Cross Creek (1983)

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (book), Dalene Young (screenplay)

Stars:

Mary Steenburgen, Rip Torn, Peter Coyote

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Steenburgen	...	Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Rip Torn	...	Marsh Turner
Peter Coyote	...	Norton Baskin
Dana Hill	...	Ellie Turner
Alfre Woodard	...	Geechee
Joanna Miles	...	Mrs. Turner
Ike Eisenmann	...	Paul
Cary Guffey	...	Floyd Turner
Toni Hudson	...	Tim's Wife
Bo Rucker	...	Leroy
Jay O. Sanders	...	Charles Rawlings
John Hammond	...	Tim
Tommy Alford	...	Postal Clerk
Norton Baskin	...	Man in the Rocking Chair
Terrence Gehr	...	Store Keeper

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

voice over narration | husband wife relationship | backwoods | typewriter | marriage | 

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Taglines:

The portrait of a woman who, at the edge of survival, found a world of meaning.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1983 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Cross Creek - Ich kämpfe um meine Freiheit

Filming Locations:

Alachua County, Florida, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fiddle tunes Rip Torn's character plays, and the style in which they are played, are authentic to the region and era. They are based closely on recordings of Cush Holston, an old time fiddler who was from rural north Florida and recorded at an advanced age at a folk festival in 1960. The tune Torn sings is Holston's "Coon Dog," and the instrumental he plays before this is also from Holston, "Have a Hood Time Tonight." The actual playing for the film was done by a Florida old time musician who had studied and researched the music of Holston.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings: [voiceover] My journey to maturity began in New York, in 1928. I was married to Charles Rawlings, the newspaper man and yachting enthusiast. I had been trying to write stories that I thought would be most likely to sell - gothic romances were extremely popular - and I had written dozens. I was desperate to express myself. Even as a child I'd been consumed with the desire to be a writer.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1996)

User Reviews

A Subdued and Wonderful Drama

Sorry - but I have to strongly disagree with anyone who thinks this movie's boring. I think they've missed the point. The story is supposed to be reflective of the times in which it takes place. This is a VERY "laid-back," rural Florida. Although a "woman's story," in a certain sense, I admire the bravery that this "genteel" woman had - just as I admire anyone who "does their own thing." She took a LOT of chances in order to follow her desire to make something of herself - on her own.

I could go on about specific points in the story, but really don't have the time right now to do that - and, in any case, some others on here have already done that. What I will say is that this is one of the best "character studies" that I have EVER had the pleasure to see.

Perhaps we have become too accustomed to the continuous action-packed and often violent films of today for some viewers to fully appreciate a just plain good dramatic character study such as "Cross Creek." Perhaps we've become too used to the language in today's films: i.e. every other word being "the f word..." Maybe that at least in part accounts for how and why some might consider a just plain down-to-earth GOOD drama as being "boring."

Give it another chance - this time watching it without expecting a "thrill ride," but rather in studying the effort in acting which goes into each and every one of the characters in the story. I guarantee that you will then appreciate it a lot more, viewing it as I believe its creators intended.