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 Director
: Taylor Hackford
Starring
: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Strathairn, Judy
Parfitt, John C Reilly and Eric Bogosian.
Picture : 2.35:1 anamorphic, DD
5.1, Single-Sided Dual-Layer, Snap Case
Running
Time : 131 mins
The
story:
Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best
friend
In
a small close knit town in Maine, Dolores Claiborne (Kathy
Bates) has been charged with the murder of her employer,
elderly millionairess, Vera Donavan (Judy Parfitt). In New
York City, successful journalist Selena St George (Jennifer
Jason Leigh) stares at the news clipping of the story. The
story is about her mother. She knows she must return to
the town that she fought so hard to leave, she must face
the demons that have haunted her ever since and she must
delve into a past that does not want to be remembered. Selena
collects Dolores on bail and they return to the house where
the nightmare began. John Mackay (Christopher Plummer) is
the local investigator for the murder enquiry and he is
intent on stopping at nothing to prove Dolores is guilty,
an obsession that goes back a long way. Selena and Dolores
must relive the past in order to confront the present and
save each other.
The
summary:
Consistently labeled as a master of the horror genre, Stephen
King is never more brilliant than when he commits pen to
paper with his slice of life drama's. The wonderful narrative
and characterisations are truly masterpieces of the human
spirit and the trials that ordinary people have to overcome.
Many of King's books have been brought to the screen and
generally they have failed to capture the story, more intent
on shocking the audience with the horror and skimming over
the meaning. The most successful have been the drama's and
Dolores Claiborne is certainly no exception.
Back on board with King and director Taylor Hackford, after
her Oscar winning performance in Misery is Kathy Bates,
who again offers a flawless performance in this powerful
drama. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays her troubled daughter,
Selena and also turns in a good performance but sometimes
fails to capture the true depth of the character. Christopher
Plummer, Judy Parfitt and David Strathairn are also all
very good in this harrowing story of a life tainted by family
trauma. The film itself is strangely compelling and wonderfully
conceived in its execution. Present day scenes have a very
dreary and grey look to show a world where anger and hate
have consumed our main characters. The rest is told almost
entirely in flashback with all the scenes looking colour
rich, to portray the happiness that once existed in their
lives. Dolores Claiborne is another tour de force from Bates
and is a splendid blend of thriller and drama. It starts
off slightly slow but is well worth watching for its just
over two hour running time.
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