Riders of the Purple Sage (1996)

Jim Lassiter roams from town to town in search for the man who drove his sister to suicide. While riding toward a mountain pass, he sees an heiress, Jane Withersteen, being harassed by ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Haid

Writers:

Zane Grey (book), Gill Dennis (teleplay)

Stars:

Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Henry Thomas

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ed Harris	...	Jim Lassiter
Amy Madigan	...	Jane Withersteen
Henry Thomas	...	Bern Venters
Robin Tunney	...	Elizabeth Erne
Norbert Weisser	...	Deacon Tull
G.D. Spradlin	...	Pastor Dyer
Lynn Wanlass	...	Hester Brandt
Bob L. Harris	...	Collier Brandt
Jerry Wills	...	Oldring
Rusty Musselman	...	Matthew Blake

Storyline

Jim Lassiter roams from town to town in search for the man who drove his sister to suicide. While riding toward a mountain pass, he sees an heiress, Jane Withersteen, being harassed by thugs and steps in to help. A religious sect wants Jane to marry their leader, Deacon Tull, so they can gain ownership of her land. When he steps in to help, Lassister slowly begins to believe that a member of this sect is the man he is looking for.

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Plot Keywords:

native american ruins | mormon | utah | code of honor | rustler | 

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Taglines:

Friends betrayed her ... Neighbors deserted her ... Now her only ally is a stranger who lives above the law.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Riders of the Purple Sage

Filming Locations:

Littlefield, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amer Productions, Rosemont Productions International, Zeke Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Mormons are never identified as the religion in the film, as they were in Zane Grey's novel. But the story takes place in Utah, and the religious group is described as being persecuted and driven out of every place they had lived. Also, there is a book in a drawer with the Salt Lake temple on the cover.

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Quotes

Lassiter: You'd best be calling on that god that reveals himself to you on earth, 'cause you won't be seeing him where you're going.

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Connections

Version of Riders of the Purple Sage (1918)

User Reviews

Very enjoyable film...pretty true to the book as I remember it.

I was an avid Zane Grey reader as a teenager in the forties & have not re-read the book since. However,when viewing the movie, I felt the same aura of old west romance that I remembered from many years before. I have always felt that, in spite of his rather blatant racism, Zane Grey wove exciting and entertaining stories. I wish there would be additional efforts to bring more of his books to either the small or large screen, and that they would be as well made as "Riders of the Purple Sage".