The Ring (1996) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Armand Mastroianni

Writers (WGA):

Danielle Steel (novel)
Nancy Sackett (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

During WW II, a young German woman is separated from her family and imprisoned by the Nazis. After being...

Plot Keywords:

Holocaust | WWII | Based On Novel

Cast

Nastassja Kinski	...	Ariana von Gotthard
Michael York	...	Walmar von Gotthard
Rupert Penry-Jones	...	Gerhard von Gotthard
Carsten Norgaard	...	Capt. Manfred Von Tripp
Tim DeKay	...	Max Thomas
Alessandro Nivola	...	Noel
Linda Lavin	...	Ruth Liebman
James Sikking	...	Sam Liebman (as James B. Sikking)
Jon Tenney	...	Paul Liebman
Elizabeth Barondes	...	Tammy Liebman
Leslie Caron	...	Madame de Saint Marne
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paula Bacon	...	Brigitte
Julie Cox	...	Giselle
Stephen Fisher	...	German soldier
Marinel Fitzsimons	...	Ariana, age 10
Kenneth Haigh	...	Dr. Kopek
Paula Hamilton	...	Kassandra
Nigel Hastings	...	Hildebrand
Jack Hedley
Marta Hrachovinová	...	Frau Mann (as Marta Hrachovinova)
Paulette Ivory	...	Torch Singer
Ilene Kreshka	...	Employment Official
Leigh Lawson
Geno Lechner	...	Effie Zelt
Kaki Lucius	...	Hospital Nurse
Mirek Lux	...	Raymond
Jean Marsh
Jack May	...	Herr Kaufman
Lloyd Moss	...	Gerhard, age 9
Arnost Neufeld	...	Rabbi #1
David Shaeffer	...	Rabbi #2

Also Known As:

Danielle Steel's The Ring (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

180 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cramer Company, The

Trivia:

Broadcast on Fuji Television Network and, due to popular demand, released theatrically later.

This is such a guilty pleasure...

I just happened to catch this on TV - seeing the name Nastassja Kinski always makes me want to watch, but seeing the name Danielle Steel always makes me worry... There was nothing to worry about. This was a wonderful miniseries, brought to life by a good story and fabulous actors.

Nastassja Kinski is wonderful, and she is the perfect choice for Ariana. I'm sure the role rang very true for her, owing to the fact that her parents were this age in Berlin during World War II. In fact in the story, her brother flees the country afraid of being drafted into the Nazi army, and in real life Nastassja's father, (actor Klaus Kinski) WAS drafted into the German army. Nastassja brings real depth to the character and the casting director should thank their lucky stars that she accepted the role. The casting was wonderful the whole way around: Michael York, Jon Tenney, and Elizabeth Barondes are all fantastic.

The story is corny - but it's Danielle Steel, what do you expect? ;) But what I have to tell you is I sat down, meaning to check out the first ten minutes - and after five minutes I was completely hooked. By the end of the first episode I was shocked to see that I didn't know what the heck was going to happen, and that I actually cared! I was back there the next day, with my kleenex, and loved every minute of it.

There are a few things lacking in this miniseries. The actress that played Gerhard's wife just made me want to bang my head against a wall, and I thought that subplot carried on much longer than was necessary. Other than that though, this is a movie you will get involved in. The whole situation with Ariana's second husband is just heartbreaking, and frankly, I'm still upset about it!

I can't believe I'm admitting it, but this is a movie that you can really get into. Don't let the name Danielle Steel stop you from seeing an actually very good film. Great cast, great acting, a bit of a cheesy script, but such terrific performances that you don't care!