Frances (1982) on Netflix
R19822h 20mBiographyDramaRomance
A rebellious Seattle teenager becomes an actress, finds success in New York, and takes a Hollywood contract. Frances Farmer refuses to play the studio game and clashes with her mother Lillian.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.2/109,478 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Frances Elena Farmer grows up in Seattle as a rebel, drawing attention for a high school essay and later for accepting an all-expenses-paid trip to the Soviet Union to visit the Moscow Art Theatre. She sets out to become an actress and refuses to play along with Hollywood, declining publicity stunts and insisting on appearing without makeup. Success in New York and a Hollywood contract put her at odds with studio executives and with her mother Lillian, who enjoys her daughter's fame but gives her no support. Broadway playwright Clifford Odets steers her toward the Group Theatre, while her outspoken political views and her reliance on alcohol and amphetamines create mounting difficulties.
Cast
- Bart Burnsas Ernest Farmer
- Christopher Pennockas Dick Steele
- Sarah Cunninghamas Alma Styles
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Frances (1982)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The scene of Farmer's arrest, with policemen breaking into the Knickerbocker Hotel, ran to no more than three minutes on screen but took four days to shoot, because the bathroom door stuck every time the actors playing cops tried to get it open; Lange found it frustrating and demanding.
- Brooks was keen for David Lynch, who had directed The Elephant Man, to direct the film, but Lynch had signed an agreement with Universal.
- Brooks was the film's executive producer but, as with The Elephant Man, intentionally took no credit for his participation, because his name had come to be attributed to parodies or crude comedies.
