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      The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

      PG-13 1991 1 hr. 40 min. Drama List
      56% 9 Reviews Tomatometer 62% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Oscar-winners Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Carradine, and Rod Steiger star in this adaptation of the Carson McCullers novella and the Edward Albee play adapted from it. Merchant Ivory veteran Simon Callow's only turn as a director is a twisted Southern Gothic dark comedy set in a small rural town in the deep South. Redgrave plays Miss Amelia, the eccentric proprietor of the town's only café and, more importantly to her grip on the townsfolk, the proprietor of a secret moonshine still. Her domineering hold on the town is threatened when two strangers appear with a claim on her past. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Dec 06 Buy Now

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      Audience Reviews

      View All (9) audience reviews
      Emily Vanessa Redgrave genius. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/11/22 Full Review Jill V C Disappointing… all that talent, and such tepid results! Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/22 Full Review alex k My Favorite Romance Film Is 1997's Titanic. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member stripped of exposition, deprived of the rich interior lives McCullers' gives her characters, you have still something in the southern gothic vein, though it is more like operatic kitsch where no one has motivation for any of the wildly flamboyant things that they do. It makes for a diverting freak show, but it deprives eccentrics of their dignity for our amusement. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member A strange and wonderful Southern Gothic. A masterful performance by Vanessa Redgrave - one of her absolute best - with Keith Carradine and particularly Cork Hubbart strong supporting. Director Simon Callow balances the material so it steers clear of outright melodrama, infusing it with a palpable eerie atmosphere of the deep South. A masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member same old southern stuff that has been done way better like by tennesee williams Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

      The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (9) Critics Reviews
      Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Even if you can't quite swallow the material, it's a searing experience. Feb 8, 2010 Full Review Kathleen Maher Austin Chronicle Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap This gorgeous-looking but emotionally distant Southern Gothic Merchant-Ivory production lives more in the realm of parable than realistic storytelling. Rated: 3/5 Mar 20, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) It's an odyssey. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 3, 2023 Full Review Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine Callow directs in a spare but evocative style, transforming his literary sources with visual poetry rather than trying to contain their words. Oct 11, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Oscar-winners Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Carradine, and Rod Steiger star in this adaptation of the Carson McCullers novella and the Edward Albee play adapted from it. Merchant Ivory veteran Simon Callow's only turn as a director is a twisted Southern Gothic dark comedy set in a small rural town in the deep South. Redgrave plays Miss Amelia, the eccentric proprietor of the town's only café and, more importantly to her grip on the townsfolk, the proprietor of a secret moonshine still. Her domineering hold on the town is threatened when two strangers appear with a claim on her past.
      Director
      Simon Callow
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Nov 20, 2001
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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