Frances

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Frances is a 1982 Universal motion picture starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized.

Directed by Graeme Clifford, the story was written for the screen by Eric Bergren, Christopher De Vore and Nicholas Kazan (son of Elia Kazan, who worked with the real Frances Farmer in several plays), based upon William Arnold's Shadowland, a fictional biography of Farmer. In pre-production the producers reneged on their option to use the book as source material. Arnold filed an unsuccessful copyright infringement lawsuit but many of his fictional elements were incorporated into the final film. On the commentary of the latest DVD release, director Clifford stated, "We didn't want to nickel and dime people to death with facts." It was produced by Jonathan Sanger and Mel Brooks.

Frances was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jessica Lange) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Stanley).

[edit] Plot summary

The movie ostensibly tells the life story of actress Frances Farmer, but major plot elements shown, most notably the dramatic lobotomy scene, never happened. The title role is played by Lange, and her mother is played by Stanley. Shepard played fictional character Harry York, who was developed by the writers after the falling out with Arnold forced dramatic changes in the script.

[edit] External links

• Frances at the Internet Movie Database
• "Shedding Light on Shadowland" - In-depth essay detailing the many fictionalized elements in the film "Frances" and its source material.

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