MARIE: A TRUE STORY (1985) - Andy's Warner Archive Review
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 1:21 pm
8/10
Though Dino DeLaurentiis was often associated with big, sprawling genre movies like “King Kong” and “Conan,” he also produced a series of effective dramatic pictures on a much smaller scale. Among them were no less than four adaptations of books by New York City journalist/writer Peter Maas, including the inspiration for the Al Pacino classic “Serpico,” “The Valachi Papers” (which became a decent Charles Bronson picture), the highly underrated “King of the Gypsies,” and the superbly performed 1985 drama MARIE (112 mins., PG-13).
A biopic of Marie Ragghianti, “Marie” recounts her journey from abused housewife to a hard-working single mom. After going back to get her degree in the early ‘70s, Marie becomes the head of the Tennessee parole board, becoming a whistleblower for state corruption – but not before encountering resistance threatening both her and her family.
Roger Donaldson had just directed “The Bounty” for DeLaurentiis and he was a good choice for this underappreciated picture that’s suspenseful and cinematic in its delivery. Donaldson and ace cinematographer Chris Menges – coming off his Oscar for “The Killing Fields” – utilize widescreen to great effect here, capturing time and place while the cast is exceptional: Spacek is terrific in a role she’s ideally suited for, making you immediately sympathetic to her relationship with her family and later crusade for justice. She works well off a supporting cast including Jeff Daniels (the liason for crooked governor Ray Blanton), Keith Szarabajaka, Morgan Freeman and Fred (Dalton) Thomspon, who essays himself in the first of many character roles that would follow (before he, himself, would return to Tennessee for a successful senate bid).
John Briley’s script packs an awful lot into the movie’s two-hour running time and Francis Lai’s solid score make for a compelling film that deserved better than its poor box-office performance, and hopefully viewers can take a fresh look at “Marie” thanks to Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray. This new 1080p (2.39) remaster captures the entire JDC Scope frame and enhances the movie’s presentation, with the trailer included on the supplemental side. Recommended!
Though Dino DeLaurentiis was often associated with big, sprawling genre movies like “King Kong” and “Conan,” he also produced a series of effective dramatic pictures on a much smaller scale. Among them were no less than four adaptations of books by New York City journalist/writer Peter Maas, including the inspiration for the Al Pacino classic “Serpico,” “The Valachi Papers” (which became a decent Charles Bronson picture), the highly underrated “King of the Gypsies,” and the superbly performed 1985 drama MARIE (112 mins., PG-13).
A biopic of Marie Ragghianti, “Marie” recounts her journey from abused housewife to a hard-working single mom. After going back to get her degree in the early ‘70s, Marie becomes the head of the Tennessee parole board, becoming a whistleblower for state corruption – but not before encountering resistance threatening both her and her family.
Roger Donaldson had just directed “The Bounty” for DeLaurentiis and he was a good choice for this underappreciated picture that’s suspenseful and cinematic in its delivery. Donaldson and ace cinematographer Chris Menges – coming off his Oscar for “The Killing Fields” – utilize widescreen to great effect here, capturing time and place while the cast is exceptional: Spacek is terrific in a role she’s ideally suited for, making you immediately sympathetic to her relationship with her family and later crusade for justice. She works well off a supporting cast including Jeff Daniels (the liason for crooked governor Ray Blanton), Keith Szarabajaka, Morgan Freeman and Fred (Dalton) Thomspon, who essays himself in the first of many character roles that would follow (before he, himself, would return to Tennessee for a successful senate bid).
John Briley’s script packs an awful lot into the movie’s two-hour running time and Francis Lai’s solid score make for a compelling film that deserved better than its poor box-office performance, and hopefully viewers can take a fresh look at “Marie” thanks to Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray. This new 1080p (2.39) remaster captures the entire JDC Scope frame and enhances the movie’s presentation, with the trailer included on the supplemental side. Recommended!