Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Turning to Stone

  • TV Movie
  • 19851985
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
45
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Turning to Stone (1985)
  • Drama
An innocent girl gets framed by her boyfriend and end up with a seven year sentence on a drug charge. Now she has to survive the brutal world of a women's federal prison.An innocent girl gets framed by her boyfriend and end up with a seven year sentence on a drug charge. Now she has to survive the brutal world of a women's federal prison.An innocent girl gets framed by her boyfriend and end up with a seven year sentence on a drug charge. Now she has to survive the brutal world of a women's federal prison.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
45
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Eric Till
  • Writer
    • Judith Thompson
  • Stars
    • Nicky Guadagni
    • Shirley Douglas
    • Bernard Behrens
Top credits
  • Director
    • Eric Till
  • Writer
    • Judith Thompson
  • Stars
    • Nicky Guadagni
    • Shirley Douglas
    • Bernard Behrens
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 8 nominations

    Photos

    Turning to Stone (1985)
    Turning to Stone (1985)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nicky Guadagni
    • Allison Campbellas Allison Campbell
    Shirley Douglas
    Shirley Douglas
    • Lenaas Lena
    Bernard Behrens
    Bernard Behrens
    • Prof. Campbellas Prof. Campbell
    Anne Anglin
    • Sharonas Sharon
    Jackie Richardson
    Jackie Richardson
    • Dunkyas Dunky
    Kim Renders
    • Marcieas Marcie
    Ann Holloway
    • Coralas Coral
    Erin Noble
    Erin Noble
    • Debbieas Debbie
    • (as Erin Flannery)
    Lynne Deragon
    • Mrs. Groveras Mrs. Grover
    Diane Gordon
    • Mollyas Molly
    Maria Vacratsis
    Maria Vacratsis
    • Inmateas Inmate
    Colleen Collins
    • Inmateas Inmate
    Cathy Loan
    • Inmateas Inmate
    Paul Gross
    Paul Gross
    • Billyas Billy
    John Friesen
    Lubomir Mykytiuk
    Lubomir Mykytiuk
    Barbara Budd
    Steve Pernie
    • Director
      • Eric Till
    • Writer
      • Judith Thompson
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Hell Hunters
    4.2
    Hell Hunters

    Storyline

    Edit
    An innocent girl gets framed by her boyfriend and end up with a seven year sentence on a drug charge. Now she has to survive the brutal world of a women's federal prison.
    • airport
    • mustache
    • character says i'm sorry
    • apology
    • cocaine
    • 78 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Acting debut of Paul Gross. He plays the perfidious boyfriend at the airport who railroads Allison Campbell into smuggling drugs from Mexico but runs away when she gets arrested.
    • Connections
      References Dallas (1978)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Truly outstanding, criminally neglected.
    It is a disgrace that this supreme example of the Prison Film has been relegated to complete obscurity. Being that it's a Canadian made-for-TV production means that its drab, flat look will turn away many viewers immediately. That's a shame, because the film is riveting and disquieting from the very beginning, and eventually builds tension to a near fever pitch.

    The film would be superb on its own, but what makes it absolutely unforgettable for me is the performance of Shirley Douglas as the "leader" of the prisoners. Without exaggeration, hers is simply the best piece of acting, male or female, that I've ever seen. Her confident swagger, bouffant curly hairdo atop a deeply-lined but exquisitely made-up face, deliciously menacing smile, and devilish eyebrows (easily supplanting Nicholson's patented brows), are only a facet of Douglas's remarkable, multi-layered performance. Those characteristics alone would have made her a superior, albeit one-note, villainess.

    To the writer's credit, Douglas is given a couple of moments of introspection and sadness that are absolutely real. In a lesser film, these elements would be written and acted in a way to provoke tears and sympathy. Not so with TURNING TO STONE. What her revelations do is simply to humanize her. She is no less conniving and ruthless than before, but her monologues describing her pitiful childhood and yearning for a normal life on the outside with her son are stated dispassionately as facts. Without the respectability she has gained among her fellow prisoners through intimidation, she would have long since become a victim, she explains.

    The bulk of the film's story revolves around an educated, innocent young woman (played by Nicky Guadagni), railroaded by a perfidious boyfriend to smuggle drugs in from Mexico. Sent to prison for seven years, this petite, frail intellectual is completely out of her element, and must somehow survive amidst the rivalries and sexual advances of other prisoners. She soon falls under the wing of Douglas's character who, of course, wants favors in return for her protection services. The tension builds to a curious, effective finale that is both pessimistic and upbeat.

    The direction by Eric Till is expert but unobtrusive, and the ancillary performances are all without fault, but the real stand-outs in the film are the superlative script and extraordinary thespian Shirley Douglas.

    A humble masterpiece.
    helpful•4
    0
    • Oliver_Lenhardt
    • Apr 24, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1987 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hart wie Stein
    • Production company
      • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    #SDCC14: Pre-Order The Walking Dead Inspired Songs of Survival Vol. 2 and Receive a Sheriff's Badge
    Jul 25DreadCentral.com
    The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season Includes Sheriff’s Badge with Pre-Orders at Comic-Con
    Jul 24DailyDead

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.