Moll Flanders (1996)

The daughter of a thief, young Moll is placed in the care of a nunnery after the execution of her mother. However, the actions of an abusive priest lead Moll to rebel as a teenager, ... See full summary »

Director:

Pen Densham

Writers:

Daniel Defoe (character from novel), Pen Densham (screen story)

Stars:

Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman, Stockard Channing

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Wright	...	Moll Flanders
Morgan Freeman	...	Hibble
Stockard Channing	...	Mrs. Allworthy
John Lynch	...	Artist
Brenda Fricker	...	Mrs. Mazzawatti
Geraldine James	...	Edna
Aisling Corcoran	...	Flora
Jim Sheridan	...	The Priest
Jeremy Brett	...	Artist's Father
Britta Smith	...	Artist's Mother
Cathy Murphy	...	Polly
Emma McIvor	...	Mary
Maria Doyle Kennedy	...	Alice
Ger Ryan	...	Orphanage Woman
Harry Towb	...	Magistrate

Storyline

The daughter of a thief, young Moll is placed in the care of a nunnery after the execution of her mother. However, the actions of an abusive priest lead Moll to rebel as a teenager, escaping to the dangerous streets of London. Further misfortunes drive her to accept a job as a prostitute from the conniving Mrs. Allworthy. It is there that Moll first meets Hibble, who is working as Allworthy's servant but takes a special interest in the young woman's well-being. With his help, she retains hope for the future, ultimately falling in love with an unconventional artist who promises the possibility of romantic happiness.

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Plot Keywords:

lust | priest | prostitute | painter | pregnancy | 

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Taglines:

The remarkable story of one woman's unbreakable spirit.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, nudity and sex-related material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

I istoria mias gynaikas

Filming Locations:

St. Audoen's Church, Cornmarket, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$955,606, 16 June 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,363,968, 21 July 1996

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),Spelling Films,Trilogy Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital Stereo (QSound) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeremy Brett's last film.

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Goofs

Mrs. Allworthy puts lip rouge and a beauty mark on Moll. Moll wipes off the lip rouge walking down the stairs but not the beauty mark. When we next see her face, the beauty mark is gone.

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Quotes

Moll Flanders: We experienced a delirious, timeless peace.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Cable Guy/Stealing Beauty/Moll Flanders/Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD/The Switchblade Sisters/Madame Butterfly (1996)

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Soundtracks

Full of Grace
Written by Sarah McLachlan
Performed by Sarah McLachlan
Produced by Pierre Marchand
Courtesy of Nettwerk Productions & Arista Records

User Reviews

Talk about taking liberties with the story

The main problem with this film is that it calls itself "Moll Flanders." It has very little to do with the Defoe novel. Moll Flanders, who in the novel appears as a resourceful, intelligent, fun-loving and talented woman is transformed here into a helpless fallen angel who has little control over her own fate. There is no mention in this film of her many husbands (as well as the clever ways she obtained them), her thieving career, her other children, her mother and brother, and generally everything else in the novel that was entertaining and meaningful. Robin Wright Penn is boring and anemic in a role that demands the opposite. Sentimental Hollywood has never before ruined a good story with such skill. If you want to get the full flavor of this great novel, do yourself a favor and watch instead the British adaptation with Alex Kingston, also from 1996.