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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although dialect coach Tim Monich had over 17 years of experience, this film was the first time that he had to teach his cast to speak in an Irish accent. Technically, Nicole Kidman's accent is incorrect. As a well-to-do landowner's daughter in Ireland at the time, she would have spoken with a largely English accent. That probably would have confused international audiences, so she was taught to speak in an educated Dublin accent.

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Goofs

When Joseph brings Shannon to her family after she gets shot, she is seen lying on the couch facing left. The next time we see her, she is facing right.

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Quotes

Shannon Christie: Pretend you love me.
Joseph Donnelly: I pretend I love you.
Shannon Christie: I pretend I love you, too.

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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

On the Network version, when Joseph is working on the railroad, there is a problem with a stick of dynamite. Showing how depressed and careless he is at the time, Joseph volunteers to reset the dynamite. There is a moment of tension after the explosion as we wait for Joseph to come into view out of the cloud of dust.

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Connections

Referenced in The Matrix (1999)

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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 (U.K.), Ltd.

User Reviews

Underrated storybook of a movie that embraces its cliches

If you pay too much attention to the cliches and unlikely situations the characters are placed, you really miss the charm of this movie. I can see how people would be put off if they were expecting a serious historical reenactment. Still, I believe that Ron Howard fully meant for this to be a fully romanticized account of the time. This movie works in many of the ways Titanic does, and I think it does it more effectively. Still, with Titanic, most people seemed more than willing to overlook the absurdities. With Far and Away, I don't think Ron Howard was trying to trick us or dumb us down. I don't think he was ever trying to underestimate the intelligence of his viewers. I think he was asking us to follow him and trust him as he told a story. I enjoyed it. Kidman and Cruise were both fun to watch. The supporting cast, although they did seem like they came from a comic book, were entertaining. I hope this movie has life on cable and DVD.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Far and Away

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,194,520, 24 May 1992

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