Far and Away (1992)

A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Bob Dolman (story), Ron Howard (story)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Joseph Donnelly
Nicole Kidman	...	Shannon Christie
Thomas Gibson	...	Stephen Chase
Robert Prosky	...	Daniel Christie
Barbara Babcock	...	Nora Christie
Cyril Cusack	...	Danty Duff
Eileen Pollock	...	Molly Kay
Colm Meaney	...	Kelly
Douglas Gillison	...	Dermody
Michelle Johnson	...	Grace
Wayne Grace	...	Bourke
Niall Toibin	...	Joe
Barry McGovern	...	McGuire
Gary Lee Davis	...	Gordon
Jared Harris	...	Paddy

Storyline

A young man leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter after some trouble with her father and they dream of owning land at the big give-away in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local bare-hands boxer and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple's money and they must fight off starvation in the winter and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman's parents find out where she has gone and have come to the U.S. to find her and take her back.

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Plot Keywords:

three word title | voyeurism | voyeur | female voyeur | watching someone sleep | 

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Taglines:

What they needed was a country big enough for their dreams.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un horizonte lejano

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$58,883,840

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$137,783,840

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Films Entertainment, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Ron Howard wasn't happy with Nicole Kidman's facial reaction during the shooting of the scene where her character lifts the bowl covering Joseph's (her husband Tom Cruise's) crotch. Without telling Kidman, he asked Cruise to remove his underwear. Howard got the reaction he wanted, and it appears in the film.

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Goofs

When Shannon and Joseph first go to meet the ward boss, Shannon's face is splattered with blood, and she wipes some of it away. Later in the scene, the blood is back on her face.

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Quotes

[about Grace]
Shannon Christie: She's got an awfully large chest to be goin' to church.
Joseph Donnelly: Shannon, all chests are equal in the eyes of the Lord.

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, special thanks are given to, among others, Fungi the Dingle Dolphin.

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Alternate Versions

Also in the network version: after they are thrown out in the street, it's raining; Joseph, looking for a job, jumps into a ditch and begins digging, a few seconds later, Shannon joins him stating they need the money.

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Connections

Referenced in Clerks (1994)

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Soundtracks

BOOK OF DAYS
Music Composed and Performed by Enya
Lyrics by Roma Ryan
Produced by Nicky Ryan
Courtesy of Warner Music, UK Ltd.

User Reviews

Involving, Old-Fashioned Epic

This is a fairly long movie but one that keeps your interest - at least it did mine - all the way with an epic-type adventure tale of Irish immigrants back in the 1880s in the U.S.

This movie is broken down into three distinct parts: 1 - Ireland (40 minutes, featuring some stunning scenery and good Irish music); 2 - Boston (one hour, featuring many brutal scenes of tough Irish immigrants and bare-knuckle fights); 3 - Oklahoma (the days on mining and the famous "land rush.")

The story is very intense and involving. One well-known critic called it "old-fashioned" and meant it as an insult. Well, I think the opposite. I agree that it's old-fashioned, in that it's epic storytelling and that's a good thing. It features solid acting by Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and all the others, and Kidman isn't the only attractive thing in there. The photography is magnificent. I only wish the sound was better as there is almost nothing from the rear speakers.

Cruise is very convincing as a good man, so much so I hated to see some of those beatings he took in the Boston segment. Then again, I'm old-fashioned: I don't like to see the bad guys win over the good guys.

Overall, a memorable movie and one that you truly will care about the characters and the final outcome.