Although you may be forgiven for not having heard of this film, let alone watching it, Frances has gained critical acclaim around the world, with several award nominations. This included two Oscar nominations for both Jessica Lange as Best actress and Kim Stanley for Best Supporting Actress. The film was based on the true & turbulent, and disturbing life story of the actress Frances Farmer. Although some of the events depicted in Frances were apocryphal, this is still an amazingly dramatic and powerful movie, leaving the viewer with much to think about regarding human nature.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Frances always had a rebellious side. This showed early on in her life when she won an essay writing competition in high school. Her subject was the death of God. This was incredibly unpopular in small town America in the 1930’s.
Frances was determined to follow her dream and become an actress. However, despite appearing in several movies, she very quickly became disillusioned with fame and the Hollywood scene, where her looks were more sought after than her acting talents. Very soon Frances was classed as uncooperative due to her outspoken nature, and resisted every attempt by the studio to force her to conform, and become the classic movie star. She then turned to stage acting with mixed reviews, in the hopes of becoming seen as a serious actress. By all accounts, the real Frances Farmer was actually a very good actress, and it is a shame that she wasn't taken as seriously as she hoped.
However, her temperamental nature got her into more and more trouble, leading to a number of arrests for abuse and disorderly conduct. This in turn led to her committal to various psychiatric institutions. By today's standards, her behaviour would have been dismissed as "normal" for a celebrity!
The saddest part of this movie is that although abusive at times, Frances was certainly not insane. Her frustrations and the reasons behind it were all too clear. It is quite possible to put yourself in her position and understand her behaviour, even justify it. The psychiatric treatments she was given seemed only to force her to conform to what was then “normal” behaviour, instead of to cure her of some psychosis.
Jessica Lange in particular stood out in Frances, although this was brilliantly acted by everyone involved. Whether or not this tells the whole truth about Frances Farmer’s life, as a piece of dramatic fiction alone this is one of the most poignant films I have ever watched, and even stands up today to question how we view and judge celebrities. This is certainly worth seeing as it works on many levels, and is truly a classic film.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Frances always had a rebellious side. This showed early on in her life when she won an essay writing competition in high school. Her subject was the death of God. This was incredibly unpopular in small town America in the 1930’s.
Frances was determined to follow her dream and become an actress. However, despite appearing in several movies, she very quickly became disillusioned with fame and the Hollywood scene, where her looks were more sought after than her acting talents. Very soon Frances was classed as uncooperative due to her outspoken nature, and resisted every attempt by the studio to force her to conform, and become the classic movie star. She then turned to stage acting with mixed reviews, in the hopes of becoming seen as a serious actress. By all accounts, the real Frances Farmer was actually a very good actress, and it is a shame that she wasn't taken as seriously as she hoped.
However, her temperamental nature got her into more and more trouble, leading to a number of arrests for abuse and disorderly conduct. This in turn led to her committal to various psychiatric institutions. By today's standards, her behaviour would have been dismissed as "normal" for a celebrity!
The saddest part of this movie is that although abusive at times, Frances was certainly not insane. Her frustrations and the reasons behind it were all too clear. It is quite possible to put yourself in her position and understand her behaviour, even justify it. The psychiatric treatments she was given seemed only to force her to conform to what was then “normal” behaviour, instead of to cure her of some psychosis.
Jessica Lange in particular stood out in Frances, although this was brilliantly acted by everyone involved. Whether or not this tells the whole truth about Frances Farmer’s life, as a piece of dramatic fiction alone this is one of the most poignant films I have ever watched, and even stands up today to question how we view and judge celebrities. This is certainly worth seeing as it works on many levels, and is truly a classic film.
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