A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.
- Director
- Writers
- Bob Dolman(story)
- Ron Howard(story)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Bob Dolman(story)
- Ron Howard(story)
- Stars
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- Bob Dolman(story) (screenplay)
- Ron Howard(story)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
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. —Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
- Taglines
- They needed a country that was big enough for both of their dreams.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG-13 for some violence and sensuality
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaDirector 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.
- GoofsWhen Joseph and Shannon step off the ship in America, vendors are selling American flags with 50 stars.
- Quotes
Joseph Donnelly: I tried to prove myself to you, But I know nothing of Books, or Alphabets, or Sun, or Moon, or... All I know is Joseph Loves Shannon
- Crazy creditsNear the end of the credits, special thanks are given to, among others, Fungi the Dingle Dolphin (although the correct spelling of the dolphin's name is Fungie).
- Alternate versionsHere'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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Sister Act/Encino Man/Alien³/Far and Away (1992)
- SoundtracksBook of Days
Music Composed and Performed by Enya
Lyrics by Roma Ryan
Produced by Nicky Ryan
Courtesy of Warner Music (U.K.), Ltd.
Top review
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.
helpful•8018
- DeathByTelevision
- Dec 27, 2003
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $60,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $58,883,840
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,194,520
- May 24, 1992
- Gross worldwide
- $137,783,840
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
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