Waking the Dead (2000)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Keith Gordon

Writers (WGA):

Scott Spencer (based upon the novel by)
Robert Dillon (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes love has a life of its own.

Plot:

A congressional candidate questions his sanity after seeing the love of his life, presumed dead, suddenly emerge.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Election | Chilean | Vietnam | Law School

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Billy Crudup	...	Fielding Pierce
Bill Haugland	...	TV Newsman at Bombing
Nelson Landrieu	...	Francisco Higgens
Ivonne Coll	...	Gisela Higgens
Jennifer Connelly	...	Sarah Williams
Maxine Guess	...	Danny's Receptionist
Paul Hipp	...	Danny Pierce
Hal Holbrook	...	Isaac Green
Lawrence Dane	...	Governor Kinosis
Ed Harris	...	Jerry Charmichael
Robert Harding	...	TV Newsman #2
Janet McTeer	...	Caroline Pierce
Molly Parker	...	Juliet Beck
Larry Marshall	...	Angelo Bertelli
Don Jordan	...	Minister with Bertelli on TV

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | France:U | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R (No. 36371)

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Jennifer Connelly's son, Kai was in the film, she was holding him in the scene in which Fielding was at the church.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During an argument in his new apartment, Fielding's (Billy Crudup) new girlfriend calls him "Billy".

Quotes:

Fielding Pierce: I risk throwing away everything that I've worked for. This way eventually, I can make some real substantial changes without throwing away my life on some ultimately meaningless gesture.
Sarah Williams: Sometimes, meaningless gestures are all we have.

Movie Connections:

References Obsession (1976)

Soundtrack:

A Case Of You

A picture of true beauty

I cannot recommend this film strongly enough. This story celebrates the timelessness of love without cynicism or irony. It portrays a relationship in all its many forms: moments of joy, frustration, passion, tenderness, tragedy, and even a bit of insanity. Fielding Pierce and Sarah Williams are the two politically-minded lovers. While they share very similar political goals, their means of achieving those goals are vastly different. Fielding is the ambitious golden boy, campaigning through the political machine in an effort to affect change by working within the established system. Sarah is the rebel outsider, who believes real change will never be accomplished within a corrupt system, leaving political revolution as the only alternative. The film never passes judgement on which is the nobler or the more effective method. Rather, it chooses to portray Fielding and Sarah as two people whose love for what they believe in is second only to the love they have for each other.