The Long Walk Home
| The Long Walk Home | |
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| Directed by | Richard Pearce |
| Produced by | Taylor Hackford Stuart Benjamin |
| Written by | John Cork |
| Narrated by | Mary Steenburgen |
| Starring | Whoopi Goldberg Sissy Spacek Dwight Schultz Ving Rhames Dylan Baker Erika Alexander Richard Parnell Habersham Jason Weaver |
| Music by | George Fenton |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Editing by | Bill Yahraus |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | December 21, 1990 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film africa |
| Language | English |
| Box office | US$4,803,039 |
The Long Walk Home is a 1990 film starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg.
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[edit] Origins
The feature film is based on a short screenplay of the same name, written by John Cork. While a student at USC, Cork submitted his script for consideration by the Cinema Department, hoping to also direct. While his script was selected for production, USC assigned another person, Beverlyn E. Fray to direct it. Despite winning several awards, including first place at the Black American Cinema Society, Cork was unhappy with the finished project and unsuccesfully tried to block exhibition of the short film.[1][2]
[edit] Plot
The film is set in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and features Whoopi Goldberg as Odessa Cotter, an African-American maid, employed by a well-to-do white woman, Miriam Thompson, played by Spacek. The story is told through the eyes of Miriam's young daughter Mary Catherine, for whom Odessa is a nanny. Odessa and her family are faced with all of the social problems typical of African Americans at the time: poverty, racism, violence, and discrimination based solely on the color of their skin. When a boycott of the city buses prevents Odessa from riding the bus to work, she is left with no other choice but to walk. Her employer, Miriam Thompson, offers to give her a ride two days a week in order to ensure she makes it to work on time and alleviate the effect the “long walk home” is having on her. However, as the boycott progresses, tensions rise and giving Odessa a ride to work becomes an issue with the white prominent members of her community, as well as with her husband. Miriam is faced with the choice between doing what she believes is right or succumbing to pressure from her husband and friends. After a fight with her husband, Miriam decides to follow her heart and becomes involved in a carpool group for other workers like Odessa. In the film's emotional final scene, Miriam and Mary Catherine join Odessa and the other protesters in standing against oppression.
[edit] Development
One of the three GM "old-look" transit buses used in this film was the actual Montgomery Bus Lines bus #2857 that Rosa Parks was riding in when she was famously arrested. The bus was in poor condition by the time the film was made. It was given a partial repaint and was towed by a cable for its scenes in the movie.
[edit] Release
The film was released theatrically on December 21, 1990. After the film's theatrical run, it was released to videocassette by Live Home Video in the United States and in Canada that same year by Cineplex Odeon. In 2002, the film was released twice on DVD by Platinum Disc and Artisan Entertainment, both presented in fullscreen and lacking any bonus features. Both DVDs are now discontinued and as of February 26, 2010, Lions Gate Home Entertainment has yet to announce any plans for a new region 1 DVD release of the film. A widescreen DVD is available in Spain.
[edit] References
- ^ Cieply, Michael (1988-02-04). "USC Student Suit Challenges Film-TV School Practices". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California). http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-04/entertainment/ca-40597_1_film-school. Retrieved 2011-10-29. "John Cork, a 26-year-old directing student, asked the court to block screenings of "The Long Walk Home." The award-winning short film was based on a screenplay written by Cork, but directed by another student."
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1988-01-18). "USC Student First in Cinema Society Contest". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California). http://articles.latimes.com/1988-01-18/entertainment/ca-24534_1_usc-society-student. Retrieved 2011-10-29. "USC graduate student Beverlyn E. Fray's "The Long Walk Home," a subtle and eloquent 20-minute drama written with John Cork(from his original story) on the impact of the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott upon a black maid and her white employer, took the top prize of $1,500 in the Black American Cinema Society's annual independent film and video competition held Saturday at USC's Davidson Conference Center."
[edit] External links
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