Frances (1982)

The story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.

Director:

Graeme Clifford

Writers:

Eric Bergren, Christopher De Vore

Stars:

Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Lange	...	Frances Farmer
Kim Stanley	...	Lillian Farmer
Sam Shepard	...	Harry York
Bart Burns	...	Ernest Farmer
Jonathan Banks	...	Hitchhiker
Bonnie Bartlett	...	Studio Stylist
James Brodhead	...	Desk Sergeant
Jane Jenkins	...	Lady at Roosevelt Hotel (as J.J. Chaback)
Jordan Charney	...	Harold Clurman
Rod Colbin	...	Sentencing Judge
Daniel Chodos	...	'No Escape' director
Donald Craig	...	Ralph Edwards
Sarah Cunningham	...	Alma Styles
Lee de Broux	...	'Flowing Gold' Director
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Clifford Odets

Storyline

Frances Farmer, a precocious Seattle teenager, takes unpopular social and political positions, to the mixed reactions of her parents. Frances becomes an actress and has some strong success in New York, but her refusal to bend her convictions and her outspoken (but sometimes naive) political expressiveness cause her difficulties, especially after she accepts a Hollywood contract. Torn between new-found success and intense feelings that she does not deserve the riches and fame she gains from the phoniness of Hollywood, Frances butts heads with studio executives and with her own mother, who revels in Frances's fame but provides Frances no emotional support. When drunken fights and arrests derail her career, Frances is sent to a psychiatric hospital with the acquiescence of her mother. What follows is a nightmare of poor treatment and psychological trauma, augmented by the increasing determination of Frances's mother to control her daughter's life.

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Plot Keywords:

female lead | female mental patient | actress | frances farmer | forename as title | 

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Taglines:

Beautiful. Talented. Intelligent. Courageous. She Was Frances Farmer. She Should've Been The Silver Screen's Greatest Star.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1983 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Frances, a Filha da Fúria

Filming Locations:

Big Oaks Lodge, Saugus, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,624, 26 December 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms,EMI Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A picture of the real life Frances can be seen in the scene where Kim Stanley's Lillian Farmer is leafing through the family photo album.

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Goofs

A shot of the outside of a New York building shows many modern window air-conditioners, although this was supposed to be the 1930s or 1940s.

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Quotes

Arresting Sergeant: Your name?
Frances Farmer: You jerks drag me down here in the middle of the night and you don't know who the hell I am?
Arresting Sergeant: Your name lady?
Frances Farmer: Frances Elena Farmer. Want me to spell it?
Arresting Sergeant: And your address?
Frances Farmer: Put me down as a vag, vagrant, vagabond. What is this, a joke? It's a joke? Assault and battery? Huh? I barely touched that bitch.
Arresting Sergeant: Occupation?
Frances Farmer: Cocksucker.

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Connections

Referenced in Summer Rental (1985)

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Soundtracks

Love Is So Terrific
Written by Sunny Skylar and Arthur Shaftel
Performed by Bing Crosby and the Rhythmaires
Courtesy of Artistic Records

User Reviews

Jessica Lange - an actress at the top of her game

I watched Frances because I seemed to remember that Kevin Costner had a tiny part at the start of his career and I'm a big fan. I didn't expect necessarily to see anything startling other than what it said on the tin, a film about the real life movie star from the 40's, Frances Farmer, as played by Jessica Lange. I've always admired Jessica Lange as a really good actress but she's never blown me away like some stars do. At least, not until now. Now watching this 1982 movie in 2014 (a bit late, I know), she's completely reversed my previous thoughts about her. Her performance in this picture has to be one of the most dynamic, hypnotic acting stints I've ever seen by an actress. It reminded me a bit of Faye Dunaway in Network (where she won the Oscar). Looking this movie up I saw that Jessica was beaten in 1982 by Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, but if ever an actress was robbed of the Oscar, this performance was it. I'd urge anyone who loves acting at the highest level to watch this movie, just for Jessica Lange's performance, although there is also a very strong backup show by Kim Stanley as her mother. Very long at two and half hours, but I couldn't take my eyes off Jessica Lange's face. It's hard to detect between when she's being charming and when she might suddenly explode. Mesmerizing.