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.Written by
Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
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. See more »
Goofs
When the land race begins there are photographers taking pictures. They fire off flash powder. There would be no point doing that in bright daylight and with the distance of the subject they were shooting. Flash powder, the system used before flashbulbs, would only have been used in a dark or indoor setting and with a subject just a few feet away. See more »
Quotes
Shannon Christie:
[after a rich woman pushes her out of the way, saying 'excuse me' and holding a black poodle]
Well, excuse me. Even her poodle's putting on airs.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Near the end of the credits, special thanks are given to, among others, Fungi the Dingle Dolphin. See more »
Alternate Versions
Here's a detailed description of all the additional scenes in the Extended Version, Part 1 :
When Joseph's dad dies, there is some added material where the dad says, "I've given you nothing, you boys. A small mold cottage on a bit of rock that isn't even ours, full of hollow labor." Also, there is a bit where the priest there looks at the dying dad curiously as he says his last words.
-During the funeral, there are some extra beats. The Priest talks to someone about being shot in the heart. Also included is a shot of the eviction notice being blown off the coffin after its placed down. A kid runs to get it but Joseph tells him to leave it.
-When Joseph is getting his gun, there are some extra shots of the beach and more dialogue as Danty tries to be encouraging as Joseph mentions he doesn't know the landlord.
-Extra shots during Joseph's journey as he drags the donkey along with him. There's a moment when he stops to see someone riding a horse and claims he will get one someday.
-Extra bits in the bar scene as Daniel mentions how "love is the outcome of doom." Also, we actually see him leave the bar and fail on getting on his horse because of his drunken state. This explains why he walks his horse in the woods later. Also included is footage of Joseph preparing his gun and following close.
-More footage is included of Joseph stalking Daniel in the woods as he sings. There's also a short shot before the mansion showing Joseph walking through the hedge entrance.
-Before we see Joseph sleeping in the stable, we get a brief shot of Shannon riding her horse at dawn.
-As Joseph spies on Shannon in the stable, we see extra shots of her removing her coat and unbuttoning the collar of her shirt.
-The infamous bowl scene is slightly censored with the shot of Shannon looking underneath it removed along with the leg wound. The scene is slightly extended to have Shannon's mother ask her if there is "any sign of revival."
-A new scene is added where some police show up on horses and talk to Daniel near the hedges. It's revealed Daniel hides liquor in the garden as he takes a sip from one of the hidden bottles.
-More dialogue between Stephen and Shannon as he asks if she is "enjoying the peacocks." Shannon expresses how she feels "trapped in this stuffy house." Before Stephen insists she plays on the piano, Shannon tells her mother, "I'm not in a musical mood."
-The scene where Shannon tells Joseph America is offering free land is extended. Before we see Joseph hobbling around in his room, we see an exterior of the mansion at night. During their talk, Joseph tells her "You'll never get to America. Look at you, you're nothing but ribbons." She replies, "It wasn't a ribbon that stabbed you in the leg."
-When they are on the boat, Joseph complains how the ocean feels like a jail. Shannon tells him it's "a highway to the future."
-Before the arrival in America, we a get a lengthy scene were Stephen is having a hard time writing letters to Shannon. Daniel tries to comfort him, but he keeps asking where she is. We also see Shannon has been secretly writing to Daniel as he reads on her letters privately.
-When being hired, there is extra dialogue of Kelley introducing his "doomsday book" to Joseph. He explains those who get written in are his property. This explains a later deleted scene in Part II and why Joseph can't get work.
-A new scene takes place before Kelley takes them to their apartment. Joseph discusses his previous boxing history and they witness a bunch of folks chasing after some Italians. Kelley remarks how "Boston is an Irish town."
-After they get the apartment in the brothel, the scene extends as Joseph tries to calm Shannon down by mentioning that him and his brothers used to sleep in a barn. This doesn't comfort her as she heads out to a bathroom where she gets surprised by a customer in one of the bathtubs.
-Before Daniel reveals the letters, there is added lines where he asks his wife what she is knitting. She replies, "I'm just passing the time until somebody cuts my throat."
-After Shannon tells her boss off, a new scene takes place where Joseph tells her "You haven't the dimmest idea of how the world is run." Shannon doesn't care as she mentions how nice it would be to quit her job. They pass by some folks putting up electrical poles as a man on a horse passes by. To prove his point about how important her work is, Joseph mentions how hard it would have been to earn that horse. The man on the horse replies he actually stole it much to the surprise of Joseph. See more »
A truly brilliant film, this is Ron Howard's masterpiece. I never tire of viewing Far and Away, and enjoy every moment each time I see it. This film is admirable in several respects: 1)it shows how a romance can develop over time, without the typical Hollywood touches of "whirlwind" happenings and people hopping in the sack after only a couple of days (a la "Titanic"), 2)Ron Howard captured the beauty of Ireland, the filth of a large city, and the expanse of the open prairie by resurrecting 70mm film - the colors in this film are absolutely incredible, 3)a simple, character-driven story is enhanced by the historical backdrop. In fact, there are many similarities between the romance in "Titanic" and in "Far and Away." I feel that the depiction in this film works much better than the other, mainly because of the plausibility factor (how many times would you run into the same person on a huge ship?). We understand why Shannon would want to take Joseph along with her. This is the opportunity she's been waiting for. Along the way, and through helping each other through tough circumstances, they fall for each other. This is not some momentary crush that will pass when the next good looking person walks by, we know that these two truly care for each other, and admire each other. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are perfect - one would think that they're both Irish natives. If their marriage is anything like their relationship here, it is bound to last for some time. This is, hands down, Tom Cruise's best movie ever. Here we don't see the typical cocky young man, but instead, a man driven by passion and destiny to do what needs to be done. This is probably much closer to the real Tom Cruise: Proud, without being arrogant. This film remains on my list of all-time favorites, and I look forward to seeing it on the large screen one day.
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A truly brilliant film, this is Ron Howard's masterpiece. I never tire of viewing Far and Away, and enjoy every moment each time I see it. This film is admirable in several respects: 1)it shows how a romance can develop over time, without the typical Hollywood touches of "whirlwind" happenings and people hopping in the sack after only a couple of days (a la "Titanic"), 2)Ron Howard captured the beauty of Ireland, the filth of a large city, and the expanse of the open prairie by resurrecting 70mm film - the colors in this film are absolutely incredible, 3)a simple, character-driven story is enhanced by the historical backdrop. In fact, there are many similarities between the romance in "Titanic" and in "Far and Away." I feel that the depiction in this film works much better than the other, mainly because of the plausibility factor (how many times would you run into the same person on a huge ship?). We understand why Shannon would want to take Joseph along with her. This is the opportunity she's been waiting for. Along the way, and through helping each other through tough circumstances, they fall for each other. This is not some momentary crush that will pass when the next good looking person walks by, we know that these two truly care for each other, and admire each other. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are perfect - one would think that they're both Irish natives. If their marriage is anything like their relationship here, it is bound to last for some time. This is, hands down, Tom Cruise's best movie ever. Here we don't see the typical cocky young man, but instead, a man driven by passion and destiny to do what needs to be done. This is probably much closer to the real Tom Cruise: Proud, without being arrogant. This film remains on my list of all-time favorites, and I look forward to seeing it on the large screen one day.