The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991)

Director:

Simon Callow

Writers:

Edward Albee (play)
Michael Hirst
(more)

Release Date:

June 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A tangled triangle. In the rural South of the early 20th century, Miss Amelia is the town eccentric...

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Corn Liquor | Wedding Night | Wedding | Mule

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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
Laura Burns	...	Molly Kelly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Megan Bowman	...	Townspeople
Fred Brumfield	...	Townspeople
Mary Brumfield	...	Townspeople
Pam Christian	...	Townspeople
Jack Colby	...	Townspeople
Ted J. Crum	...	Townspeople (as Ted Crum)
Candi Duke	...	Townspeople
Gayle Epperson	...	Townspeople
Mandy Fabian	...	Townspeople (as Mandy Steckelberg)
Anne Greenwood-Milzman	...	Townspeople
Margaret Hoard	...	Townspeople
Trula Hoosier	...	Townspeople
Robert Jones	...	Townspeople
Kyle Kennedy	...	Townspeople
Harry Jay Knowles	...	Fat Boy
Bill Kreger	...	Townspeople
Dorothy Layne	...	Townspeople
J.W. McCrary	...	Townspeople
C.K. McFarland	...	Townspeople
Misty McNeely	...	Townspeople
Bucky Meadows	...	Townspeople
Terry Mross	...	Townspeople
Nan Norvell	...	Townspeople
Eric Paul	...	Townspeople
Scott Payne	...	Townspeople
Bill Polk	...	Townspeople
Douglas Pope	...	Townspeople
Virginia Pratt	...	Townspeople
Zane Rockenbaugh	...	Townspeople
Elisabeth Ryall	...	Townspeople
Don Stroud	...	Townspeople
Kalab Tye	...	Townspeople
Mac Williams	...	Townspeople
Taylor Williams	...	Townspeople
Christopher Woods	...	Townspeople
Paul Wright	...	Richard Carpenter
Gwen Wunneburger	...	Townspeople (as Gwendolyn Wunneburger)
Gayland Williams	...	Gossip (uncredited)

Directed by
Simon Callow

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Edward Albee		play
Michael Hirst
Carson McCullers		novel

Produced by
Paul Bradley	....	executive producer
Ismail Merchant	....	producer
Donald Rosenfeld	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Richard Robbins

Cinematography by
Walter Lassally

Film Editing by
Andrew Marcus

Casting by
Shirley Rich

Production Design by
Bruno Santini

Art Direction by
Michael T. Roberts

Set Decoration by
Scott Hale

Costume Design by
Marianna Elliott

Makeup Department
Tivice Davenport	....	hair stylist
Sylvie Herrou	....	assistant makeup artist
Sheila Walker	....	makeup artist
Janet Tallent-Dickson	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Mary Church	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stuart Brown	....	third assistant director
Nayeem Hafizka	....	second assistant director
Trula Hoosier	....	third assistant director
Gary Marcus	....	assistant director
Amelia Villero	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Joe Cooper	....	painter
Ryan Davis	....	swing gang
Tom Dreesen	....	construction coordinator
Charles Elson	....	on-set carpenter
Janice Janacek	....	property master
Burton Knight	....	swing gang
Karen Luzius	....	scenic artist
Craig Mooney	....	swing gang
John Patterson	....	lead carpenter
Michael Peal	....	storyboard artist
Kaya Schlagintweit	....	assistant art director
Andrew Wood	....	on-set carpenter
J.M. Logan	....	art department (uncredited)
Martha Waters	....	art department intern (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Anderson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jim Chandler	....	cable person
John Foster	....	sound editor
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Hicks	....	cable person (as Rob Hicks)
Drew Kunin	....	sound mixer
Richard Lewis	....	cable person
Sarah Morton	....	dialogue editor
Kate O'Neill	....	first assistant sound editor
David Platt	....	boom operator
Kevin Tayler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jenny Walker	....	assistant dialogue editor
Sandy Buchanan	....	post-production sound assistant (uncredited)
Philip Meehan	....	additional adr editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Richard Lee Jones	....	special effects (as Richard Jones)
Jesse P. Miranda	....	special effects (as Jessie Miranda)
Randy E. Moore	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Aaron Anawalt	....	third grip
Steve Belsky	....	electrician (as Stephen Belsky)
Marcos E. González	....	assistant camera
Carlos Omar Guerra	....	second assistant camera (as Carlos Guerra)
John Knight	....	key grip
John Lacy	....	electrician
Briggs Palmer	....	assistant camera
Scott H. Ramsey	....	gaffer
Derrick Santini	....	still photographer
Angelo Louis Suasnovar Jr.	....	best boy grip (as Angelo Suasnovar)
Mike Swenson	....	best boy electric
Ralph Watson	....	Steadicam operator

Animation Department
Michelle Houston	....	assistant animator

Casting Department
Jackie Powell-Coffey	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Julie O'Rourke	....	wardrobe supervisor
Kari Perkins	....	wardrobe supervisor
Christopher Woods	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Mark Ginsberg	....	color timer
David Lane	....	apprentice editor
Kathryn Martin	....	post-production assistant
Kate McDonald Roth	....	assistant editor
Tom San Martin	....	negative cutter
Arnold Shuster	....	negative cutter (as Arnold Schuster)
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor

Music Department
Keith Carradine	....	composer: song "Sweet Peaches"
James Marsh	....	music editor
Harry Rabinowitz	....	conductor
Bill Sommerville-Large	....	music engineer
Robert Stewart	....	music associate

Transportation Department
Don Breneman	....	production driver
Lonnie Nelson	....	production driver

Other crew
Christena Alcorn	....	script supervisor (as Christina Alcorn)
Chris Allies	....	title designer
Dan Best	....	unspecified assistant
Robert A. Burns	....	dialect coach
Joe Dujka	....	unspecified assistant
Lisa Germany	....	production coordinator
James Alan Hensz	....	production assistant
Patty Herring	....	assistant craft service
Lauri Hoese	....	unspecified assistant
Kim Horridge	....	extras coordinator
Virginia Jenkins	....	unspecified assistant
David Kaplan	....	production assistant
Sunil Kirparam	....	production auditor
David Knott	....	location manager (as David A. Knott)
Randy Kovitz	....	fight director
Thomas Lemman	....	unspecified assistant
Lance Mathis	....	unspecified assistant
Tony Mathis	....	unspecified assistant
Andrew Mayer-Oakes	....	unspecified assistant (as Drew Mayer-Oakes)
Elizabeth McBee	....	unspecified assistant
Shisha McKee	....	unspecified assistant
Kelly Nelson	....	unspecified assistant
D.R. Patrick	....	head framer
Nicole Ruffine	....	dailies sync
Debbie Sharp	....	unspecified assistant
Sol Sussman	....	unspecified assistant
Cory Van Dyke	....	unspecified assistant
Gaylene West	....	key assistant accountant
Margaret Winters	....	production coordinator: New York

Production Companies

• Channel Four Films
• Merchant Ivory Productions

Distributors

• Pyramide Distribution (1992) (France) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (Canada) (DVD)
• Angelika Films
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Odyssey Video (2004) (UK) (DVD) (special edition)

Other Companies

• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a scene of violence

Runtime:

Germany:100 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:16 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Australia:M | Portugal:M/16 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" by Edward Albee opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York on October 30, 1963, ran for 123 performances, won the 1964 Tony Award for the Best Play and was the basis for the screenplay for this filmed production.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

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 stored-up love that's lain in the heart of the lover for such... a looong time, and every lover knows that... deep... deep in his soul, he knows that his love is a lonely and solitary thing --
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1995)

Good Movie, Great Director.

Simon Callow is a great director and a visionary and should set his sights on directing again. Edward Albee's story is touching and funny, a true classic and Callow does a solid and witty job of bringing it to life. The acting by Carradine is questionable but Vanessa Redgrave makes up for that. Also Rod Steiger is always a sure thing. Callow should do more directing.