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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final theatrical movie of Jeremy Brett (Artist's Father).

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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

Mrs. Allworthy: Some of the highest gentlemen in London come through my doors. Wouldn't you want to have power over such men? When all they can think of is worshiping your young body.
Moll Flanders: I was raised Catholic.
Mrs. Allworthy: So was the Virgin Mary and don't tell me she didn't do it.
Moll Flanders: That's blasphemy.
Mrs. Allworthy: No. That's common sense, girl. What are you saving yourself for? Give yourself some pleasure. Life's a terrible short for some. You ain't never been kissed, I'll bet. And why? Two flat pieces of fish where there ought to be a red ring ...

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Connections

Version of Moll Flanders (1975)

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Soundtracks

Moll's Prison Jig
Written by Nico Brown
Performed by Nico Brown, Martin Brunsden and Robert Harris

User Reviews

read the book instead

Dafoe's 1722 book, from which this movie is supposedly based, is one of the most important works of the 18th century. It explores the then-new possibility of reinventing oneself in the city. By contrast, people in pre-urban times were constrained by circumstance and family -- everyone in your village knew you so you couldn't make up a new persona.

In the movie, a sentimental Moll wades through a heap of anachronisms. She remains more or less a prisoner of her past and conventional morality at all times. The movie claims that only the character and not the plot is based on Dafoe's book but it is tough to recognize any aspect of Dafoe's Moll here. Which I guess brings us back to considering the movie on its own terms. Imagine Titanic without the special effects (i.e., maybe a good movie for a 14-year-old girl).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moll Flanders

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$955,606, 16 June 1996

Gross USA:

$3,486,957

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,486,957

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