The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

Director:

Peter Masterson

Writers:

Horton Foote (play)
Horton Foote (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Carrie Watts is living the twilight of her life trapped in an apartment in 1940's Houston, Texas with...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Bus | 1940s | Houston Texas | Small Town Life

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 22

4:15 PM

TCM

Cast

Geraldine Page	...	Mrs. Carrie Watts
John Heard	...	Ludie Watts
Carlin Glynn	...	Jessie Mae
Richard Bradford	...	Sheriff
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Thelma
Kevin Cooney	...	Roy
Norman Bennett	...	First Bus Ticket Man
Harvey Lewis	...	Second Bus Ticket Man
Kirk Sisco	...	Train Ticket Agent
Dave Tanner	...	Billy Davis
Gil Glasgow	...	Stationmaster Gerard
Mary Kay Mars	...	Rosella
Wezz Tildon	...	Bus Passenger
Peggy Ann Byers	...	Downstairs Neighbor
David Romo	...	Mexican Man

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Company:

Bountiful Film Partners

Trivia:

With this performance, Geraldine Page became the first person to win an Oscar and an Independent Spirit Award for the same film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: While Mother Watts is at the bus stop you see the bus approach. The head-sign says Montrose, which is just west of downtown Houston. If you look at the terrain, it is sloped not true rolling hills, but still somewhat hilly. Houston is flat as a board. These hills are reminiscent of the Dallas/Irvine area.

Quotes:

Mrs. Carrie Watts: I don't know of anything prettier, than a scissortail flyin' through the sky!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Skydivers (#7.9)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Softly and Tenderly

You Can't Go Home Again.....

The effects of the aging process is touchingly portrayed by Geraldine Page in this warm human drama set in rural Texas in 1947.

Carrie Watts (Page), now a lonely widow, is being taken care of by her son, Ludie (John Heard) and his wife Jessie Mae (Carlin Glynn) in a cramped two-room apartment in Houston.

The two women spend all of their time being irritable to each other while Ludie is caught in the middle. Though trying admirably to do the right thing by the two women in his life, the situation is tense.

Carrie yearns to return to the family farm where she grew up, hoping to recapture some of the happiness of her youth. She has even tried to run away a few times, only to be stopped by her son and daughter-in-law who, in spite of their differences are only trying to spare her the disappointment of what she may find.

Her hometown, Bountiful, now basicly no longer exists. The people just "used up the land and moved on". All that remains are a few abandoned and deteriorating buildings, including her childhood home. Nevertheless, Carrie finally succeeds in slipping away.

On the way, she meets a young wife, Thelma (Rebecca DeMornay), whose husband is overseas in the military behind enemy lines. As they converse, it is obvious they are both on a quest, Carrie to recapture her youth and Thelma to hold on to hers, not knowing if she will ever see her husband again. Until he returns, she is going back to stay with her parents. The two women form a bond and find each other a source of strength on the long bus ride. Though we hope for Thelma's eventual happiness, somehow we know that only disillusionment awaits Carrie in Bountiful.

Filmed as a play with the advantages of outdoor scenery, the entire cast and crew did a splendid job, presenting a difficult subject in a tasteful manner. Page won an Oscar in what was to be her last role shortly before her death. Besides the other supporting players, Richard Bradford was also outstanding as the compassionate Sheriff who helped Carrie obtain her goal. The period pieces, all of those old 40's automobiles and the architecture and scenery, the general "feel" of small-town Texas during that era, helped add to the realism of the film. THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL should be recognized as a national treasure.