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Paradise Road

Play trailer Poster for Paradise Road R 1997 1h 55m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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48% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 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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Paradise Road

Critics Reviews

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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 Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie is an anecdote, not a story. Rated: 2/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Susan Wloszczyna USA Today Even with its grueling pageant of torture and abuse at the hands of monstrously inhuman Japanese officers, Road never reaches the heart. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Mike Davies Birmingham Post The ensemble cast pulls out all the stops to ensure the deaths do shock and the heart is well and truly wrung. Sep 24, 2025 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Karl P I must echo those who say, in essence, "the critics must have been watching a different movie!" Ok, it's not "Bridge on the River Kwai." But it succeeds very well for what it is - a demonstration of the human spirit winning out over adversity. Lots of great performances. And the choral music, performed by a Dutch choir, is extraordinary. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/16/25 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
Paradise Road

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Cast & Crew

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Glenn Close

Adrienne Pargiter

Pauline Collins

Daisy 'Margaret' Drummond

Cate Blanchett

Susan Macarthy

Frances McDormand

Dr. Verstak

Julianna Margulies

Topsy Merritt

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Paradise Road

Paradise Road (1997) Paradise Road (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

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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