The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991)

A tangled triangle. In the rural South of the early 20th century, Miss Amelia is the town eccentric, selling corn liquor and dispensing medicine. She takes in her half-sister's son, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Callow

Writers:

Edward Albee (play), Michael Hirst,

Stars:

Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Carradine, Cork Hubbert

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Miss Amelia
Keith Carradine	...	Marvin Macy
Cork Hubbert	...	Cousin Lymon
Rod Steiger	...	Rev. Willin
Austin Pendleton	...	Lawyer Taylor
Beth Dixon	...	Mary Hale
Lanny Flaherty	...	Merlie Ryan
Mert Hatfield	...	Stumpy McPhail
Earl Hindman	...	Henry Macy
Anne Pitoniak	...	Mrs. McPhail
Frederick Johnson	...	Jeff
Lauri Raymond	...	Sadie Ricketts
Joe Stevens	...	Henry Ford Crimp (as Joe Stephens)
Keith Wommack	...	Tom Rainey
Kevin Wommack	...	George Rainey

Storyline

A tangled triangle. In the rural South of the early 20th century, Miss Amelia is the town eccentric, selling corn liquor and dispensing medicine. She takes in her half-sister's son, a diminutive crook-back named Lymon. He suggests they open a café in the downstairs of her large house. Marvin Macy gets out of prison and returns to town; turns out he was married to Amelia but it wasn't consummated. He pleaded, then got angry. Is he back for revenge? Eventually, Amelia and Marvin stage a no-holds-barred fight in the café. Lymon's complicated response to Marvin and to Cousin Amelia figures in the resolution.

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Plot Keywords:

fight | corn liquor | wedding night | wedding | mule | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene of violence

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Balada das Paixões

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$184,890 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Merchant Ivory Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Dunn was nominated for the 1964 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Drama for "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" for the role of Cousin Lyman.

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Goofs

Several times earlier in the film, we are shown how the only way to arrive at Miss Amelia's secret still is by wading - neck-deep - through a muddy swamp. Yet late in the film when Marvin Macy and Cousin Lymon are shown at Miss Amelia's still, their clothes are clean and dry.

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Quotes

Mary Hale: Marvin changed himself. That time he loved Miss Amelia. Well, it seemed like he changed completely -- he was -- he was good to me, and to Henry... You remember that, doncha'?
Rev. Willin: I remember that.
Mary Hale: Why'd she throw him out? Why'd she marry him and then throw him out? Why?
Rev. Willin: I don't know. All I know is... that it takes two people to be in love. It takes the... lover... and the beloved. But these two, they come from... diff'rent countries. And sometimes, the... the belove is the cause for all the, all the...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1995)

User Reviews

An inept waste of time and money

When one considers that Carson McCullers is one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century, it seems that it needs a very great lack of talent to be able to ruin one of her stories, but this movie shows it can be done! How do actors ingratiate their way to becoming directors? Wooden, unatmospheric, unsympathetic, totally out of sync with the poetic compassion of McCullers' writing, my jaw dropped with horror and disbelief that such a mish-mash of a movie could ever have found finance and backers. The only redeeming features are some moderately good acting, (although that said, Vanessa Redgrave seems to permanently render much the same performance whatever character she plays), and some good cinematography in places, but otherwise it is a bitter, bitter disappointment, and it could, and indeed should, have been a contemporary masterpiece. Simon Callow should hang his head in shame and stick to acting!