker (2005)

Soundtrack:

Fame

The Best Film of 1982

1982 was arguably one of the greatest film years in recent memory, with releases including "E.T.", "Gandhi," and "Sophie's Choice." Still, I would say that the best film of 1982 - and one of the best films of the 1980's - was "Shoot the Moon." I am not sure exactly why this film never got the acclaim it deserved...certainly there were many great films that year that overshadowed it. Moreover, it might have been too visceral for some...a couple I knew who were previously divorced from other people were extremely offended by the movie, and found it gratuitous.

I have only seen two films be successful in making the lead characters so likable in one scene, and then so unlikeable in the next scene. This is one of them (the other one is "Twice in a Lifetime"). Bo Goldman's screenplay is tremendous. Diane Keaton's rendition of "If I Fell" while soaking in the bathtub is one of the most haunting and powerful scenes I have ever seen. Also, the scene towards the end of the movie in the restaurant where Finney and Keaton are loudly arguing with each other to the annoyance of other patrons is extremely well done and enjoyable. I believe most of the scene is done in a long take. On regular TV, that scene is butchered due to the language, and they show cut-aways to other patrons to get away with that.

It's been more than 20 years since "Shoot the Moon" was released, and I'm not sure what I could say that would motivate someone to see this film for the first time. But it truly is great. Pauline Kael thought so too, and I'm sure she will carry much more weight with movie fans than me!