Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (book)
Tony Gilroy (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend

Plot:

A big-city reporter travels to the small town where her mother has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman that she works for as a maid.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Murder | Flashback | Maine | Well

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 2

10:45 AM

MAX

Cast

Kathy Bates	...	Dolores Claiborne
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Selena St. George
Judy Parfitt	...	Vera Donovan
Christopher Plummer	...	Det. John Mackey
David Strathairn	...	Joe St. George
Eric Bogosian	...	Peter
John C. Reilly	...	Const. Frank Stamshaw
Ellen Muth	...	Young Selena
Bob Gunton	...	Mr. Pease
Roy Cooper	...	Magistrate
Wayne Robson	...	Sammy Marchant
Ruth Marshall	...	Secretary
Weldon Allen	...	Bartender
Tom Gallant	...	Searcher
Kelly Burnett	...	Jack Donovan

Also Known As:

Dolores (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Dolores (Germany) [de]
Dolores (Poland) [pl]
Dolores Claiborne (Denmark) [da]
Dolores Claiborne (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Dolores Claiborne (Slovenia) [sl]
Dolores Claiborne (France) [fr]
Dolores Claiborne (Finland) [fi]
Dolores Clairborne (Hungary) [hu]
Eclipse Total (Portugal) [pt]
Eclipse total (Argentina) [es]
Eclipse total (Dolores Claiborne) (Spain) [es]
Hashadot M'Ha-Avar (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
L'ultima eclissi (Italy) [it]
Oliki ekleipsi (Greece) [el]
Stephen Kings Dolores (Germany) [de]
Stephen Kings Dolores Claiborne (Germany) (complete title) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and domestic abuse.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #33558) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

While filming the scene on the ferry between Dolores and Selena, Jennifer Jason Leigh became seasick. A student from the local high school was pulled out of class to act as a stand-in.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first flashback of Vera falling down the stairs, her back hits the railing, but in the second flash back, when they show what really happened, her back is facing Dolores, who is standing at the top of the stairs.

Quotes:

Const. Frank Stamshaw: Going on a morning walk?
Dolores Claiborne: No, I'm just packing the get-away boat, so I can make my great escape.

Movie Connections:

References The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Soundtrack:

Night in the Afternoon

Bates & Parfitt dominate

This is a woman's movie, meaning its about women but a guy is able to enjoy it on several levels. Most womens movies ("Thelma & Louise" comes to mind) exclude the male segment of the audience and you have to be a woman to gain anything from watching the movie.

This is also adapted from a Stephen King horror novel and it might have been assumed that Kathy Bates was just re-visiting her familiar "Misery" territory. That assumption is very unfair here, just as the assumption that this is a horror movie.

All the acting is great but special mention must go to Kathy Bates. She even moves like a woman who has a bad back (you find out why that is) and slaves for that monster Vera for all those years. She is completely magnificent and believable and I thought she deserved another Best Actress nomination. Parfitt deserved her own in the Supporting category, for her portrayal of Vera, a person easy to hate who becomes easy to understand.