Georgia (1995)

Director:

Ulu Grosbard

Writer (WGA):

Barbara Turner (written by)

Release Date:

8 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

The toughest act to follow was their dreams.

Plot:

Sadie is desperately looking up to her older sister Georgia who is a famous C&W artist. Sadie wants to be a famous artist like her sister...

Plot Keywords:

Withdrawal | Heroin | Sibling Rivalry | Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Sadie Flood
Mare Winningham	...	Georgia Flood
Ted Levine	...	Jake
Max Perlich	...	Axel Goldman
John Doe	...	Bobby
John C. Reilly	...	Herman
Jimmy Witherspoon	...	Trucker
Jason Carter	...	Chasman
Tom Bower	...	Erwin Flood
Smokey Hormel	...	Leland
Jimmy Z.	...	Clay
Tony Marsico	...	Paul
Jamian Briar	...	Andrew Flood
Rachel Rasco	...	Mish Flood
Nicole Donahoo	...	Young Sadie Flood
Aisleagh Jackson	...	Young Georgia Flood
Colleen O'Hara	...	Ticket Agent
Bruce Wirth	...	Dan Ferguson
Dieter Thomas Kuhn	...	Bartender at Larry's (as Thomas Kuhn)
Bill Johns	...	Promoter
Mina Badie	...	Bobby's Girlfriend
Chris Carlson	...	Reporter at Larry's
Shawn Cox	...	17-Year-Old Boy
Jeff Steitzer	...	Drunk
Michael Shapiro	...	Brian
Barbara Deering	...	Nurse #1
Stephanie Shine	...	Nurse #2
Jay Keye	...	Gate Agent
Jo Miller	...	Jo Miller
Craig Huston	...	Drunk in Crowd (as C.W. Huston)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Ahern	...	Featured Dancer (uncredited)
Wendy Bones	...	Concert crowd member (uncredited)
Shawn Garrett	...	Concert fan (uncredited)

Directed by
Ulu Grosbard

Writing credits (WGA)
Barbara Turner		(written by)

Produced by
Ben Barenholtz	....	executive producer
Amanda DiGiulio	....	line producer
Ulu Grosbard	....	producer
Jennifer Jason Leigh	....	producer
Barbara Turner	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jan Kiesser

Film Editing by
Elizabeth Kling

Casting by
Renee Rousselot

Production Design by
Lester Cohen

Art Direction by
Rondi Tucker

Set Decoration by
Crista Schneider

Costume Design by
Carol Oditz

Makeup Department
Lori Guidroz	....	key hair stylist
Micheline Trépanier	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Amanda DiGiulio	....	unit production manager
Lemore Syvan	....	post-production manager
Lemore Syvan	....	post-production supervisor
Stacia White	....	music production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Craig Huston	....	first assistant director
Elisa Sansalone	....	second second assistant director
Lynn Wegenka	....	second assistant director

Art Department
George M. Abeyta	....	set dresser
Matthew Ebert	....	art department coordinator
Steven E. Eyrse	....	head painter
Steven E. Eyrse	....	scenic artist
Jonathan Faber	....	art department production assistant
Noelle King	....	set designer
Kim Larsen-Santini	....	assistant property master
Melissa Matthies	....	property master
Michael McCombe	....	greensman
Robert A. Neer	....	set dresser
Robert A. Neer	....	swing
Mary Seibert	....	set dresser
Alun Vick	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lewis Goldstein	....	sound effects editor
Skip Lievsay	....	supervising sound editor
Nicholas Renbeck	....	apprentice sound editor
Fred Rosenberg	....	dialogue editor
Kira Smith	....	boom operator
Philip Stockton	....	sound editor
Mark Weingarten	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
Don Dumas	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter K. Anderson	....	camera operator
Ed Ewing	....	camera operator
David J. Frederick	....	camera operator (as David Frederick)
Kirk R. Gardner	....	Steadicam operator (as Kirk Gardner)
Lulu Gargiulo	....	camera operator (as Lulu Gargiulio)
Steve Itano	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Scott Leyse	....	assistant camera
Gregory D. Smith	....	grip
Scott Watkins	....	best boy grip
Bob Webeck	....	additional first assistant camera

Casting Department
Tina Kerr	....	extras casting
Jodi Rothfield	....	seattle casting
Katie Ryan	....	casting: Seattle

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marienne O'Brien	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Sam Adelman	....	assistant editor
Sandra Nash	....	apprentice editor
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher

Music Department
Todd Kasow	....	music editor
Margaret Lite	....	music production assistant
J. Steven Soles	....	music producer (as Steven Soles)
Tom Swift	....	music mixer
Robin Urdang	....	music consultant
Stacia White	....	music production manager

Transportation Department
Roy A. Grace	....	driver
Rick Wiley	....	driver: camera car

Other crew
Ronald Arthur Baker	....	caterer
Travis William Blue	....	production assistant
Mark Botvinick	....	production assistant
Kristin Capp	....	location assistant
Bradley Dumont	....	assistant to director
Roger D. Faires	....	assistant location manager
Meg McHutchison	....	location manager
Carrie Ann Morrow	....	technical advisor
Susan Pearce	....	first assistant production accountant
Atalanta Powell	....	production assistant
Lou Ann Quast	....	script supervisor
Gary Roundtree	....	production assistant
Dixie Lee Sedgwick	....	stand-in

Thanks
Elvis Costello	....	special thanks
Van Morrison	....	special thanks
Lou Reed	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• CiBy 2000
• Miramax Films

Distributors

• Miramax Films (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Alta Films (1996) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (1996) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Rialto Film AG (1996) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (1996) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Shochiku-Fuji Company (1996) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (1995) (Greece) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Gativideo (1996) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Spentzos Film Home Video (1995) (Greece) (VHS)
• Teleview International (1995) (Lebanon) (TV) (Middle East)
• Vídeo Arte (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for substance abuse, language and a sex scene

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | USA:R | Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

CiBy 2000

Trivia:

John Doe was cast in the film because Jennifer Jason Leigh is a fan of his band, X.

Goofs:

Continuity: (at around 6 mins) Bobby's right hand is on, then off, his water glass.

Quotes:

Sadie Flood:In the dark we're all scared. We're all scared, and there's more of us out there all the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Oprah Winfrey Show: Summer Movie Reviews" (1996)

Soundtrack:

TAKE ME BACK

Looking for a plot, you're missing the point!

This film presents a fairly accurate portrayal of the chaotic, symbiotic environment of the bar band music scene. If you are looking for a coherent, one-two-three plot and are expecting realism at the same time, forget it. You would be missing the point. Having "been there" and "done that", I can affirm that this movie does a pretty good job at portraying interesting and realistic snapshot views of people in this particular music genre. In addition, this film even goes so far as to attempt realistic discriminations between different types of musicians (e.g., between ones who want to just succeed, ones who just want to play, ones who can't get their lives together enough to make it, starving artists, etc.).

This film initially may seem innocuous and even simplistic to some casual viewers. I must admit that I didn't get much the first time I casually viewed it. "Georgia" is very layered and textural -- the more you stand back and look, the more you can almost reach out and touch it -- but, as with most true art -- one must stand back and really take a look at it to appreciate the many layers. The layers of this particular artwork is done via multiple, sometimes concurrent, relationships, which intermittently share the foreground and the background with some really great music and various elements of the music scene. There is the relationship between Georgia and Sadie -- of course, the most obvious relationship that maintains precedence, but if you spend too much time on this one, you will miss so much. There is the Sadie-Axel layer; the Sadie-Georgia's husband layer; the Sadie-Herman layer; the Sadie-and the music layer; the Sadie-Sadie layer; the Sadie-drugs layer; the Sadie-father layer; on and on. All these relationships involving Jennifer J.L's character puts a lot of pressure on J.J.L, and I think she brings it about beautifully. I don't find her "overacting" in any scene -- the only "overacting" that is done is done by Sadie, not by J.J.L.

J.J.L. has rarely disappointed me in her character portrayals. I have always found her an interesting sort of actress: she does not have that obvious physical "stand out" star quality about her, but more of a quiet, well-played character actress, genuine star quality about her. I think she, along with the other actors in this movie, did a terrific job with very difficult material (about a very unusual and difficult, but interesting, lifestyle), and this movie calls out to me to watch it every time it plays on my satellite service.

This movie should not be judged along with "standards". It is a rare piece of filmwork, and should be judged entirely on its own standalone merits.