Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, ... See full summary »

Director:

Anjelica Huston

Writers:

Dorothy Allison (book), Anne Meredith (teleplay)

Stars:

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Anney Boatwright
Ron Eldard	...	Glen Waddell
Glenne Headly	...	Aunt Ruth
Lyle Lovett	...	Wade
Jena Malone	...	Ruth Anne 'Bone' Boatwright
Dermot Mulroney	...	Lyle Parsons
Christina Ricci	...	Dee Dee
Michael Rooker	...	Uncle Earle
Diana Scarwid	...	Aunt Raylene
Susan Traylor	...	Alma
Grace Zabriskie	...	Granny
Richard Todd Sullivan	...	Travis
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Waddell
Lindley Mayer	...	Reese
Jamison Stewart	...	Grey

Storyline

Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

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Plot Keywords:

school bus | waitress | unwanted kiss | graphic rape | child abuse | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong depiction of sexual and violent abuse, including a rape scene involving a young girl

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abuso a la inocencia

Filming Locations:

Whiteville, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

(00:12:57) Dermot Mulroney's character (Lyle Parsons) is driving along a road past a modern looking house with a very modern looking red truck parked in the driveway.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: "People pay for what they do, and still more for what they allow themselves to become. And they pay for it simply; by the lives they lead." James Baldwin.

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Soundtracks

"I Want To Be With You Always"
Written by Beck and Frizzell
Performed by Lefty Frizzell

User Reviews

A classic

Sure, it's imperfect, but then so are most classics. "It's a Wonderful Life" is loaded with stereotypes, banalities, and over-acting. "Casablanca" features trite dialog, and the characters of Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman seem pretty wishy-washy for supposed heroes. "Bastard" is a biographical tale. Biographies often are episodic and lack continuity just as real life is episodic and lacks continuity. Biographical dialog is sometimes unimaginative because it reflects real life speech; none of us has a professional writer feeding us our lines. However, what "Bastard" does have are unforgettable scenes and images of profound emotional impact, a gritty set of down-home characters presented with gutsy reality by a superlative cast, and Jena Malone. Actually, Miss Malone has relatively few lines in this movie, but her expressive face, and especially her fantastic eyes speak clearly and powerfully from the depths of her heart in every scene. And the lines she does speak stab into our hearts with deadly accuracy. A memorable performance in a memorable movie.