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A Thousand Acres (1997)

 -  Drama  -  19 September 1997 (USA)
5.9
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Ratings: 5.9/10 from 3,446 users  
Reviews: 29 user | 51 critic

"King Lear" set on a farm in Iowa.

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Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
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Title: A Thousand Acres (1997)

A Thousand Acres (1997) on IMDb 5.9/10

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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...
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Larry Cook
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Caroline Cook
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Jess Clark
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Ty Smith
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Peter Lewis
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Harold Clark
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Ken LaSalle
Anne Pitoniak ...
Mary Livingstone
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Charles Carter
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Pammy
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Linda
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Marv Carson
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Doctor
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Storyline

A THOUSAND ACRES is a drama about an American family who meets with tragedy on their land. It is the story of a father, his daughters, and their husbands, and their passion to subdue the history of their land and its stories. Written by Jason Englisbe <zzenglisbej@winthrop.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Best friends. Bitter rivals. Sisters.

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexual language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 September 1997 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

1000 Morgen  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

DEM 193,823 (Germany) (26 June 1998)

Gross:

DEM 193,823 (Germany) (26 June 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

'Jessica Lange' battled with producers during the editing phase of the film, during which time the film had gone through extensive re-editing. When released, Lange stated that the only thing about the film which worked were the performances. See more »

Goofs

The film is set in Iowa but there is a State of Illinois certification sticker on the church kitchen-window frame. See more »

Quotes

Ginny: Rose left me with a riddle I have not yet resolved: how we judge those that hurt us and show no remorse.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) See more »

Soundtracks

"Crazy"
Written by Spike Mothers Milk and Brad Nelson
Performed by The Ramblers
Courtesy of T.O.N. Records
Under license from Boxx Entertainment (International) Corp.
See more »

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User Reviews

Read the book instead
26 May 2001 | by (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

'A Thousand Acres' is one of the best books I've ever read and one of the worst movies I've ever seen, so obviously something was lost in the adaptation. On-set reports claimed that the director was trying to change the story radically while stars Lange and Pfeiffer attempted to keep it closer to the book. The director seems to have won out.

It's really a shame, because you couldn't ask for a better cast to bring 'Acres' to life. Jason Robards is dead-on as Larry, the psychologically damaged patriarch, and Lange, Pfeiffer, and Leigh have great chemistry as the three sisters. But good actors need good lines, and the screenplay doesn't give them any. The approach taken by the writer and director toward adapting Jane Smiley's brilliant, Pulitzer-prize winning novel seems to have been to simply stick all the dramatic, important scenes together and leave out the nuances and character development that made the story so special.

In fairness, 'Acres' couldn't have been easy to adapt; it has more than enough scope to make a movie trilogy or an entire series of television. Perhaps it was a mistake, then, to try to keep the beginning, middle and end essentially the same as the book. This approach shows us all the effects and none of the causes. Especially confusing is the scant 105 minute running time, which is only slightly longer than your average Adam Sandler movie. If the director and studio had been willing to make this a 3-hour film, it might have had a chance. As it stands, the movie plays like a highlight reel of the book, and that's not enough to involve the viewer emotionally.

'A Thousand Acres' is a fantastic story, though the movie would try hard to convince you otherwise. Pick up the book and see for yourself.


9 of 15 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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