Ironweed (1987)

Director:

Hector Babenco

Writers:

William Kennedy (novel)
William Kennedy (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A schizophrenic drifter spends Halloween in his home town after returning there for the first time in decades.

Plot Keywords:

Albany New York | Bar | Singer | Drifter | Ghost

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Francis Phelan
Meryl Streep	...	Helen Archer
Carroll Baker	...	Annie Phelan
Michael O'Keefe	...	Billy Phelan
Diane Venora	...	Margaret 'Peg' Phelan
Fred Gwynne	...	Oscar Reo
Margaret Whitton	...	Katrina Dougherty
Tom Waits	...	Rudy
Jake Dengel	...	Pee Wee
Nathan Lane	...	Harold Allen
James Gammon	...	Reverend Chester
Will Zahrn	...	Rowdy Dick
Laura Esterman	...	Nora Lawlor
Joe Grifasi	...	Jack
Hy Anzell	...	Rosskam
Bethel Leslie	...	Librarian
Richard Hamilton	...	Donovan
Black-Eyed Susan	...	Clara
Louise Phillips	...	Flower Girl
Marjorie Slocum	...	Elderly Woman
Lena Spencer	...	Slatternly Woman
Lola Pashalinski	...	Fat Woman with Turkey
Paul A. DiCocco Jr.	...	Bus Driver
Priscilla Smith	...	Sandra
James Dukas	...	Finny
Jared Swartout	...	Guard Captain
Ted Levine	...	Pocono Pete
Martin Patterson	...	Foxy Phil Tooker
Terry O'Reilly	...	Aldo Campione
Michael O'Gorman	...	Strike Leader
Frank Whaley	...	Young Francis Phelan
Jordan Valdina	...	Youth at Strike
Louis St. Louis	...	Piano Man
John Wright	...	Goblin
Robin Wood-Chappelle	...	Goblin
Nicole Weden	...	Goblin
Peter Pryor	...	Goblin
Duane Scholz	...	Goblin
Matt McGrath	...	Goblin
Lois Barden Stilley	...	Mrs. Dillon
Cori Irwin	...	Young Girl
Pamela Payton-Wright	...	Mother
Boris McGiver	...	Clerk
Phyllis Gottung	...	Old Woman
James Yoham	...	Bald Man
Ean Egas	...	Danny Phelan
Nebraska Brace	...	Andy
Jeff Morris	...	Michigan Mac
William Duell	...	Moose
George Rafferty	...	Raider
Robert Manion	...	Raider
Pat Devane	...	Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paulie DiCocco III	...	Homeless Boy on Street (uncredited)
John Farnan	...	Strike Leader's Right Hand Man (uncredited)
Robert Stewart McDougall	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Michael Trout	...	Hooverville Resident (uncredited)

Directed by
Hector Babenco

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William Kennedy		novel
William Kennedy		screenplay

Produced by
Keith Barish	....	producer
Denis Blouin	....	executive producer
Rob Cohen	....	executive producer
C.O. Erickson	....	co-producer
Sean H. Ferrer	....	associate producer: prep only
Joseph H. Kanter	....	executive producer
Gene Kirkwood	....	co-producer
Marcia Nasatir	....	producer
David Weisman	....	creative producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
Lauro Escorel

Film Editing by
Anne Goursaud

Casting by
Bonnie Timmermann

Production Design by
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall		(as Jeannine Oppewall)

Art Direction by
Robert Guerra

Set Decoration by
Leslie A. Pope		(as Leslie Pope)

Costume Design by
Joseph G. Aulisi

Makeup Department
Milton Buras	....	hair stylist: Mr. Nicholson
Victor DeNicola	....	hair stylist (as Victor De Nicola Jr.)
David Forrest	....	makeup supervisor (as David Craig Forrest)
J. Roy Helland	....	hair stylist: Ms. Streep
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup artist: Ms. Streep
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist: Mr. Nicholson (as Dorothy Pearl)
Marie-Ange Ripka	....	key hair stylist
Toni Trimble	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Myron Adams	....	unit production manager
Nick Anderson	....	post-production supervisor
C.O. Erickson	....	unit production manager
Sue Bea Montgomery	....	post-production supervisor (as Sue Bea Belknap)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sarah M. Brim	....	second second assistant director
Robert Roda	....	second assistant director
Albert M. Shapiro	....	first assistant director (as Albert Shapiro)

Art Department
Tommy Allen	....	property master (as Thomas C. Allen)
Jeff Balsmeyer	....	storyboard artist
Joan Brockschmidt	....	greensperson
Thomas E. Brown	....	paint foreman
Teresa Carriker-Thayer	....	assistant art director (as Teresa M. Carriker)
Anthony Dunne	....	installation foreman
Richard Galante	....	installation foreman
Nancy Gilmore	....	set dresser
Susie Goulder	....	set dresser (as Susan M. Goulder)
Bruce Lee Gross	....	head set dresser
Sandy Hamilton	....	assistant property master
Betsy Klompus	....	second set dresser
George Kouzoujian	....	installation foreman
Beth Kuhn	....	assistant art director
Leigh Kyle	....	set dresser
Ben Massi	....	master set painter
Octavio Molina	....	set dresser
Ken Nelson	....	shop foreman
Jonathan O'Connell	....	master set painter (as Jon O'Connell)
Elaine O'Donnell	....	second set decorator
Joseph Petruccio Sr.	....	construction coordinator
Enno Poersch	....	assistant art director
John Root	....	signwriter supervisor
Clare Scarpulla	....	assistant art director
Berta Segall	....	assistant to production designer
Denis Zack	....	set dresser (as Denis A. Zack)
David H. Allen	....	picture car coordinator (uncredited)
John Alvin	....	poster artist (uncredited)
Mark Harrington	....	on-set prop assistant (uncredited)
Eric Matheson	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Barbara Barnaby	....	dialogue editor
Kevin B. Barron	....	assistant sound editor (as Kevin L. Poor)
Mark Boisseau	....	assistant sound editor
Virginia Cook-McGowan	....	dialogue editor (as Virginia A. Cook-McGowan)
Tommy Dorsett	....	apprentice sound editor
Juno J. Ellis	....	adr editor
Julia Evershade	....	sound effects editor
John P. Fasal	....	sound effects recordist (as John Paul Fasal)
Linda Folk	....	foley editor
Sukey Fontelieu	....	sound effects editor
Kimberly Harris	....	sound effects editor
Ellen Heuer	....	foley artist
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Danny Michael	....	sound recordist
Greg Orloff	....	foley mixer
Jayme S. Parker	....	dialogue editor
Stephen Purvis	....	adr editor
Brenda Ray	....	boom operator
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Victoria Rose Sampson	....	supervising sound editor
Solange S. Schwalbe	....	foley supervisor (as Solange Schwalbe Boisseau)
B. Tennyson Sebastian II	....	sound re-recording mixer
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
William D. Harrison	....	special effects assistant (as William Dale Harrison)
Steven Kirshoff	....	special effects coordinator (as Steve Kirshoff)

Visual Effects by
Paul Boyington	....	visual effects supervisor
Mark Moore	....	visual effects production head (uncredited)

Stunts
Alan Gibbs	....	stunt coordinator
Andy Gill	....	stunts
Rick Avery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Blum	....	dolly grip
Jim Crispi	....	camera operator: second unit
Claudio Edinger	....	still photographer
Pamela Katz	....	second assistant camera
Richard C. Kerekes	....	dolly grip
Michael Leonard	....	assistant Steadicam operator
Mitchell Andrew Lillian	....	key grip (as Mitchell Lillian)
Constantine Makris	....	camera operator
Larry McConkey	....	Steadicam operator
Edward J. Pei	....	camera operator: second unit (as Edward Pei)
Carl Peterson	....	best boy grip (as Carl N. Peterson)
Toby Phillips	....	Steadicam operator
Rick Raphael	....	Steadicam operator
Michael Slovis	....	gaffer
John Thomas	....	best boy (as John A. Thomas)
Jeffery J. Tufano	....	additional first assistant camera
Joel David Warren	....	still photographer (as Joel Warren)
Paul Weller	....	vtr operator
Zachary Winestine	....	first assistant camera
James Donahue	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Aleta Chappelle	....	location casting (as Aleta Wood-Chappelle)
Lisa Parks	....	location casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elin Bjorkman	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Ellie Bjorkman)
Alba Censoplano	....	costumer: Ms. Streep
Barbara Hause	....	wardrobe supervisor
Barbara Matera	....	costumes executed by
Eric H. Sandberg	....	costumer: men
Heidi Shulman	....	wardrobe assistant
Miki Stedile	....	wardrobe assistant
Lloyd K. Waiwaiole	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Craig Conwell	....	first assistant film editor
Bob Noland	....	negative timer
Jimmy Sandoval	....	assistant film editor
Lisa Trachtenberg	....	post-production coordinator
Lisa M. Varney	....	apprentice film editor

Music Department
Toby Fitch	....	music researcher
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Gary Leib	....	music researcher
Eugene Marks	....	music editor
Armin Steiner	....	music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Paulie DiCocco	....	driver: Jack Nicholson
Colleen Kahl Robilotto	....	transportation captain
Ken Lubin	....	transportation coordinator (as Kenneth Lubin)
Raymond K. Greene	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Vibeke Arntzen	....	assistant location manager
Laurie A. Bailey	....	accounting assistant
Jenny Bancroft	....	assistant: Mr. Barish
Daniel Bickel	....	production coordinator
Dawn LeDuke Calcaterra	....	assistant: Mr. Barish
Donald Carpentier	....	consultant: historic design (as Donald Carpenter)
Christina Cassidy	....	production office assistant
Albert Cho	....	production assistant
Robert Dawson	....	production consultant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer: main titles
Karen Gordon	....	production accountant
Dwight D. Hill	....	location projectionist
John K. Hill	....	location projectionist
Janice Irwin	....	production office assistant
Katherine Kennedy	....	assistant production coordinator (as Katherine A. Kennedy)
Michael Klastorin	....	unit publicist
Andrew Lipson	....	production assistant
Maria Marini	....	assistant production accountant (as Maria A. Marini)
Annie Marshall	....	assistant: Mr. Nicholson
David Martino	....	production office assistant
Stan Mendoza	....	location manager
Sue Bea Montgomery	....	assistant: Mr. Babenco (as Sue Bea Belknap)
Karen Morris	....	liaison: Los Angeles
Paul Andrew O'Bryan	....	craft service
S. Bernard Parè	....	assistant: Mr. Blouin
Tony Payne	....	assistant: Mr. Babenco
Dana Rafferty	....	production assistant
Danis Regal-O'Connell	....	production coordinator
Pattee Roedig	....	representative: Cine Guarantors
Cornelia 'Nini' Rogan	....	script supervisor (as Cornelia Rogan)
Tamara Weiss	....	assistant: Ms. Streep
Paul Byrne Prenderville	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Keith Barish Productions
• TAFT Entertainment Pictures

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• J&M Entertainment (1987) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1988) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Avid Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar
• EMS (1999) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lions Gate / Republic Pictures (2009) (worldwide) (all media)
• Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2013) (USA) (DVD)
• Olive Films (2013) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Transvídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• VPS Film-Entertainment GmbH (19??) (Germany) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Pacific Studios Inc.  chromatrans background

Also Known As:

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Lark Street and Clinton Ave, Albany, New York, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

Jack Nicholson's contract included a clause which allowed him to leave the shooting location to attend all Los Angeles Lakers basketball games.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As noted, this film takes place in 1938; but a billboard is seen advertising the Marx Brothers film "At the Circus" which is a 1939 release.

Quotes:

Helen:What if I did drink too much wine? Whose business is that anyway? Who knows how much I didn't drink, huh?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Meryl Streep (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

He's Me Pal

Ephemeral, beautiful, heartaching, and soon gone

_Ironweed_ haunts for a long time after viewing, so be prepared. I also suggest that you be employed while you view this one.

William Kennedy's novel was an extreme work of beauty, and as much as I enjoyed and respected the novel, I never dreamed a film version could surpass it. In some ways at least, I believe this film does. Streep is luminous, no small feat while playing a drunk (they weren't called "homeless people" back then). And although he's proved it again since, this was the first time most of us saw Nicholson act. Tom Waits is terrific and gritty, Carroll Baker comes out of semi-retirement as though this was the one role she had left in her to play, and mixes pain and determination in just the right quantities.

Babenco clearly had a vision, and displays a maturity I hadn't expected from him. Even the score, a couple of tunes used over the opening and closing credits will make your heart ache.

It's all pathos, and it's all good. Grab it while you can -- I had to go to Canada and get a used copy online to find it at all. It was worth it.