The Stone Angel (2007)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Kari Skogland

Writers:

Margaret Laurence (novel)
Kari Skogland (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes it takes your whole life to get it right.

Plot:

In Manitoba, Hagar Shipley is nearing 90. She has little, she tells us, but her memories. Over several weeks...

Plot Keywords:

Premarital Sex | Sex On Stairs | Brief Female Frontal Nudity | Panties | Panties Hit The Floor

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 10	4:15 PM	SHOW
Mon. Nov. 16	8:30 AM	SHOW
Tue. Nov. 17	5:30 AM	SHOW

Cast

Ellen Burstyn	...	Hagar
Christine Horne	...	Young Hagar
Cole Hauser	...	Young Bram
Ellen Page	...	Arlene
Sheila McCarthy	...	Doris
Kevin Zegers	...	John
Dylan Baker	...	Marvin
Peter MacNeill	...	Jason
Aaron Ashmore	...	Matt
Luke Kirby	...	Leo
Janet-Laine Green	...	Lottie
Judy Marshak	...	Silver Elms Matron
Doreen Brownstone	...	Silver Elms Bridge Player
Samantha Weinstein	...	Hagar - Child
Ryland Thiessen	...	Telford - Child

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and brief language.

Runtime:

USA:116 min | Canada:90 min | Canada:115 min

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R (certificate #44521) | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Hartney, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Alliance

Trivia:

There were over 50 picture vehicles used in the filming that spanned 5 decades.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The first incident with the freight train is set about 1950 yet it has no caboose. The caboose was not replaced by an electronic monitor on the last freight car until the eighties. It's also more than likely that in that era in western Canada a freight would have been hauled by steam rather than diesel.

Quotes:

Arlene: I want to have a baby.
John: We're broke.
Arlene: We love each other. It'll be a love child.
[they both laugh quietly. meanwhile, Hagar walks silently in and sees what's going on]
John: Well, my mom leaves town in a couple weeks. Then we can get married, and we can talk about having a baby, okay?
Arlene: I don't care about a wedding or anything.
John: You can have whatever you want.
[it becomes more intense; they are both breathing faster]
Arlene: [breathlessly] I want lots of babies.
[then they start having sex and Hagar leaves, having said nothing]

Soundtrack:

All People That On Earth Do Dwell

Is Hagar supposed to be funny?

Margret Laurence probably didn't intend on having any of her novels adopted for film, let alone the Stone Angel. Hagar, as a character, was one who constantly challenged the social norm (Gainsay who dare, anyone?), and ended up nearly sacrificing her humanity in the process. The symbols in the book (the Stone Angel, Silver Thread, etc, etc.) are constant reminders of this struggle of the old and new, and the carnage (so to speak) along the way.

While the film is reasonably faithful to the plot of the book (but it isn't really a plot kind-of storytelling, is it?), I think it missed the point on capturing the spirit of the film. Hagar's defiance (for the sake of defiance) was not there. Bram could have been a lot more crude than portrayed, and Hagar's father could have been played more "traditionally", so to speak. If the filmmaker would insisted on stronger portrayals, the film would drive the point straight to home.

Along the same vein, why should we see cell phones, organic produce, and other modernizations? Are we trying make some points for the sake of making some points (e.g., the Muslim girlfriend and the Native people). Hagar and co. are everything but politically correct in the book, so why should we see that in the film version. Modernization may be an excuse for a low-budget operation, but using that as an excuse to send subliminal politically-correct messages that are totally irrelevant to the novel (and the film) seems like throwing punches below the intellect.

There is also the audience. It seems that we have been conditioned to see bitter old people as cute and lovable. Why should be laugh every time Hagar is at her tantrums? I doubt Magaret Laurence wanted her readers to laugh at, or with, Hagar. These people are frustrated and are full of angst, and all we do is to laugh at them. I don't think it did Hagar and other folks in her situation any justice.