Product Details

• Actors: Hume Cronyn, James Earl Jones, Betty Murphy, Ed Begley Jr., Chris Cooper
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Lorber
• VHS Release Date: April 25, 2000
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1572523336
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,292 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Intricate and subtle family relationships are the focus of this perceptive film written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Horton Foote (author of Tender Mercies). Actor Hume Cronyn turns in a brilliantly understated performance as widower John Webb, an elderly Texas farmer who is trying to cope with the loss of his wife and what seems to be a sudden lack of purpose in his life. When an oil company expresses an interest in drilling on his land, Webb's relatives suddenly see a chance for fast cash, and his placid demeanor is sorely tested. While Cronyn takes center stage, this production from the Showtime network also benefits from a wonderful cast that includes James Earl Jones, Shelley Duvall, Ed Begley Jr., and Frederic Forrest. The Texas setting is beautifully depicted, with Foote's screenplay providing poignant local touches to illuminate the lives of the characters. While the pace is not terribly fast, a momentum does develop, and the motivations of everyone--including greedy nephews, irresponsible daughters, obnoxious children, and, thankfully, some kindly old friends--slowly emerge. This is a story both gentle and gripping. Cronyn gives his character a quiet dignity, and his masterful performance and the unavoidable family conflicts give the film a remarkable resonance. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars do not miss this, April 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Horton Foote's - alone (DVD)

This is a superlative drama, not to be missed. No car crashes, explosions, and what passes for "entertainment" these days. Just a beautifully rendered & tender human story. I can't recommend it highly enough!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful performance by Hume Cronyn . . ., October 25, 2009

By 

Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horton Foote's - alone (DVD)

I have long loved Horton Foote's plays and films. They find low-keyed but compelling conflict in the lives of ordinary people and require no melodrama or high-level excitement to keep you watching and caring. His "Tender Mercies" ranks in my Top 10 list of American movies and "The Trip to Bountiful" is not far behind.

The strengths of his best films are typically in the performances. He seems to create characters that actors can disappear into and portray in absorbing depth. In this film, it is the widowed Texas farmer, played by Hume Cronyn, who holds our interest. While he grieves the loss of his wife, there is also the matter of what to do with his farm now that he is "alone." Ironically, however, the prospect of striking oil on his land has left him anything but alone as he is harrassed by two nephews who are in for a share of any profits. And his two married daughters are a kind of sadly comic Regan and Goneril, one of them returning home with her unemployed husband.

Cronyn's aging patriarch is no King Lear, however. He remains the calm, self-possessed Rock of Gibraltar at the center of the domestic storm that swirls around him. His fatherly generosity and patience are never compromised by the wheedling manipulations of his family. He seems to understand that grown children must live by the choices they make and solve their own problems, and he remains unflappable from beginning to end. Cronyn is joined by a cast of fine actors, each turning in perceptive performances: James Earl Jones, Chris Cooper, Shelley Duvall, Hallie Foote, Piper Laurie, Ed Begley, Jr., Roxanne Hart, and Frederic Forrest. The ending, after all is said and done, is poignant and satisfying.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Horton Foote's Alone, April 4, 2007

By 

Darolyn Gaylor (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horton Foote's - alone (DVD)

This one was ok, but I have seen better. James Earl Jones and Hume Cronyn

were both very good in this as always.