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Sarah, Plain and Tall

  • TV Movie
  • 19911991
  • GG
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
  • Drama
  • Family
  • Romance
A single New England woman responds to an advertisement by a Midwestern widower in which he asks for a bride to help him raise his two children.A single New England woman responds to an advertisement by a Midwestern widower in which he asks for a bride to help him raise his two children.A single New England woman responds to an advertisement by a Midwestern widower in which he asks for a bride to help him raise his two children.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Glenn Jordan
  • Writers
    • Patricia MacLachlan(book)
    • Carol Sobieski(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Glenn Close
    • Christopher Walken
    • Lexi Randall
Top credits
  • Director
    • Glenn Jordan
  • Writers
    • Patricia MacLachlan(book)
    • Carol Sobieski(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Glenn Close
    • Christopher Walken
    • Lexi Randall
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 16User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 win & 10 nominations total

    Photos14

    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Glenn Close, Christopher Bell, and Lexi Randall in Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Christopher Bell in Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Christopher Walken in Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)
    Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Glenn Close
    Glenn Close
    • Sarah Wheatonas Sarah Wheaton
    Christopher Walken
    Christopher Walken
    • Jacob Wittingas Jacob Witting
    Lexi Randall
    Lexi Randall
    • Anna Wittingas Anna Witting
    Malgorzata Zajaczkowska
    Malgorzata Zajaczkowska
    • Maggie Grantas Maggie Grant
    Jon DeVries
    • Matthew Grantas Matthew Grant
    Christopher Bell
    • Caleb Wittingas Caleb Witting
    James Rebhorn
    James Rebhorn
    • William Wheatonas William Wheaton
    Woody Watson
    Woody Watson
    • Jess Stearnsas Jess Stearns
    Betty Laird
    • Mrs. Parkleyas Mrs. Parkley
    Marc Penney
    • Ticket Agentas Ticket Agent
    Kara Beth Taylor
    • Roseas Rose
    Lawrence Moran
    • Jedidiahas Jedidiah
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Glenn Jordan
    • Writers
      • Patricia MacLachlan(book) (teleplay)
      • Carol Sobieski(teleplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Movie writer, Patricia MacLachlan said that the story was based on a true life event from her family's history.
    • Quotes

      Sarah Wheaton: The past steps on the heels of the present whether you like it or not.

    • Connections
      Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)
    • Soundtracks
      Come all ye fair and tender ladies
      Traditional American song

    User reviews16

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    I loved the book so much more
    This seems to be a minority opinion, but I actually liked the book "Sarah, Plain and Tall" much better than the movie. The book is spare, poetic and lovely. The romance of Jacob and Sarah is in the background, but Anna and Caleb's hopes to have a new mother are almost palpable. The lack of details allows rich play for the imagination, and Patricia MacLachlan is an absolute master at evoking the sights, the sounds, the very texture of the world in which her characters live. When Jacob puts his arm around Sarah for the first time in the book, it is a delightful surprise and it means so much because we are seeing it through the eyes of the children who so very much want Sarah to stay. The movie, by filling in all the gaps, and filling it with conversations which to me, felt too modern for the times, lost a lot of the magic of the story. Glenn Close did a wonderful job of embodying Sarah, but she was a little too adept in her ability to analyze Jacob's lingering grief and anger -- in those days they didn't do as much emotional analysis as we do now, and anyway, how would a spinster who lived with three elderly aunts know about a widower's inability to let go of grief? I think perhaps if I hadn't read the book first and loved it so deeply, I may have liked the movie more than I did. The book was a perfect example of the old writing adage, "show, don't tell," but ironically, the movie did way too much telling and not enough showing.
    helpful•3
    0
    • robslady
    • Jan 24, 2010

    FAQ6

    • Is "Sarah, Plain and Tall" based on a book?
    • Where was this filmed?
    • In what year is this story set?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 3, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hallmark Hall of Fame: Sarah, Plain and Tall (#40.2)
    • Filming locations
      • Stuhr Museum - 3133 W. Highway 34, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
    • Production companies
      • Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions
      • Sarah Productions
      • Self Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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