The performances are truly raw in this videotaped version of the novel by the novel by James Agee and the play by Tad Mosel, first filmed in 1963 and revived as a play for this TV special at USC in 1981. Daniel Mann, who directed many of the Great live TV plays of the 1950's, does it again superbly with this and features a superb cast led by Sally Field and William Hurt as the young couple struggling to make it and dealing with family issues when tragedy strikes. Among the ensemble are a slew of the familiar faces from TV, stage and screen playing relatives from both sides of their families. Betty Garrett, Ned Beatty, Ellen Corby, Polly Holliday, Murray Hamilton, John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan probably had over 300 combined years as critically acclaimed thespians, and they are brilliant in this no matter how big or small the part is.
Corby, recovering from a real-life stroke during her run of "The Waltons", barely says a word but makes a huge impact with her brief time on stage as the great great grandmother of the young Jeremy Licht, playing Field and Hurt's son. When she hears through her dementia who the little boy in front of her is, she grabbed him as if she was seeing a childhood dog, loving him without even thinking about it oh, and acting despondent when he is taken away from her as if a precious part of her past has been snatched. Nolan and McIntyre are Hurt's parents, and Garrett and Hamilton are Fields' parents. Holliday plays the wise aunt that always has the right thing to say, and is as commanding as Aline MacMahon was in the 1963 film.
This filmed stage play is much darker than the movie because you really see the darkness of all the characters, particularly brothers Beatty and Hurt. When the tragedy strikes and Field breaks down, her rampage is ten times as powerful as it was in "Steel Magnolias", and like that famous scene, her grief is broken up by a single remark said by Garrett, not mention a comical nature but certainly relieving the tension at least temporarily and getting a huge laugh from the audience as well. This play is powerful because it is about something that is totally timeless no matter whatever it is set in: the constant need for family. As far as classic TV history is concerned, this is one of the best examples of the later age, showing that you could have live TV in the 1980's and create something truly powerful. That disappeared for quite a while as far as the actual events were concerned, but fortunately made a comeback. Everybody here should be truly proud of their efforts, and this definitely needs a restoration and video release.
Corby, recovering from a real-life stroke during her run of "The Waltons", barely says a word but makes a huge impact with her brief time on stage as the great great grandmother of the young Jeremy Licht, playing Field and Hurt's son. When she hears through her dementia who the little boy in front of her is, she grabbed him as if she was seeing a childhood dog, loving him without even thinking about it oh, and acting despondent when he is taken away from her as if a precious part of her past has been snatched. Nolan and McIntyre are Hurt's parents, and Garrett and Hamilton are Fields' parents. Holliday plays the wise aunt that always has the right thing to say, and is as commanding as Aline MacMahon was in the 1963 film.
This filmed stage play is much darker than the movie because you really see the darkness of all the characters, particularly brothers Beatty and Hurt. When the tragedy strikes and Field breaks down, her rampage is ten times as powerful as it was in "Steel Magnolias", and like that famous scene, her grief is broken up by a single remark said by Garrett, not mention a comical nature but certainly relieving the tension at least temporarily and getting a huge laugh from the audience as well. This play is powerful because it is about something that is totally timeless no matter whatever it is set in: the constant need for family. As far as classic TV history is concerned, this is one of the best examples of the later age, showing that you could have live TV in the 1980's and create something truly powerful. That disappeared for quite a while as far as the actual events were concerned, but fortunately made a comeback. Everybody here should be truly proud of their efforts, and this definitely needs a restoration and video release.