The Bostonians (1984)
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- Not Rated
- 2h 2min
- Drama, Romance
- 05 Oct 1984 (UK)
- Movie
A Boston feminist and a conservative Southern lawyer contend for the heart and mind of a beautiful and bright girl unsure of her future.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Christopher Reeve | ... |
Basil Ransome
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| Vanessa Redgrave | ... |
Olive Chancellor
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| Jessica Tandy | ... |
Miss Birdseye
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| Madeleine Potter | ... |
Verena Tarrant
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| Nancy Marchand | ... |
Mrs. Burrage
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| Wesley Addy | ... |
Dr. Tarrant
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Barbara Bryne | ... |
Mrs. Tarrant
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| Linda Hunt | ... |
Dr. Prance
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| Charles McCaughan | ... |
Music Hall Policeman
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| Nancy New | ... |
Adeline
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| Jon Van Ness | ... |
Henry Burrage
(as John Van Ness Philip)
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| Wallace Shawn | ... |
Mr. Pardon
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Peter Bogyo | ... |
Mr. Gracie
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Martha Farrar | ... |
Mrs, Farrinder
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Dusty Maxwell | ... |
Newton Tarrant
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J. Lee Morgan | ... |
Music Hall Official
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De French | ... |
Patient
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Maura Moynihan | ... |
Henrietta Stackpole
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June Mitchell | ... |
Maid
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Lee H. Doyle | ... |
Mr. Filer
(as Lee Doyle)
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Janet Cicchese | ... |
Irish Washerwoman
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| Scott Kradolfer | ... |
Tough Boy
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Jane Manners | ... |
Maid
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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David Beyer | ... |
Organist
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Paul De Stefano | ... |
Extra
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| James Huston | ... |
Photographer
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Timothy J. Richard | ... |
Delivery boy
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| Joely Richardson | ... |
Extra
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Christopher Childs | ... |
New York socialite (uncredited)
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Janice Irwin | ... |
Extra (uncredited)
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David Montee | ... |
New York socialite (uncredited)
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Directed by
| James Ivory | ||
Written by
| Henry James | ... | (novel) |
| Ruth Prawer Jhabvala | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Paul Bradley | ... | associate producer |
| Connie Kaiserman | ... | associate producer |
| Michael S. Landes | ... | executive producer |
| Ismail Merchant | ... | producer |
| Albert Schwartz | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Richard Robbins | ||
Cinematography by
| Walter Lassally | ||
Editing by
| Mark Potter Jr. | ||
| Katherine Wenning | ||
Editorial Department
| Joseph Gutowski | ... | second assistant editor |
| Lori Kornspun | ... | assistant editor |
| Dilip Roy | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
Production Design by
| Leo Austin | ||
Art Direction by
| Don Carpentier | ... | (as Don Carpenter) |
| Tom Walden | ||
Set Decoration by
| Richard Elton | ||
Costume Design by
| Jenny Beavan | ||
| John Bright | ||
Makeup Department
| Marleen Alter | ... | assistant makeup artist |
| Jeffrey Haines | ... | hair stylist |
| Carol Hemming | ... | hair stylist |
| Jeanne Richmond | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Ted Morley | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| David Appleton | ... | assistant director |
| Simon Moseley | ... | third assistant director |
| Ron Peck | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
| Tommy Allen | ... | property master |
| John Campbell | ... | scenic artist |
| Debbie Davis | ... | scenic artist |
| Peter Derbyshire | ... | scenic artist |
| Timothy Freuh | ... | scenic artist |
| Janet Low | ... | scenic artist |
| John Moynihan | ... | scenic artist |
| Nan Starr | ... | scenic artist |
| Pat Tanpone | ... | scenic artist |
| Janice Irwin | ... | art crew: Troy (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Ray Beckett | ... | sound recordist |
| Brian Blamey | ... | sound editor |
| John Blunt | ... | sound re-recordist (as Jon Blunt) |
| Nick Hammond | ... | boom operator |
| Chris Ross Leong | ... | adr editor (as Chris Leong) / sound editor (as Chris Leong) |
| John Osborne | ... | epk |
| Eric Peters | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Lionel Strutt | ... | adr mixer |
Visual Effects by
| Malcolm Bubb | ... | visual effects coordinator |
| Costas Charitou | ... | titles: Camera Effects Ltd (uncredited) |
| David Smith | ... | optical cameraman (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Mikki Ansin | ... | still photographer |
| John D. Burkley | ... | gaffer (as John Burkley) |
| Andy Clapp | ... | electrician |
| Marie Cosindas | ... | still photographer |
| Tom Dischert | ... | key grip |
| Bill Floyd | ... | assistant camera |
| Tom Paul Hoppe | ... | assistant camera |
| David Houlle | ... | electrician |
| James Jansen | ... | gaffer |
| Karan Kapoor | ... | still photographer |
| Bob Magro | ... | electrician |
| Charlie Marroquin | ... | electrician |
| Brian O'Connell | ... | electrician |
| Herb Rook | ... | generator operator |
| William M. Weberg | ... | grip |
Casting Department
| Riccardo Bertoni | ... | extras casting |
| Joy Todd | ... | casting: New York |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Nancy Lawson | ... | wardrobe assistant |
| William Pierce | ... | costume coordinator |
| Sally Turner | ... | wardrobe assistant |
Location Management
| Alexandra Decker | ... | location manager (as Alex Decker) |
| Lisa W. Strout | ... | location coordinator (as Lisa Strout) |
Music Department
| Simon Heyworth | ... | music producer |
| Graham Prescott | ... | musician: fiddle |
| Harry Rabinowitz | ... | conductor |
| Alan Snelling | ... | music mixer |
| Franz von Suppé | ... | composer: theme "Overture" from operetta "Poet and Peasant" |
Script and Continuity Department
| Caroline Sax | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Dorothy Berman | ... | production assistant |
| Brian Brockwell | ... | production accountant |
| Anthony Chase | ... | assistant to director |
| Randy Craig | ... | production assistant |
| Stephen Dembitzer | ... | production assistant |
| Tom Ehrenfeld | ... | production assistant |
| Michael Fields | ... | assistant to director |
| Neil Gillis | ... | teamster captain |
| Lorraine Goodman | ... | production coordinator |
| Paris Jamal | ... | digital transfers |
| Sunil Kirparam | ... | production accountant |
| Linsey Lee | ... | assistant to director |
| Bill O'Connell | ... | assistant to producer |
| Zakiya Powell | ... | unit publicist |
| Nicola Robinson | ... | production assistant |
| Pat Stamler | ... | accounting assistant |
| Hadi Zarbafi | ... | production assistant |
Production Companies
- Merchant Ivory Productions
- WGBH (in association with)
- Rediffusion (in association with)
- Almi Entertainment Finance Corporation (in association with)
Distributors
- Almi Pictures (1984) (United States) (theatrical)
- Producciones Imperial (1984) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Greater Union Organisation (GUO) (1985) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Vestron Video (1985) (United States) (VHS)
- Avid Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- Rhino Home Video (1993) (United States) (VHS)
- Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Cohen Media Group (2018) (United States) (theatrical) (newly 4K restration)
- Cohen Media Group (2019) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Les Acacias (1985) (France) (theatrical) (as Les Acacias-Ciné-Audience)
- Cinematográfica F.J. (Brazil) (video)
- Clarion Soft (1988) (Japan) (VHS) (subtitled)
- Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
- Intergroove Media (2013) (Germany) (DVD)
- Odyssey Video (2003) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Palace Films (1985) (Australia) (VHS)
- Palace Home Video (1985) (Australia) (video)
- Pioneer LDC (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
- Quadrifoglio Film (2007) (Italy) (DVD) (PAL)
- TF1 Vidéo (2007) (France) (DVD) (PAL)
- TV3 (1987) (Finland) (tv)
- Vestron Video International (1980) (Australia) (video)
- Vestron Video International (1988) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1991) (Finland) (tv)
Special Effects
- Camera Effects (main titles)
Other Companies
- Camera Effects (titles and opticals)
- Freeway CAM B.V. (collection account management)
- Magno Sound (location sound services)
- The Casting Company (casting)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
19th-century Boston woman dedicated to the suffrage movement, meets a faith healer's daughter, a Mississippi lawyer also has eyes for the young woman.
Written by Joyce Kavitsky |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | A BEAUTIFUL FILM . . . An intimate and exquisite probe of the feminist heart. [Australia Theatrical] See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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| Official Sites | |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Christopher Reeve said of this film in his autobiography "Still Me" (1998): "[Producer] Ismail [Merchant] could only afford to pay me $100,000, less than a tenth of my established price at the time. I insisted that the money was not an issue, that this was the kind of work I ought to be doing, but my agent told me, 'If you do that picture with those wandering minstrels, it will be one foot in the grave of your career'. ... I cheerfully ignored their advice". See more » |
| Goofs | The invitation Basil receives to hear Verena give an address is for Wednesday, June 1, 1876. In 1876, June 1 fell on a Thursday. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Sheena, Queen of the Jungle/Dreamscape/The Adventures of the Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension/The Bostonians/Metropolis (1984). See more » |
| Quotes |
Dr. Prance:
It's a pity you can't say "damn". Olive Chancellor: Yes. See more » |