Mrs. Soffel (1984)

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Guionista:

Ron Nyswaner (writer)

Release Date:

26 diciembre 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Frase comercial:

A true story

Plot:

Peter Soffel is the stuffy warden of a remote American prison around the turn of the century. His wife...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Pittsburgh Pennsylvania | Prison Escape | Sled | Warden

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

One of the best American films of the 1980's

Cast

Diane Keaton	...	Kate Soffel
Mel Gibson	...	Ed Biddle
Matthew Modine	...	Jack Biddle
Edward Herrmann	...	Warden Peter Soffel
Trini Alvarado	...	Irene Soffel
Jennifer Dundas	...	Margaret Soffel (as Jennie Dundas)
Danny Corkill	...	Eddie Soffel
Harley Cross	...	Clarence Soffel
Terry O'Quinn	...	Detective Buck McGovern
Pippa Pearthree	...	Maggie
William Youmans	...	Guard George Koslow
Maury Chaykin	...	Guard Charlie Reynolds
Joyce Ebert	...	Matron Agnes Garvey
Wayne Robson	...	Halliday
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	...	Jessie Bodyne
Les Rubie	...	Mr. Stevenson
Paula Trueman	...	Mrs. Stevenson
Nancy Chesney	...	Mrs. Fitzgerald
Samantha Follows	...	Becky Knotts
Katie McCombs	...	Rachel Garvey
Linda Gabler	...	Leota Yoeders
Eric Hebert	...	Paperboy
Tom Harvey	...	Attorney Burke
Jack Jessop	...	Attorney Watson
William Duell	...	Lenny
John Dee	...	Old Prisoner
J. Winston Carroll	...	Guard McGarey (as John W. Carroll)
David Fox	...	McNeil
Fred Booker	...	Trustee
Valerie Buhagiar	...	Alice
Norma Dell'Agnese	...	Woman Reporter
Al Koslik	...	Reporter (as Al Kozlik)
Phillip Craig	...	Reporter
Frank Adamson	...	Swinehart
Don Granberry	...	Roach
Linda Carola	...	Factory Girl
George Belskey	...	Mr. Bodyne
Maruska Stankova	...	Mrs. Bodyne (as Marushka Stankova)
James Bradford	...	Minister
Charles Jolliffe	...	Sheriff Hoon
Rodger Barton	...	Deputy Hoon
Jack Mather	...	Mr. Watson
Lee-Max Walton	...	Harry
Sean Sullivan	...	Farmer
Warren Van Evera	...	Farmer
Walter Massey	...	District Attorney
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Jane Foster	...	Elsie
Chris Cummings	...	Boy (uncredited)
Len Doncheff	...	Polish Guard (uncredited)
Clay Follett	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Heather Graham	...	Factory Girl (uncredited)
Kay Hawtrey	...	Peter's Secretary (uncredited)
David Huckvale	...	Russian Twin (uncredited)
Douglas Huckvale	...	Russian Twin (uncredited)
John Innes	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Derek Keurvorst	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Dan Lett	...	Young Man (uncredited)
Don McManus	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Alan C. Peterson	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dorothy Phelan	...	Old Aunt (uncredited)
Lou Pitoscia	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Gerry Tucker	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Victoria Vanderkloot	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Chuck Waters	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Brian Young	...	McNeil's Secretary (uncredited)
Ralph Zeldin	...	Russian (uncredited)

Dirigida por
Gillian Armstrong

Créditos del guión (in alphabetical order)
Ron Nyswaner		writer

Producida por
Dennis E. Jones	....	associate producer (as Dennis Jones)
David Nicksay	....	producer (as David A. Nicksay)
Scott Rudin	....	producer
Edgar J. Scherick	....	producer

Música original por
Mark Isham

Fotografía por
Russell Boyd

Montaje por
Nicholas Beauman

Casting
Margery Simkin

Diseño de producción por
Luciana Arrighi

Dirección artística
Roy Forge Smith

Decorados
Dan Conley
Hilton Rosemarin

Diseño de vestuario por
Shay Cunliffe

Departamento de maquillaje
Linda Gill	....	makeup artist
Patricia Green	....	makeup supervisor
Paul LeBlanc	....	hair stylist

Dirección de producción
Monty Diamond	....	unit production manager: Pittsburgh
Dennis E. Jones	....	production manager (as Dennis Jones)
Michael MacDonald	....	unit manager

Ayudante de dirección
Ronald M. Bozman	....	first assistant director: Pittsburgh (as Ron Bozman)
Ronald M. Bozman	....	second unit director (as Ron Bozman)
Mark Egerton	....	assistant director
Richard Flower	....	second assistant director
Rocco Gismondi	....	third assistant director
Tony Gittleson	....	second assistant director: Pittsburgh (as Anthony H. Gittelson)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	second unit director (as Glenn H. Randall Jr.)

Art Department
Daniel R. Bradette	....	assistant property master
Jacques M. Bradette	....	supervising set decorator (as Jacques Bradette)
J. Tracy Budd	....	property master
Carmi Gallo	....	assistant art director
Bill Harman	....	construction coordinator
Andris Hausmanis	....	assistant art director
Edward Pisoni	....	art director: Pittsburgh

Departamento de sonido
George H. Anderson	....	sound effects editor (as George Anderson)
Dody Dorn	....	dialogue editor (as Dody Jane Dorn)
Dennis Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound editor (as Bob Grieve)
Jay M. Harding	....	sound re-recording mixer
David J. Kimball	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Lee	....	production sound mixer
Ray O'Reilly	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andrew Patterson	....	dialogue loop editor
Steve Switzer	....	boom operator
Christian T. Cooke	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Terry Cooke	....	temp mix re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Reid Paul Martin	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Don White	....	adr recording mixer (uncredited)

Efectos especiales
Kevin Pike	....	special effects supervisor: Pittsburgh
Neil Trifunovich	....	special effects coordinator
Jacques Godbout	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Especialistas
Marco Bianco	....	stunts
Robin Grathwol	....	stunts
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunt coordinator (as Glenn H. Randall Jr.)
Bruce Smith	....	stunts
Victoria Vanderkloot	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
George Berrios	....	first assistant camera: Pittsburgh
Holly Bower	....	still photographer
Ralph Brandofino	....	second assistant camera: Pittsburgh
Darwin Dean	....	director of photography: Pittsburgh
Tony Eldridge	....	second electrician
Henri Fiks	....	second camera operator
Ron Gillham	....	key grip
Glen Goodchild	....	second grip
Chris Harris	....	second assistant camera
Gail Harvey	....	still photographer
Chris Helcermanas-Benge	....	still photographer
Chris Holmes	....	chief lighting technician
John McCallum	....	first assistant camera (as Sandy McCallum)
Peter Norman	....	director of photography: Pittsburgh
Rod Parkhurst	....	camera operator
Robert Saad	....	second camera operator
Stuart Stein	....	second assistant camera: Pittsburgh

Casting Department
Stuart Aikins	....	casting: Toronto
Allan Amtzis	....	casting assistant
Lynne Carrow	....	additional casting
Brenda McConnell	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Kemp	....	wardrobe mistress (as Lynda Kemp)
Arthur Rowsell	....	costumer: men
Patti Unger	....	costumer: women (as Patty Unger)

Editorial Department
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
Bruce Lange	....	first assistant editor
John Pleffer	....	post-production coordinator
Michael Rea	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Mark Adler	....	music arranger: string arrangements
Todd Boekelheide	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Nick Sweetman	....	transportation coordinator

Otros miembros del equipo
Todd Arnow	....	location auditor
Michael Barnathan	....	assistant: Mr. Scherick
Marc Dassas	....	location manager
Nora Dunfee	....	dialect consultant
Alice Ferrier	....	production coordinator: Canada
Cassie Freckleton	....	location auditor
Penelope Hynam	....	script supervisor
Patricia Johnson	....	unit publicist
Lisa McClelland	....	production coordinator: Pittsburgh
Peggy Munns	....	assistant: Ms. Armstrong
Rick Parker	....	wrangler
Janice Polley	....	assistant: Mr. Nicksay
Stephen Seliy	....	location manager: Pittsburgh (as Steve Seliy)
Adam J. Shully	....	assistant location manager
Ed Urban	....	technical advisor (as Lt. Ed Urban)
Casey Brown	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Linda Callow	....	stand-in: Diane Keaton (uncredited)
Lev Mailer	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Dan Roth	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• MGM/UA Entertainment Company
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1985) (UK) (theatrical)
• Vídeo Arte (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Fred the Furrier  furs
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  title and opticals
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios  re-recording facilities

Duración:

110 min | 112 min (TCM print)

País:

USA

Idioma:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby

Clasificación:

UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Elora, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivialidades:

The jail used in the movie is the actual Allegheny County Jail that figures in the story. Designed by noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson, built between 1884-1888, it served as a jail until 1995 and is now used by the juvenile and family sections of the Common Pleas Court.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Mrs. Soffel' (1984) (TV)

One of the best American films of the 1980's

This is one of the best American films of the 1980's. It is based on the true story of the wife of the Allegheny County Jail warden, Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) who falls in love with a sexually alluring working class inmate, Ed Biddle (Mel Gibosn) in turn of the century Pittsburgh and plots to help him and his brother, Jack (Matthew Modine) escape. Director Gillian Armstrong and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner brilliantly decided to deal with the story in an elliptical and indirect way. We aren't telegraphed anything. We don't know if the Biddle's are innocent. We don't really understand why Kate falls in love with Ed. We aren't directly told why Kate is so disappointed in her life. The filmmakers takes this personal story and turns it into a progressive feminist mood poem. It is extraordinary to see a post 1970's American film this complex and this progressive.

Diane Keaton gives a remarkably complex and nuanced performance. The film is almost unimaginable with her in the leading role. Early in the film she communicates the torment and longing of Kate in a way that warrants comparisons with the greatest acting of the silent cinema. We see the depression and desperation in Kate's face in a way that rivals Maria Falconetti in Dryer's THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and Lilian Gish in Victor Sjöström's THE WIND and D.W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOM'S. One of the remarkably subversive aspects of the film is its relationship to Kate's Christianity (which becomes particularly pointed watched in the contemporary context and thinking about Mel Gibson's PASSION OF THE Christ fundamentalism). She is a bit scary creeping about the prison trying to sell doomed men on a faith that will set them free. The suggestion is that it is this same faith, or more precisely the way Christianity is used as a structuring device of patriarchy, that has trapped Kate into her own life sentence. When she becomes aroused by Ed everything shifts, she looks different, some kind of remarkable radiance shines forth from Keaton's face. Her bible lessons become a pretext for sexual release. She literally makes love to Ed through the bars with his brother nearby, which adds a remarkable charge of voyeurism to the proceedings.

Mel Gibson has never been photographed more sensually then in this film. There is a scene late in the film, in which, he is lying in bed with the sunlight playing on his face that in which his beauty is almost angelic. He's photographed and contextualized the way male directors have often shot young classically beautiful women (think of Julie Christie in David Lean's Dr. ZHIVAGO, Joseph Losey's THE GO BETWEEN, or Donald Cammell's DEMONSEED or Faye Dunaway in Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN or Sydney Pollock's 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR). Armstong also allows Gibson's sense of humor to peek out to suggest layers to this character. We never totally trust Ed, yet we root for him or at least root for Kate's vision of him.

The cinematography by Russell Boyd is exceptionally original and the production design emphasizes the grimy oppressive nature of an industrial town. this was actually a critique of the film at the time of its release. It was too dark, mainstream reviewers said. Well actually its historically accurate. Pittsburgh was so soot filled and grimy that the street lights had to stay on all day long! This is the great environmental tragedy of the industrial revolution. Armstrong uses this look for strong dramatic effect and creates a kind of mood poem here that reminds me of the best work of Antonioni and of Werner Herzog remarkable NOSFERATU. Like in that great film we can never quiet situate ourselves, the oppressive dim look of the film suggests we might be in a kind of waking nightmare. Is the environment part of Kate's psychic and physical affliction? Who could be happy or healthy living in this kind of relentlessly dismal environ? When we finally leave Pittsburgh Boyd and Armstrong present us with some of the most lovingly photographed images of sun and snow in American cinema. The viewer so ready for these brighter images that they alter our the way we connect to the story.

That this film was neither a critical nor a commercial success is a tragedy for the contemporary Hollywood cinema. Its failure became one of the many excuses for the overwhelming turn to the banal cookie cutter cinema that Hollywood is known for today. One hopes that cinephiles everywhere will reclaim ambitious films like MRS. SOFFEL as an example