Paradise Road

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Paradise Road

R

Released Apr 11, 1997

1h 55m

Drama

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45%

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22 Reviews

78%

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2,500+ Ratings

A group of foreign women -- including an educated British musician (Glenn Close), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and an American socialite (Julianna Margulies) -- leave Singapore during World War II. When their boat is attacked, they wash up in Japanese-occupied Sumatra and end up in a POW camp. Conditions there are grim, with prisoners brutally punished for minor violations. But the captives soon decide to form a singing group that just may lift these very different women out of misery.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

Variety

A large cast of gifted actress, including Glenn Close and Frances McDormand, is largely wasted in Beresford's honroable but failed effort to pay tribute to a group of disparate women held captive by the Japanese in WWII.

Rated: C

Jun 21, 2007

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Paradise Road is a unique look back in both style and content, but its subject matter deserved more engrossing treatment.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 29, 2022

Full Review

Murtada Elfadl

Sundays with Cate

Never lifts off to anywhere that's profound or moving or interesting

Rated: C

May 1, 2020

Full Review

Susan Granger

www.susangranger.com

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2006

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Dan S

Amazing film!! This story had to be told how Europeans suffered under the Japanese. The critics did not like it. Are you surprised?????? Ridiculous. I feel what they like are terrible films. These great films I love, they do not like. Great cast!! Great story!! Very inspirational although sad but they were so admirable!! You did not like the Japanese in the beginning but you understand them later!! One was so bad that was resentful of Europeans full of hate. The others might have been brutal but you respect them as soldiers doing their duty for Japan but many of them respected the ladies towards the end. They did not love them but they admired them to a point that they became respectful through music!! So good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

Mohammad F

FRANCES McDORMAND is THE BEST!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was really sad. Wow so many good actresses in it. Cate Blanchett and the lady from Shirley Valentine in it too. Worth watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I didn't realize until the end that this was based on a true story. As with any group of women thrown together in these circumstances, there are the annoying lot that make you want to b*tch slap them, but the acting is well done, and Pamela Rabe is always true to her characters.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little slow, but a beautiful story of human strength. The

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

Powerful, poignant and tragic slice of WWII history. Top notch cast of exceptional women portraying heroic survivors.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Glenn Close

Adrienne Pargiter

Pauline Collins

Daisy 'Margaret' Drummond

Cate Blanchett

Susan Macarthy

Frances McDormand

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Julianna Margulies

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Synopsis

A group of foreign women -- including an educated British musician (Glenn Close), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and an American socialite (Julianna Margulies) -- leave Singapore during World War II. When their boat is attacked, they wash up in Japanese-occupied Sumatra and end up in a POW camp. Conditions there are grim, with prisoners brutally punished for minor violations. But the captives soon decide to form a singing group that just may lift these very different women out of misery.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Greg Coote, Sue Milliken
Screenwriter: David Giles, Martin Meader, Bruce Beresford, Betty Jeffrey
Distributor: Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Village Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.9M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

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