Paris Trout (1991)

In a small Georgia town in the 1950s, bigoted store owner Paris Trout kills a young black girl when his brother refuses to pay his debts.

Director:

Stephen Gyllenhaal

Writers:

Peter Dexter (novel), Peter Dexter (screenplay)

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey, Ed Harris

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Hopper	...	Paris Trout
Barbara Hershey	...	Hanna Trout
Ed Harris	...	Harry Seagraves
Ray McKinnon	...	Carl Bonner
Tina Lifford	...	Mary Sayers
Darnita Henry	...	Rosie Sayers
Eric Ware	...	Henry Ray Sayers
RonReaco Lee	...	Chester Sayers
Gary Bullock	...	Buster Devonne
Sharlene Ross	...	Mother Trout's Nurse
Jim Peck	...	Estes Singletary
Dan Biggers	...	Mayor Harn
Ernest Dixon	...	Truck Driver
Wallace Wilkinson	...	Dr. Brewer (as Wallace Wilkenson)
Ron Leggett	...	Glass Man (as Ronn Leggett)

Storyline

Paris Trout is a vile Southern bigot. He owns a store and is a loanshark. He often sues people, and so his lawyer, Harry Seagraves, eventually meets Paris' wife Hannah. A former schoolteacher, she made the mistake of her life when she married Paris, who brutalizes her. Soon Paris goes beyond the overgenerous bounds of what a man in his position can get away with even in the segregated South, leading to a spiral of perverse insanity.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | two word title | store | lawyer | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

A brutal murder in a small town. A triangle of passion, power and rage.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sensuality, and for brief language.

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes one Oscar winner: Ray McKinnon; and three Oscar nominees: Dennis Hopper, Ed Harris and [linknm0001347].

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Quotes

Mary Sayers: No sir. I told the truth about it. You can make it look any which way now. But I told how it happened.
Harry Seagraves: Yes, well, um. With all due respect, Ms. Sayers. That's what we called the jury for. To decide.
Mary Sayers: No sir. They don't decide what happened. That's already been done. All they decide is if they gonna do something about it.

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Connections

Referenced in Videoclub (2013)

User Reviews

Brave performance by Dennis Hopper as a corrupt bigot....

Well-crafted cable drama is troubling as an entertainment per se, but is still skillfully-made and worth-seeing for the leading performance by Dennis Hopper. Adaptated from Pete Dexter's prize-winning book about racist businessman in 1949 Georgia who is tried for the murder of a black child, this atmospheric movie captures a particular time and place with style, and Hopper's acting is award-worthy (he doesn't accentuate the Southern bigotry bit with camp fervor--instead he's menacing and quite creepy). As directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, the film is well-mounted and provocative, but with a story and characters so despicable, it does run the risk of turning off many viewers before it even gets to the second-act. **1/2 from ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bütün Hayatı Suçtu

Filming Locations:

Decatur, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palace Pictures, Viacom

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1