A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

James Ivory

Writers (WGA):

Kaylie Jones (novel)
James Ivory (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The city of lights. A famous American author and the decade that changed a generation...forever.

Plot:

This fictionalized story, based on the family life of writer James Jones, is an emotionless slice-of-life story...

Plot Keywords:

Adopted Son | Author | Paris France | Heart Disease | Paris

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Kris Kristofferson	...	Bill Willis
Barbara Hershey	...	Marcella Willis
Leelee Sobieski	...	Charlotte Anne 'Channe' Willis, Age 14
Jane Birkin	...	Mrs. Fortescue
Dominique Blanc	...	Candida
Jesse Bradford	...	Billy Willis, Age 14
Harley Cross	...	Keith Carter
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Mamadou (as Isaac De Bankole)
Macha Méril	...	Madame Beauvier (as Macha Meril)
Nathalie Richard	...	Mademoiselle Fournier
Anthony Roth Costanzo	...	Francis Fortescue
Bob Swaim	...	Bob Smith
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Billy's Mother
Luisa Conlon	...	Young Charlotte Anne 'Channe' Willis, Age 7
Samuel Gruen	...	Benoit / Young Billy Willis, Age 7

Also Known As:

La fille d'un soldat ne pleure jamais (France)
Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (Australia) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

France | UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Germany:6 (f)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Capitol Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The family is watching Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) on TV, which was not even released to theatres until 1974, but we later see a date on a gravestone of 1973 (which means the TV scene was probably set in 1972, since there was an intervening New Year's Eve scene).

Movie Connections:

Features Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

Soundtrack:

Di Doo Dah

you won´t cry either

"A Soldier´s Daughter Never Cries" is the kind of movie that, in spite of American production, feels very European. American movies tend to be sentimental with plenty of scenes specifically calculated to make viewers get teary eyed. European movies, though, usually opt for a more naturalistic approach that refuses to wallow in emotions. In the case of "Soldier´s Daughter", this characteristic can be both good and bad. It is good in the sense that the movie seems more realistic because one must admit that in real life, melodramatic conduct is not too common. Emotions seem to be hidden rather than absent and they actually do appear in small explosions like in the somewhat odd outbursts of the mother towards the end. Emotions also seem to be behind the strange behavior of the characters (e.g. the maid scrubbing the floor at midnight after breaking up with her lover or Billy acting antisocial to make up for his feelings of resentment). Howwever, there are quite a few scenes which should have been emotionally powerful but aren´t. A good dose of American sentiment could have made a difference. For example, in the one scene where Channe finally starts crying (the title of the movie is a saying her father keeps quoting at her), I understood the place of it in the plot but was not touched by it. When Francis, heartbroken, says goodbye to Channe after telling her his secret, the situation should have been heartrending but it also left me feeling hollow - and this in spite of the fact that Francis, an effeminate heterosexual, was probably the film´s most fascinating character. Furthermore, the parents´ understated reactions often make it seem that they do not really love or care about their children the way everyone keeps insisting they do (is that a possible hidden meaning ?).

Otherwise, the movie is fine in the sense that it is intelligently written. Not only is it based on a novel but it feels as if it WAS a novel rather than a movie. The family is portrayed quite realistically. Even though the film does not seem to try to be artistic, it is lyrical enough to be seen as art.