The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

The film talks about a family that weathers all sorts of disasters and keeps going in spite of it all. It is noted for its wonderful assortment of oddball characters.

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writers:

John Irving (novel), Tony Richardson (screenplay)

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rob Lowe	...	John
Jodie Foster	...	Frannie
Paul McCrane	...	Frank
Beau Bridges	...	Father
Lisa Banes	...	Mother
Jennifer Dundas	...	Lilly (as Jennie Dundas)
Seth Green	...	Egg
Wally Aspell	...	Hotel Manager
Joely Richardson	...	Waitress
Wallace Shawn	...	Freud
Jobst Oriwol	...	German Man (as Jobst Oriwal)
Linda Clark	...	German Woman
Nicholas Podbrey	...	Boy with Rifle
Norris Domingue	...	High School Band Conductor
Matthew Modine	...	Chip Dove / Ernst

Storyline

The film talks about a family that weathers all sorts of disasters and keeps going in spite of it all. It is noted for its wonderful assortment of oddball characters.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | brother sister incest | bare butt | dead dog | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

If you experienced "The World According To Garp" and found it witty, delightful and totally unpredictable, then be happily surprised all over again when you join the fun and games that go on at the...Hotel New Hampshire

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was not as financially successful as another adaptation of a John Irving novel, The World According to Garp (1982). It was much more successful in Europe, however, which Irving attributed to the fact that "The Hotel New Hampshire" was a more popular book there than "Garp."

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Goofs

In the award ceremony scene, numerous Austrian flags are show, but all are the civil/merchant version. As an official government function, the flags would have been the state flag (the government flag.) Unlike the United States, Austria and many other nations have multiple national flags for different purposes (government, civilian/merchant, military, on shore versus afloat, etc.) Austria's state flag bears the national coat of arms in the centre, overlapping into both of the red bars. The vertical version of the state flag has the coat of arms turned 90 degrees and placed within a shield. None of the flags in the scene bore the coat of arms.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Lilly: Life's a fairy tale.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits misspell the word "association" as "associatiation".

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Connections

References The Great Gatsby (1949)

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Soundtracks

Bad Boy Blues
By Pierre P. Belmar

User Reviews

Colorful and humorous

Movie adaptations of John Irving novels are all bound to be weird and esoteric. The one exception is "The Cider House Rules", which was rewritten for the screen by Irving himself. But "The Cider House Rules" is also the most toned-down of Irving's novels. From such works of grandiose fiction and fantastic imagination as "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "The World According to Garp", it stands out.

"Hotel New Hampshire" is even more difficult, and as such it is a difficult novel to adapt to the screen. But I think the director has managed to do a very fine job indeed. "Hotel New Hampshire" is very faithful to Irving's original story, and has the same way of "floating above" the hardships and adventures of the family. The characters are seemingly simple but reveal deep traits of complexity in their words and actions, especially the youngest daughter Lilly and the rough Frannie, both portrayed excellently by Jennifer Dundas and Jodie Foster respectively. The father, obsessed with running a hotel, seems to lead this family on their journey, but there are greater forces at work: disasters, death, political fanaticism, incest and sex. Love and compassion also play important roles, most of all the love between Frannie and John (the narrator) and the friendship between Win Berry and Freud (and Freud's bear!).

The macabre humor is very typical of John Irving, who is a master at writing the deepest tragedy and still make you smile, but the humor serves a greater purpose: ridicule is a way to express outrage and frustration - and "Hotel New Hampshire" has its share of that: the rape of the ambivalent Frannie, the death of the poor old dog and the insanely funny way it refuses to release its hold on the family, the ridiculous radicals in Vienna and the tragic loss of family members. This film focuses on the humor more than the book does, but the seriousness seeps through in the right places. Excellent performances, great scenery and attention to detail added to humor and wit makes this film a very good adaptation of Irving's fascinating novel. Good work.

Details

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hotel New Hampshire

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,075,800, 11 March 1984

Gross USA:

$5,142,858

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,142,858

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmline Productions, Producers Circle, Woodfall Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1