CRIMES OF THE HEART

US, 1986, 105 minutes, Colour.
Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Tess Harper, Hurd Hatfield.
Directed by Bruce Beresford.

Crimes of the Heart is based on a play by Beth Henley (Nobody’s Fool). It was a star vehicle for Australian director Bruce Beresford (who had guided Robert Duvall to an Oscar-winning performance in Tender Mercies). The film stars three of Hollywood’s best actresses as three sisters. Sissy Spacek won an Oscar nomination for her role as Babe, the sister who shot her husband. Jessica Lang is the would-be Hollywood singer. Diane Keaton is the older sister, in danger of becoming an old maid as she stays home to look after the family. Sam Shepherd and Tess Harper are in good support.

The film is a story about the American south, about American southern values, the threat to the values by life in the 20th century. It is also a strong story of family, the relationships between sisters, love and hate and their having to cope with a crisis.

The film is one of Bruce Beresford’s best films and was critically acclaimed.

1. A popular film? award nominations?

2. Adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play? The play and its adaptation (from a kitchen setting to the house and locations) for opening out the play? The strength of the dialogue remaining in the screenplay?

3. The title and the reference to the McGraths? Their responsibilities, guilt, sins of emotion and the heart?

4. The Mississippi town, isolated, wanting to be respectable? The homes, the streets, hospital? The scenery outside the town? The musical score?

5. The portrait of the people of the South: southern style, manners, the ordinary people, yet the codes of behaviour, style, values, tradition, families, the importance of respectability?

6. The audience entering with Meg? Curious about her, about the town, the immediate impact? Staying with the sisters and seeing their interactions? Leaving them together?

7. The sisters and the portrait of the past, their memories (especially Babe's memories)? Seeing them together, their place in the family, their relationship with their grandfather, their mother and father, their mother's death, the death of the cat, the newspapers? The building up of the characters of the sisters? The building up of the memories? The gradual revelation of what had happened?

8. Lennie and the immediate hassle, getting Babe's things, the situation of her shooting her husband, prison, Lennie's birthday and people for getting it (her having her own cake and the ineffective candles?), the delight of the sisters giving her the cake at the end and their greedy and happy eating of it? Lennie and her moods, the tangles with Chick? Her love for Meg, joy at her return, resentments about her success? Her looking after Granddaddy, talking with him, seeing him, in hospital, Meg's story and her reaction about the lies? Granddaddy in hospital, the coma - and the funny sequence of the sisters laughing? Babe and prison, bringing her home? Lennie's secrets - especially about the relationship with the man - Babe telling Meg, the fight? Her reaction to Meg's behaviour? The problem of her ovaries, sexual relationships, frustration? Working in the garden, chasing Chick up the tree? The new start - and the telephone call? The situation improving Lennie's hopes?

9. The contrast with Meg, toughness, vulnerability, dress and appearance, memories of the relationship with Doc, the visit, going out with him, her not expecting him to be faithful to his wife? With each?

10. Babe, the sisters - Lennie and her frustrations, resentments, love? and the secrets about Lennie? The scandal, the fights? The moods, secrets, memories? The stories about her career for Granddaddy?

11. Babe and her being in prison, nonchalant, coming out, the situation, her reputation? Her relationship to Granddaddy? Her relationship with Meg, especially about Lennie's secrets? The visualising of her memories of the past? Shooting her husband, the drinking the lemonade while he was bleeding? Her relationship with the black boy, the visualising of the liaison? The photos? The visits of the lawyer, his attraction towards her? Her humour, irony? The fascination with her mother?

12. The various attempts at suicide - and their comic failure? Her coming to understand her mother, the death of the cat?

13. Her husband, the relationship, his being shot, his agony, her drinking lemonade? Hospital, the family and their hostility towards Babe? The lawyer? His anger? The ultimatum to the boy and his leaving town?

14. The lawyer, his position in society, ingratiating himself into the family? His proper attitudes?

15. The portrait of the black boy, the infatuation with Babe, the sexual liaison? The photos? His leaving town?

16. Granddaddy and his hold over the girls in the past, illness, the story about her success, his going into coma?

17. The uncle, his concern about Babe, the law, family? Chick and her snooping, her appearance, interfering, respectability, position in the ,town, moral stances? Criticism of the sisters? Lennie chasing her?

18. The portrait of the three sisters, family, relationships - and ironic and contrary human nature?