Produced in 1980 and directed by Robert Redford, this film is based on the novel written by Judith Guest and the screenplay by Alvin Sargent. The plot concerns the accidental death of the older son in an affluent family and its affect on the lives of the very bitter mother, Beth Jarrett (Mary Tyler Moore), good-natured father, Calvin Jarrett (Donald Sutherland) and guilt-tortured son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton). Redford’s decision to do this film was based on the fact that the story reminded him of his own family and of the way everyone talked around issues rather than facing them.
This film marked the debut of Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern and follows Conrad’s desperate descent into depression over the death of his brother, for which he feels responsible. Dr. Berger, played beautifully by Judd Hirsch, attempts to help him along and release him from his deep emotional pain. Gene Hackman was Redford’s first choice for this role but he had to bow out, and Judd Hirsch assumed it on the condition that he could complete his part of the film within eight days so as not to interfere with his schedule on the hit television series, “Taxi.”
Beth Jarrett, who always preferred the brother that died, is having difficulty supporting her younger son, and father, Calvin, is wedged between the two, struggling to hold his decaying family together. Lee Remick was Redford’s first choice for this role, but no one could have tackled it better than Mary Tyler Moore. The cast is excellent; the story powerful and timeless.
Elizabeth McGovern (who plays Conrad’s friend who commits suicide) was a student at Juilliard at the time of the filming. She had to leave for Chicago each Friday night and return on Sunday, filming only on Saturdays. This was the first time the school ever permitted a student to make a film during a school term.
What are some of YOUR favorite scenes from this film?