Fool for Love
Far North
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Fool for Love
Directed by Robert Altman.
With Sam Shepard, Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton.
US, 1985, 35mm, color, 106 min.
Print source: HFA
In this adaptation of his acclaimed stage play, Sam Shepard stars as Eddie, a drifter bent on reuniting with his old flame May (Basinger). He finds her in a motel room, awaiting the arrival of her new boyfriend (Randy Quaid). As Eddie and May bounce each other off the walls of the room, their darkest secrets are revealed. In the 1980s, Robert Altman worked on several pieces originally produced for the stage, and this film is generally regarded as his most successful attempt to capture both the theatrical elements of the source material and his own cinematic vision. Harry Dean Stanton is a welcome, ethereal presence as the Old Man.
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Far North
Directed by Sam Shepard.
With Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, Tess Harper.
US, 1988, 35mm, color, 90 min.
Print source: HFA
Sam Shepard made his directorial debut with this story of a dysfunctional Midwestern family. Jessica Lange stars as the daughter who left home for New York City but is compelled to return when her father (Durning) falls from his horse. He demands that she shoot the horse, and while she tries to fulfill his wishes, her sister and her niece conspire to free the animal. Although the performances are a bit broad, perhaps owing to Shepard's stage experience, he succeeds in creating an odd and memorable cadre of characters.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Ballad of a Soldier / The Forty-First
Nightfall / Great Day in the Morning
Verboten! / Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street
I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name / The Jokers
Hearts of the World / True Heart Susie
Anna Christie / The Long Voyage Home
Suddenly Last Summer / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Quiet Days in Clichy / Henry and June
The Freshman / The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sheep Has Five Legs / The Law is the Law
Hobson's Choice / Sidewalks of London
I Know Where I'm Going / Outcast of the Islands
An Inspector Calls / The Belles of St. Trinian's
Mother Joan of the Angels / Thérèse
Dawn of the Dead / Strange Behavior
