Product Details

• Actors: Sally Field, Ron Silver, Tony Goldwyn
• Directors: Robert Greenwald
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video (New REleaset)
• DVD Release Date: July 29, 2008
• Run Time: 234 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016OKQO4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,029 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "A Woman of Independent Means" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This absorbing three-part series begins as Bess (Sally Field, fresh from Forrest Gump), a proper Dallas lady, marries Rob (Ghost's Tony Goldwyn), her childhood sweetheart. All should be sunshine and roses, except Bess finds marriage unfulfilling. Rob, as she puts it, "has a purpose." Despite her roles as wife and mother, Bess feels she lacks one of her own (14-year age difference aside, Field and Goldwyn make a convincing couple). Rob’s mother (My Left Foot's Brenda Fricker) joins the household before the arrival of their third child, but Mother Steed remains in Texas when they move to St. Louis during the First World War. As Bess's fortunes rise and fall, she communicates her feelings through the letters she writes to friends and relations (Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey's 1978 novel follows the same structure). When fate takes Rob out of the picture, Bess returns to Texas, where two different suitors step in, the courtly Arthur Fineman (Ali's Ron Silver) and brash Sam Garner (Breaker Morant's Jack Thompson). No man, however, will ever take the place of her first love--or her children.

Filmed on location in Galveston and Houston and directed by the omnivorous Robert Greenwald (Xanadu, Outfoxed), A Woman of Independent Means illustrates its title character's observation that "one life is simply not enough for all the lessons there are to learn." Fortunately, the Oscar-winning Field makes the journey one worth taking. In addition, costume designer Julie Weiss won an Emmy for her richly detailed work. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Bess steed garner is a woman who must overcome obstacles & persevere during a time when womens rights were scarce & independence was all but forbidden. Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 07/29/2008 Starring: Sally Field Run time: 234 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman of Independent Means, October 31, 2008

By 

kayak queen (British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Woman of Independent Means (DVD)

This interesting film follows the life of a lady from Texas from her very early years in the late 19th century through her passing in the late 1960s. While the title intimates that the character has wealth, the true wealth of the character comes from her spirit in overcoming advertisies, the loss of a child, death of her husband while a young woman, raising her remaining children during the depression, etc. Acting throughout the film is very good and thanks to the good writing of the best-selling book the scriptwriting is based on, the story does not fall into the trap of becoming sappy. The attention to detail in costuming, sets, etc. make the several hours of this mini-series a delight. The story is engaging and you will wish it could go on longer at the end.
This film reminded me of some of the better BBC productions but in an American setting. I am not sure guys would love it, but it is a great chick-flick.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman of Independent Means, April 25, 2009

By 

Lynda K. Herrington - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Woman of Independent Means (DVD)

I loved this when I saw it as a mini-series on TV. Was thrilled when I discovered it had been made into a DVD. Wonderful story line, excellent acting.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a woman of independent means, April 12, 2009

By 

Shirley A. Armstrong "shirley armstrong" (dallas texas) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Woman of Independent Means (DVD)

one of the best movies ever made
watch it a least once a month