Cross Creek (1983)

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (book)
Dalene Young (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 March 1984 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

The portrait of a woman who, at the edge of survival, found a world of meaning.

Plot Keywords:

Orange Grove | Dam | Rural | Florida | Deer

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Mary Steenburgen	...	Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Rip Torn	...	Marsh Turner
Peter Coyote	...	Norton Baskin
Dana Hill	...	Ellie Turner
Alfre Woodard	...	Geechee
Joanna Miles	...	Mrs. Turner
Ike Eisenmann	...	Paul
Cary Guffey	...	Floyd Turner
Toni Hudson	...	Tim's Wife
Bo Rucker	...	Leroy
Jay O. Sanders	...	Charles Rawlings
John Hammond	...	Tim
Tommy Alford	...	Postal Clerk
Norton Baskin	...	Man in the Rocking Chair
Terrence Gehr	...	Store Keeper

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alachua County, Florida, USA

Company:

Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment

Trivia:

Cameo: [Norton Baskin]giving directions to Rawlings.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings: [voiceover] My journey to maturity began in New York, in 1928. I was married to Charles Rawlings, the newspaper man and yachting enthusiast. I had been trying to write stories that I thought would be most likely to sell - gothic romances were extremely popular - and I had written dozens. I was desperate to express myself. Even as a child I'd been consumed with the desire to be a writer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1996) (V)

A Wonderful Movie

Assuming this movie is based on events in the life of the central character, I can only think that she probably was considered too genteel to exist in those surroundings, but apparently she did. I think too, that some, if not all, of the "colorful characters" referred to were real people. Do we want to change these people, and the way they were, just to try and make the characters more compelling than they actually were? If it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it. All of the actors have done an excellent job of bringing their characters to life, particularly Rip Torn. I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to finally see this movie. But, in my opinion, it was certainly worth the wait.