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A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

Play trailer A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries R 1998 2h 7m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The cultural differences between France and the United States are depicted through the eyes of young Channe Willis (Leelee Sobieski), the daughter of American writer Bill Willis (Kris Kristofferson). Along with his wife, Marcella (Barbara Hershey), Bill raises his family in free-spirited 1960s Paris, but a subsequent return to America throws Channe into culture shock as she contends with a more repressed society. The film is based on the book by Kaylie Jones, daughter of author James Jones.
A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

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Critics Consensus

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries applies Merchant-Ivory's magic touch to a more contemporary era while empathetically observing the lives of expatriate Americans in Paris.

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Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy Variety [A] nicely mounted, superbly acted picture, which should appeal to the art crowd that has supported Merchant Ivory productions over the last two decades. Jan 8, 2008 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, from a screenplay by their longtime collaborator, the novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala... This is one of their best films. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Carol Cling Las Vegas Review-Journal Rated: 3/5 Aug 22, 2003 Full Review Ryan Cracknell Movie Views Rated: 4/5 May 21, 2003 Full Review Jeanne Aufmuth Palo Alto Weekly Rated: 3/4 May 14, 2003 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice A fluidly acted and well-directed film about one family's capacity to adapt to changes with courage and grace. Mar 3, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Kris Kristofferson best father evar Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member About as good as "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" (1991) in terms of straightforward, compelling American dramas by the Ivory-Merchant team. Excellent performances all around. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member great movie in the usual merch-Ivory tradition loses points for Kristofferson mangling French Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A great drama and a change of pace from James Ivory's other work. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Didn't like it when I first saw it. Watched it again last night and liked it more. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant comming of age story. Kris Kristofferson is better off singing but Leelee Sobieski does a great time adjusting to life in the u.s and france at fourteen years old. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

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Cast & Crew

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James Ivory

Director

Kris Kristofferson

Bill Willis

Barbara Hershey

Marcella Willis

Leelee Sobieski

Charlotte Anne 'Channe' Willis, Age 14

Jesse Bradford

Billy Willis, Age 14

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Francis Fortescue

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A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The cultural differences between France and the United States are depicted through the eyes of young Channe Willis (Leelee Sobieski), the daughter of American writer Bill Willis (Kris Kristofferson). Along with his wife, Marcella (Barbara Hershey), Bill raises his family in free-spirited 1960s Paris, but a subsequent return to America throws Channe into culture shock as she contends with a more repressed society. The film is based on the book by Kaylie Jones, daughter of author James Jones.
Director
James Ivory
Producer
Ismail Merchant
Screenwriter
Kaylie Jones, James Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Distributor
Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], October Films
Production Co
Capitol Films, Merchant Ivory Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 13, 1998, Original
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.8M
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)