Dark secrets, family torments, and two murders
swirl around the stoic, hardened figure of
Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates), a housekeeper
accused of murdering her employer of 22 years.
Then there was that timely accident that took
Dolores's husband (David Strathairn) during the
solar eclipse of 1975. Yet with all the somber
suffering that follows Dolores like a miasma of
pain, none of it compares with the heartache of
a relationship she has with her grown daughter
(Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Although this flick is rife with horror, it is
not of the supernatural kind, but rather of the
torment only real people can impose on one
another. The script is full of colorful
language, and director Taylor Hackford
successfully weaves several plot threads and
psychological dilemmas throughout this
engrossing tale without diminishing any of them.
He not only culls intense performances from his
cast, but he also brings to life the landscape
around them. When the film's best-kept secret is
finally given up, it occurs under the surreal
backdrop of a solar eclipse that is a truly
sensational bit of cinematography.
Directed by: Taylor
Hackford
Written by: Tony
Gilroy
Produced by: Gina
Blumenfeld, Taylor Hackford, Michael Kelly,
Charles Mulvehill
Original music by:
Danny Elfman
Cast:
Kathy Bates .... Dolores
Claiborne
Jennifer Jason Leigh .... Selena St. George
Christopher Plummer .... Detective John Mackey
David Strathairn .... Joe St. George
Judy Parfitt .... Vera Donovan
John C. Reilly .... Constable Frank Stamshaw
Ellen Muth .... Young Selena
Bob Gunton .... Mr. Pease
Eric Bogosian .... Peter
Roy Cooper .... Magistrate
Wayne Robson .... Sammy Marchant
Ruth Marshall .... Secretary
Weldon Allen .... Bartender
Tom Gallant .... Searcher
Kelly Burnett .... Jack Donovan
Matt Appleby .... Kid on Street
Thomas Skinner .... Kid on Street
Vernon Steel .... Ferry Vendor
Taffara Jessica Stella Murray .... Young Selena
(Age 5)
Susan Lane .... Crying Girl
Frank Adamson .... Detective Supervisor
Ed Rubin .... Detective Supervisor
Sandy MacDonald .... Sheriff
Dean Eilertson .... Moving Man
