I have no idea why people rated this movie so low, I personally thought it was interesting and the acting top notch. My grade 12 english teacher forced us to watch this movie after reading King Lear, at first the class was upset, but as soon as the movie started everyone really didn't care anymore, instead they just enjoyed the movie.
shareYeah, we just read King Lear in Grade 12 English and are watching this movie. At first I was like "A Thousand Acres" could there be a crappier title? This is gonna suck! But I actually like it...we're only halfway through though.
Tell me you don't love me.
I don't love you.
Liar.
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Just saw this movie recently. Everyone did a great job. As I'm a huge Colin Firth fan, it was nice to see him looking once again so great (even though his character wasn't a nice guy).
shareIn fact, I think it's one of Michelle's finest performances, she's great in this movie. But then again, she's great in all of her movies.
shareJessica and Michelle were both just great, this was a very well done movie on all levels, but God it was so depressing, it is hard to watch it for a second time after you have seen it once, that may be the reason for the low rating, it sure could not be because of the acting which was well above average for most all cast members, Michelle was lights out in her performance in my opinion.
“Do not fear death... only the unlived life.” - Natalie Babbitt
I have the feeling that a lot happened to this movie during the editing process. It starts off strong, but then (SPOILER) after Pete dies the whole movie sort of loses it's direction and doesn't regain this momentum anywhere. However, Michelle Pfeiffer was phenominal in this, and Jessica Lange gave a strong performance as well. It's a pity this movie wasn't better received.
shareI am surprised that high school teachers are using A Thousand Acres to teach King Lear. I know they are linked but I see the film as being very different from the play. Maybe a literature class would have fun contrasting them.
In King Lear (and I saw the great Timothy West perform it live) Regan and Goneril are evil little devils who conspire against their father at every turn and treat him poorly. He is, we are told, more sinned against than sinning. All my sympathy was with Cordelia and, to some extent Lear, although the fool brought some of it on himself.
But that is not the case in this film. Larry Cook is a most unsympathetic character - a child molester and rapist, a liar, an arrogant, self-centred man. He gives away his land of his own free will, his own idea in fact, unlike in the play. He isn't turned out of his home - his daughters are happy for him to stay in the big house forever. But he starts to feel sorry for himself because he is bored now that he doesn't have the farm to run. (Well, whose fault was that?)
He says the girls have stuck him out there away from them, whereas nothing has changed except the name on the land title. He is still living in the house he was born in for goodness sake. (Goneril and Regan could have taught these daughters some lessons in cruelty). They haven't abandoned him as he alleges - they still come and cook him breakfast every morning.
When he is caught in the storm, he tells people they put him out of his home. Untrue - he just refused to go there. They even offered to drive him home but he declined. he was prone to rages - and this was just one of them. Unlike Lear's rage in the storm, this one had no basis.
There is nothing evil or malicious about Ginny in particular. Unlike Lear's daughters she shows genuine affection for her father despite what he has done to her. Rose does hate him but hides that hated and treats him well. And, unlike Regan, this is genuine good treatment, not the fake affection Lear's girls showed.
They handled his abuse mildly too - no reports to the police, no attempts to smear his name (until after the court case).
No, this time round Ginny and Rose are the ones more sinned against than sinning.
And Caroline isn't vaguely the angel that Cordelia was. Sure, she was stripped of her inheritance unfairly, but blamed her sisters when the blame all belonged on the shoulders of her father. And instead of trying to work it out with her sisters, who resisted their father's attempts to turn Caroline away, she went behind their backs, reconciled with the d**khead who caused all the problems and litigated. She deliberately drove a wedge between her sister and her husband - and lied to get her own way.
Summary of characters' quality
King Lear:
(from good character to jerk)
1. Cordelia
2. Lear
3. Goneril
4. Regan (last two inter-changeable)
A Thousand Acres:
1. Ginny
2. Rose
3. Caroline
4. Larry.
Compare and contrast.
This is one of my favorites also.
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