Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Seduction in a Small Town (1997) (TV)

Seduction in a Small Town (1997) (TV) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   135 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Charles Wilkinson
Writers (WGA):
Ned Welsh (treatment)
Bill Phillips (teleplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Seduction in a Small Town on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 February 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Paul Jenks and his wife Sarah left California with their lovely son David and dumb daughter Ivy and started a farm in his native small town... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Not a work of art, but... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Melissa Gilbert ... Sarah Jenks

Dennis Weaver ... Sam Jenks
G.W. Bailey ... Pat Carter

Brian McNamara ... Paul Jenks
Joel Palmer ... David Jenks

Joely Fisher ... Sandy Barlow
Ashley Doty ... Ivy Jenks
Valerie Ann Pearson ... Willa Jenks
Stephen Hair ... Reverend Mike Burke
Shawna Lori Burnett ... Laura Nash
Maureen Thomas ... Lavonne Burke
Stephanie Mills ... Alice Tuller
Donna Larson ... Kristen Hadley
Christine MacInnis ... Judith Dowd

Greg Lawson ... Deputy Boyd
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Harvest of Lies
more
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Spain:13
Filming Locations:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Showbiz Today: (1997-02-08)" (1997) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
Not a work of art, but..., 20 July 1999

This is a political movie in reaction to the child-abuse hysteria that swept this country during the eighties and early nineties, only this time the good guys are the parents and bad guys are the social workers and the accusers. You don't have to guess who's who when Melissa Gilbert plays the mother, nor when Dennis Weaver plays the grandfather. This is Little House on the Prairie circa 1997 versus Big Brother (as played by the social welfare system). We can depend on TV MOW's to reflect the current PC position, even if they have to make a 180 degree turn from what they were spouting just a few years ago.

Joely Fisher does an excellent job as the evil woman who makes the false accusations and tries to frame the mother out of jealousy. Brian McNamara gives a not-so-strangely Michael Landon- ish portrayal of the father despite the scraggly beard, while Dennis Weaver is something close to wonderful in a bit part as the grandfather. Gilbert, looking solid and healthy, is steady but without finesse in a part big enough for a great actress.

When we see the cop cars and the social welfare people drive up and haul off the family's two children, we know this is about war in American, the family against the larger community. Unfortunately there are few shades of gray in the script: the family is clearly innocent and victimized. Nonetheless, since MOWs always reflect the zeitgeist and of course pander to their audiences, telling them what they want to hear, this movie is clear and welcome evidence that the public has finally seen that the social welfare industry has been given too much power: the crucial point being that it is horribly wrong to allow children to be taken from their parents without due process of law. With this movie it might be said that the tide has turned and the justice system and the public have awaken from their long, self-induced nightmare of hysteria. One hopes so.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Seduction in a Small Town (1997) (TV)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Would like to buy a copy mwells918-1
here is the true story brooklolly
song help taquoyabaker
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Good Earth Fury The Stepford Wives To Kill a Mockingbird The Night of the Hunter
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.