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Ordinary People (1980)
Director: Robert Redford
Writers: Judith Guest (novel), Alvin Sargent (screenplay)
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Genre: Drama
In the aftermath of a families double tragedy: the accidental death of the oldest son, and a suicide attempt by the other son, the Jarrett family becomes strained to the breaking point.
1980's Ordinary People, marks the directorial debut of Robert Redford, and launched the acting careers of newcomers Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern.
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Judith Guest. A book so frank about the subject of dysfunctionalism, sex, suicide and depression that it was the most banned book by schools in the 1990's.
Director Robert Redford removes the more seedy aspects of the novel, giving us a pure study of an 'ordinary' family that is dealing with an extraordinary crisis. This crisis has taken the already difficulties present in the families relationships and brought them to a head. And this is what makes Ordinary People such a powerful story, it's told in a realistic and brutally simple style of story telling.
Of all the movies I've watched this is one of the very few that makes me feel like I'm not watching a movie but am actually there witnessing the lives of this people. People who are real, and a family not unlike countless other families.
Ordinary People earned Robert Redford an Academy Award for Best Picture and for Best Director. And the film won an Oscar for Best Writing, Alvin Sargent.
Newcomer, Timothy Hutton picked up an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. And both Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch were nominated for an Academy Awards.
I really must say Mary Tyler Moore gave an outstanding performance, playing against type as the bitter mother who bottles her emotions up, and keeps her youngest son at arms distances.
Mary deserved the Oscar! Sissy Spacek won for Coal Miner's Daughter a good performance too, but Mary Tyler Moore's portrayal was nothing short of sublime.
Timothy Hutton who's the surviving youngest son, guilt ridden and suicidal, nails his performance by keeping himself grounded. None of the actors go 'big', they all stay within the boundaries of Redford's vision of a simple telling of very ordinary people...and that's the films power.
One way Redford achieves 'less is more' is by utilizing the actors body language. How they stand and hold their bodies in relation to each other, speaks volumes.
Judd Hirsch plays a psychologist and his therapy sessions with the troubled suicidal son (Timothy Hutton), not only gives us insight into the guilt complex of Hutton's character but also sheds light on the problems with his mother and father and their relationship. All three family members are fractured in their own way.
Ordinary People (1980)
Writers: Judith Guest (novel), Alvin Sargent (screenplay)
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Genre: Drama
In the aftermath of a families double tragedy: the accidental death of the oldest son, and a suicide attempt by the other son, the Jarrett family becomes strained to the breaking point.
1980's Ordinary People, marks the directorial debut of Robert Redford, and launched the acting careers of newcomers Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern.
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Judith Guest. A book so frank about the subject of dysfunctionalism, sex, suicide and depression that it was the most banned book by schools in the 1990's.
Director Robert Redford removes the more seedy aspects of the novel, giving us a pure study of an 'ordinary' family that is dealing with an extraordinary crisis. This crisis has taken the already difficulties present in the families relationships and brought them to a head. And this is what makes Ordinary People such a powerful story, it's told in a realistic and brutally simple style of story telling.
Of all the movies I've watched this is one of the very few that makes me feel like I'm not watching a movie but am actually there witnessing the lives of this people. People who are real, and a family not unlike countless other families.
Ordinary People earned Robert Redford an Academy Award for Best Picture and for Best Director. And the film won an Oscar for Best Writing, Alvin Sargent.
Newcomer, Timothy Hutton picked up an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. And both Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch were nominated for an Academy Awards.
I really must say Mary Tyler Moore gave an outstanding performance, playing against type as the bitter mother who bottles her emotions up, and keeps her youngest son at arms distances.
Mary deserved the Oscar! Sissy Spacek won for Coal Miner's Daughter a good performance too, but Mary Tyler Moore's portrayal was nothing short of sublime.
Timothy Hutton who's the surviving youngest son, guilt ridden and suicidal, nails his performance by keeping himself grounded. None of the actors go 'big', they all stay within the boundaries of Redford's vision of a simple telling of very ordinary people...and that's the films power.
One way Redford achieves 'less is more' is by utilizing the actors body language. How they stand and hold their bodies in relation to each other, speaks volumes.
Judd Hirsch plays a psychologist and his therapy sessions with the troubled suicidal son (Timothy Hutton), not only gives us insight into the guilt complex of Hutton's character but also sheds light on the problems with his mother and father and their relationship. All three family members are fractured in their own way.