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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fawcett triumph, November 4, 2002
This review is from: Small Sacrifices Miniseries [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The small screen treatment of author Ann Rule's best-seller is all the more gut-wrenching because this really happened, a self-absorbed mother whose horrific act of violence against her own children (all for a boyfriend who, it turned out, couldn't wait to unload her?) commanded overdue attention to the threat to children in their own homes. For anyone still unconvinced by "The Burning Bed" that Farrah Fawcett can act better than she can jiggle, they won't be with this one. Fawcett is superlative in getting across the pathological selfishness of Diane Downs and how her children paid for it. The performance was, for Fawcett, a richly earned Emmy nomination. Despite more than ample supporting acting by the likes of John Shea, et al, Fawcett carries this production and highlights it with an indelible emotional wallop. This is an important social piece, much as is "The Burning Bed" remains, and forces us to examine our childrens' safety in a new light. Read Rule's book for background to appreciate the production's faithfulness to its subject matter. Despite that wrenching subject matter, the film gives us some comfort in knowing that the justice system worked this time.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as the book!, June 29, 2000
Movies based upon books are usually not much good, but "Small Sacrifices" is the exception to the rule. Farrah Fawcett delivers a stellar performance as Diane Downs, an Oregon mother who was convicted in mid 1984 for the May 1983 slaying of one of her children and the attempted murders of the other two, all because she was trying to win back the affections of her married lover, who had broken off their affair because he didn't want to be a daddy. Fawcett absolutely excels as Diane Downs because she brings to life Downs's coldness, self absorption, disregard for her children, and psychopathology in an extremely compelling and realistic fashion. John Shea is also commanding as the intense prosecutor, who, convinced of Downs's guilt from the very beginning, relentlessly seeks justice, and not because he feels he has only a legal obligation to do so. Joyce Eliason based her fabulous screenplay on Ann's Rule's bestselling book of the same name. This is an emotional movie, vey tough to watch, and will leave you drained at the end, simply because it is such a hard hitting, spellbinding story about the awful crime committed by a cold blooded woman who never should have been blessed with the gift of children.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Blood For Love, December 22, 1999
Small Sacrifices, a novel-turned-television-movie, is based on an incredibly true story about a women who tries to kill her three children to keep her lover. My first reaction to this movie was a sick feeling in my stomach that any mother could do such a thing. What also struck me was how convincingly Farrah Fawcett portrayed the cold Diane Downs. I was pleasantly stunned at the intensity each character showed and found that there were no lags or boring lulls in the story line. The devastating story prompted me to read the book by Ann Rule, and I fell in love with the story all over again. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to anyone who is as fascinated by true crime as I am.
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