The Butcher's Wife (1991)

Director:

Terry Hughes

Writers (WGA):

Ezra Litwak (written by) &
Marjorie Schwartz (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Fantasy

Tagline:

It's not about meat, it's about magic.

Plot:

A clairvoyant thinks she's met her husband to be because she's seen him in her dreams. They marry quickly...

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Lighthouse | Clairvoyance | Lesbian | Lesbian Affair

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Demi Moore	...	Marina Lemke
Jeff Daniels	...	Dr. Alex Tremor
George Dzundza	...	Leo Lemke
Mary Steenburgen	...	Stella Keefover
Frances McDormand	...	Grace
Margaret Colin	...	Robyn Graves
Max Perlich	...	Eugene
Miriam Margolyes	...	Gina
Helen Hanft	...	Molly
Christopher Durang	...	Mr. Liddle
Luis Avalos	...	Luis
Charles Pierce	...	Beau
Elizabeth Lawrence	...	Grammy D'Arbo
Stephanie Laurence	...	Choir Student
Barry Neikrug	...	Bicyclist
Ed Kenney	...	Uncle Chauncy
Diane Salinger	...	Trendoid
Cameron Milzer	...	Customer
Thomas Mikal Ford	...	Transvestite
Scott Thompson Baker	...	Fire Eater (as Scott Baker)
Sam Menning	...	Doorman
Steve Love	...	Skater in the Park
Sara Noel Herring	...	Young Marina
Ken Fritz	...	Street Sweeper
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Tidy

Directed by
Terry Hughes

Writing credits (WGA)
Ezra Litwak		(written by) &
Marjorie Schwartz		(written by)

Produced by
Lauren Lloyd	....	producer
Wallis Nicita	....	producer
Arne Schmidt	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michael Gore
Steven Jae Johnson

Cinematography by
Frank Tidy

Film Editing by
Donn Cambern

Casting by
Gail Levin

Production Design by
Charles Rosen

Art Direction by
Diane Yates

Set Decoration by
Donald J. Remacle

Costume Design by
Theadora Van Runkle

Makeup Department
K.G. Ramsey	....	hair stylist
Gail Rowell-Ryan	....	hair stylist
Robert Ryan	....	makeup artist
Rick Sharp	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Stephen Lim	....	unit production manager (as Steve Lim)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kenneth D. Collins	....	first assistant director
Carey Dietrich	....	second assistant director (as E. Carey Dietrich)
Rick Feder	....	second second assistant director
Richard Patrick	....	second assistant director: New York

Art Department
James R. Bayliss	....	set designer
Gary Clark	....	head paint foreperson
Bruce J. Gfeller	....	construction coordinator
Jeffery J. Jenkins	....	painter
Martha Johnston	....	set designer
C.J. Maguire	....	property master
Peter Olexiewicz	....	construction foreman
Robert Van Dyke	....	propmaker foreman
Dianne Wager	....	set designer

Sound Department
Bob Baron	....	adr mixer
Pamela Bentkowski	....	foley editor
Anne Couk	....	first assistant sound editor
Greg Curda	....	foley mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Juno J. Ellis	....	adr editor
David Lee Fein	....	foley artist
Cecelia Hall	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kathy McCart	....	sound recordist
Gary Ritchie	....	sound recordist
Art Rochester	....	production sound mixer
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Douglas J. Schulman	....	boom operator
Beth Sterner	....	supervising sound editor
Marcy Stoeven	....	sound assistant (as Marcy Stoeven Gibbens)
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack Tucker	....	foley editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David P. Kelsey	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Mannix Bennett	....	matte artist
Mark Sawicki	....	matte photography
Robert Stromberg	....	matte artist

Stunts
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunt coordinator
Steve Boyum	....	stunts
Shane Dixon	....	stunts
David Draves	....	stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Allan Graf	....	stunts
John Hateley	....	stunts
R.A. Rondell	....	stunts
Steve Wolf	....	utility stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Audie Aragon	....	dolly grip
Bobby Brown	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Bobby Brown	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Ken Fisher	....	Steadicam assistant
Earl Gilbert	....	chief lighting technician
Brian C. Glover	....	first assistant camera
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
David Norris	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator
Charles A. Vogeler	....	video assist operator
Elizabeth Ziegler	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Paul Garnica	....	background casting
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Mark Fincannon	....	casting: North Carolina (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rhona Meyers	....	set costumer
Eric H. Sandberg	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
David Bryden	....	color timer
Jeff Etcher	....	assistant editor
Theresa Repola Mohammed	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Charles Martin Inouye	....	music editor
George A. Martin	....	music editor
Shirley Walker	....	conductor
Shirley Walker	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Greg Stancil	....	driver
Tom F. Thomas	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Paul Bode	....	key production assistant
Kevin Richard Buxbaum	....	production accountant
Pamela Carter	....	location manager
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Bret Culpepper	....	stand-in
Vic Heutschy	....	unit publicist
Cress Horne	....	helicopter pilot
Jennifer Irvine	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Rosemary Lombard	....	production office coordinator: New York
Bonnie Prendergast	....	script supervisor
David M. Rodriguez	....	production accountant
Debbie Schwab	....	production coordinator
Pamela Thur	....	assistant location manager: New York
Susan Towner	....	production accountant
Michael Williams	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Illusion Arts

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Saxon/Ross Film Design  titles

Runtime:

107 min | Germany:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Germany:6 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bald Head Island, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Demi Moore took over the lead role after 'Meg Ryan' dropped out.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The opening and closing scenes supposedly show Marina in her Ocracoke (NC) home, but the tall, diamond-patterned lighthouse actually stands at Cape Lookout, about 45 miles down the coast from Ocracoke. Ocracoke has its own, much-photographed lighthouse, a shorter, white tower.

Quotes:

Marina Lemke: That boy's tongue is long enough to cut his throat.
Eugene: I was just gonna say that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992) (TV)

Soundtrack:

IN THE DARK

Has its own charm, why compare?

I liked this romantic movie just fine. Demi Moore as Marina is in earnest even though she gets off to a wrong start by marrying a man she "thinks" is the right one, but her feelings aren't based on solid ground as it turns out. Jeff Daniels is less believable in his role as a psychiatrist and comes across as being more neurotic than his patients!

Introverted Stella, played by Mary Steenburgen, is a charmer and her singing is almost the highlight of the film, at least to me. As well, a certain butcher named Leo is also captivated by Stella's modest ways and they are drawn to each other and soon fall in love. This only adds to the confusion in everyone's lives and doesn't help solve their problems.

The movie isn't a first class romance but if accepted on its own terms it's very enjoyable with a message or two about life and understanding. I tune in to see it whenever it's on, might get the video too if funds permit.