Product Details

• Actors: Farrah Fawcett, Linden Ashby, Stephane Audran, Fairuza Balk, Nicholas Clay
• Directors: Charles Jarrott
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016OKQQ2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,124 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Poor Little Rich Girl vividly illustrates the maxim that money can't buy happiness. Seconds into this NBC miniseries, Barbara Hutton loses her mother to suicide, her financier father, Franklyn (Kevin McCarthy), pawns her off on her grandfather, five-and-dime king F.W. Woolworth (Burl Ives), who dies shortly afterwards, and then she goes to live with relatives in California. When her great-grandmother expires, Hutton (now played by Fairuza Balk) becomes a multi-millionaire and moves back to New York with her father. By adulthood, the globe-trotting Hutton (Farrah Fawcett) hasn't formed any lasting friendships, but enjoys the company of her kindly attendant, Tiki (Brenda Blethyn), and hard-drinking cousin, Jimmy (Bruce Davison), but with her good looks, vast fortune, and penchant for parties, men swarm like flies, leading to eight unhappy marriages, a neglected son, and a lost fortune.

Directed by the unpredictable Charles Jarrott (Anne of a Thousand Days, Lost Horizon) Poor Little Rich Girl boasts an impressive international cast, including Stéphane Audran and Zoë Wanamaker as family associates, but it's heavier on the suds than the psychology. That said, if Fawcett's appearance in a period production seems odd, she captures the pain behind the glittering façade, while McCarthy (The Invasion of the Body Snatchers) also impresses as her coldly protective father. Since Jarrott's protagonist lived through major historical events like the Great Depression and World War II, he uses a combination of recreated and newsreel footage to depict the changing times. As for Hutton's husbands, they include princes and counts, but only the fame of Cary Grant (Remington Steele’s James Read) surpasses her own--he's also, apparently, the only one to marry her for love. This two-disc set offers an additional hour (the US broadcast topped out at four). Glamorous outfits and jewels by Harry Winston complete this lavish ode to loneliness. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 12/16/2008 Run time: 300 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best..., October 8, 2008

By 

TXDREAMER - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (DVD)

This is one of the best movies (TV or otherwise) ever made. It came out in the '80s, when made for television movies rivaled feature films, in terms of quality, especially the miniseries. As the title indicates, this is the story of Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress. The story follows Hutton from her childhood to her death at the age of 65. Along the way she marries several times and loses a lot of money and the love of a son, all in a quest to find real love. Farrah Fawcett is INCREDIBLE as Hutton, portraying the socialite for the majority of the movie. I personally think this and "The Burning Bed" are her two best movies ever, and they really allowed her to show her range as a really, really good and often underappreciated actress. If this had been a feature film, should would have certainly won an Oscar for it. Not to mention an international who's who of a supporting cast. For a four-hour movie, the plot moves along at a good pace and the story feels complete, with no aspect of the story seeming rushed or unfinished. It really feels like everyone involved worked really hard to make a really good movie.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding in every way, a must for Farrah fans!, February 21, 2009

By 

Movie Maker "Rik" (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (DVD)

Thanks to A & E for AT LAST bringing this lavish mini-series in it's full version.

The story of Barbara Hutton is brought to life in this Lester Persky produced story of glamour, glitz, wealth and true heartbreak.

Millions were spent on this production, and it shows. Fantastic locations, an excellent international cast support Farrah Fawcett in the role of a lifetime.

If anyone ever wondered if Farrah could act, this project proved that she is FANTASTIC. The story covers 60 years , and Farrah brings life to the adult Barbara Hutton , in perfection.

As you move through the story, you care about and like Hutton, though she made horrid decisions which in the end destroyed her.

Those who enjoy costume design will find nirvana in this production- perfect copies of designer goods for the period.

The show stopper here may well be the jewelry, primarily provided by Harry Winston. Most was real,and some were copies but all were breathtaking.

( After the show ran, Farrah sold copies of the Winston items on HSN, which are truly collectable and worth a fortune now).

I urge you to try this 2 DVD set - it a great story,and well produced in every way. Some of the scenes are violent, which may be a concern to some. Rest assured, they exist in the plot to move the story along and are done with care.

The (sadly) few extras consist of the ad's promoting each two hour block of the story.

Odd box art is very stark, and does NOT suggest the lush production inside!

And I forgot to mention the music-- perfection again!

I will not spoil it for you, but the last shot, with a voice over is chilling.

You will love this!

UPDATE AUG 2009:

Watched this again, with friends who had not seen this. What a nice tribute to Farrah - I am quite sure she would be happy to know that people continue to enjoy her work, particularly in her more dramatic roles. This mini-series is is rich, and so well produced.

Sadly, one (well, me at least) can't overlook the irony of of the core story - Barbara Hutton made choices in her life, and particularly in relation to men, that did not turn out well.

Farrah plays Hutton so well, so knowingly, it is truly touching. A central plot element is her love for her son, and illness at the end of her life, surrounded by some who were taking advantage of her.

Farrah was a sensational actress, and this was one of her best role's. I urge you to try this one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Done!!, January 4, 2005

By 

viewer (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poor Little Rich Girl - The Barbara Hutton Story [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is the true story of reknowned heiress Barbara Hutton who was filthy rich but miserable especially in love.It's a must see!!!