Books similar to the homesman goodreads share book. The next candidate she encounters is at the end of his rope literally so, as hes sitting on. But, the first and last times she speaks in the film, shes proposing to a man who turns her down. Whats worrisome in the homesman is that he takes distressing twists, like briggss revenge on the realestate man, and makes them more brutal than they have to be. Four women in the isolated frontier territory go mad, and it is up to the unlikely combination of homesteader mary. Tommy lee jones also stars in his second film as a director a. In the homesman, why did mary bee hang herself screenprism. One of swarthouts skeletons, the old colts, the melodeon, etc. Spoilers a question about the ending of the homesman 2014.
Tommy lee jones rustles up fine feminist western, homesman. The homesman is a devastating story of early pioneers in 1850s american west. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the homesman. Nov, 2014 whats worrisome in the homesman is that he takes distressing twists, like briggss revenge on the realestate man, and makes them more brutal than they have to be. A brief synopsis and the ending will be revealed for the movie the homesman. Spend six months trapped inside a dark sodhouse with sickly children, your food and firewood running low, and your nearest neighbor many miles away so you are forced to deliver your baby by. Three women have lost their minds in the homesman, but honestly, everyone you meet in the film is slightly crazy, the homesman most of all. Four women in the isolated frontier territory go mad, and it is up to the unlikely combination of homesteader mary bee cuddy and neerdowell briggs to escort them east to safety. The homesman book lawrence public library bibliocommons. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Soon to be a major film directed by and starring tommy lee jones and costarring meryl streep, hilary swank, and john lithgow, this classic western novel captures the devastating realities of early frontier life through the eyes of one extraordinary woman. Spend six months trapped inside a dark sodhouse with sickly children, your food and firewood running low, and your nearest neighbor many. The grownup little house on the prairie off the shelf. Mar 06, 1988 the homesman went off on a strange tangent and i found myself not really caring how it was going to end. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid. It was a what an odd and ultimately disappointing read this was. One throws a baby away in an outhouse, and other dead babies are also shown. Glendon fred swarthout the homesman is a devastating, humane story of early pioneers to americas west in the 1850s. The homesman by hilary swank, meryl streep, grace gummer. The homesman official us release trailer 2014 tommy lee. In the homesman, jones plays a claimjumping saddle tramp and hilary swank. The book was so good that i could not put it down until i finished it.
But i cant think of a recent film that ends like the homesman. Why hilary swank breaks your heart in the homesman anne thompson. Glendon swarthouts novel the homesman 1988 is made into a. The desolate and unforgiving nebraska territory is the stage and the characters are the disarmingly normal settlers whose shoulders we stand on. While the movie follows the book fairly reliably, swarthouts descriptions of the unimaginable winter and unthinkable circumstances which led to the womens insanity was much more detailed and therefore more understandable. The homesman by glendon swarthout overdrive rakuten. John freeman because of its limited distribution, i was lucky to catch this at our local art theatre. Spoilers a question about the ending of the homesman. The homesman 2014 film streaming complet vf en francais. She employs a feisty lowlife drifter, george biggs jones, to join her. The homesman is a remarkable western delving into numerous social issues all but ignored by other films of the genre such as the role of marriage, the churchs role in society, womens role in. It celebrates the ones we hear nothing ofthe brave women whose hearts and minds were broken by that.
Vester belknap william fichtner and his wife theoline miranda otto notice their livestock has died out, causing theoline to weep. The screenplay by jones, kieran fitzgerald and wesley oliver is based on the 1988 novel of the same name by glendon swarthout. The homesman is a 2014 frenchamerican period drama film produced and directed by tommy lee jones, based on the 1988 novel of the same name by glendon swarthout. The homesman hilary swank and tommy lee jones go west with volatile cargo 4 out of 5 stars. I think this was a labor of love for tommy lee jones, whomore because of its limited distribution, i was lucky to catch this at our local art theatre.
The homesman went off on a strange tangent and i found myself not really caring how it was going to end. Set predominantly in sodbuster country we encounter a wide range of weathers and strangers. The homesman an absorbing, melancholy look at the hard lot of women in the old west. A strongwilled woman recruits a loathsome drifter to help transport three insane women across the unforgiving nebraska territories so that they may find sanctuary with a compassionate minister and his wife in this drama directed and cowritten by tommy lee jones. This is a road movie on horseback, a saunter across the plains, a journey through mistrust and emotions where a mistake or misplaced trust will result in death. In swarthouts novel, cuddy realizes that she courts nervous. The homesman isnt as confident with balancing madness and dark humor as jones only previous directing job, 2005s border odyssey the three burials of melquiades estrada. Set on the great plains in the mid1800s, the homesman aims for a story thats poignant and told sparely. Nov 14, 2014 the point of the homesman, directed by tommy lee jones and based on glendon swarthouts novel of the same name, is not that these adjectives are inappropriate. The homesman is a 2014 historical drama set in the 1850s midwest, directed by tommy lee jones. Whats most compelling about this book is its focus on the plight. The homesman stars hilary swank and tommy lee jones. Its an unusual story about four women who loose their minds after a hard winter in the nebraska territory in the 1850s. All their overwhelmed husbands can do is cast lots to see which of them will escort the madwomen back across the plains to iowa, where they can be cared for.
Twitter tommy lee jones in competition western stars hilary swank, john lithgow, james spader, hailee. The homesman is a 2014 frenchamerican period drama film produced and directed by tommy lee jones, based on the 1988 novel of the same. When three women living on the edge of the american frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independentminde. The frontier of the old west has rarely been evoked as a more miserable, barren land than it is in this melancholy novel by the author of the shootist. Hailed as a feminist western by some, the homesman only is up to a point. The homesman book austin public library bibliocommons.
Watch now the homesman 2014 hd full movie bleed for this. Dec 08, 2014 adapted from a novel by glendon swarthout who also wrote the book on which the john wayne movie the shootist was based, tommy lee joness the homesman might be described as the african queen on the range, but with less happy an ending. Parents need to know that the homesman is a western based on a novel by glendon swarthout with disturbing material, mostly related to three frontier women who go insane. The homesman stars hilary swank and tommy lee jones the. Simon and schustersoon to be a major film directed by and starring tommy lee jones and costarring meryl streep, hilary swank, and john lithgow, this classic. Alternate ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. Sep 12, 2014 the homesman official us release trailer 2014 tommy lee jones, hilary swank western hd presented by roadside attractions directed by tommy lee jones. Why hilary swank breaks your heart in the homesman. The homesman is a dark, complex story of gender issues and changing conventions on the frontier, and in an era that sees this genre fading, jones has made a western winner. The film stars jones and hilary swank and also features meryl streep, grace gummer, miranda otto, hailee steinfeld, john lithgow, and james spader. I purchased the book on amazon cheaper and read it in about three sittings. I am a fan of tommy lee jones so this piqued my interest. It is a reverse trajectory of the typical western path, the wildness of the prairies and plains reverting, startlingly, to a tame village perched on the edge of the placid missouri river. May 18, 2014 the homesman is probably described by many as a western, but thats lazy.
In the homesman 2014, mary bee hilary swank was the antithesis of a regular woman in 1850. Hell, you might even be angry, like many audiences were with the underappreciated the grey. Tommy lee jones is directing and starring in the feature film the homesman, along with hilary swank, miranda otto, john lithgow, tim. The west, as seen in the homesman, is an unforgiving place, with flashes of stark and nightmarish beauty. The homesman ebook chicago public library bibliocommons. Based on a novel by glendon swarthout who also wrote the shootist the. I dont understand the ending of the movie and was wondering if anyone else can shed some light on the rest of the movie after tommy lee jones drops off the three women. This movies switchback plotting ambles from crisis to comical, threatening to maintain a tone but not for long.
The homesman, glendon swarthouts award winning novel called the best western. She will save his life if he will promise to accompany her to iowa with her cargo of unpredictable women. Swank and jones are sensational tommy lee joness western about a womans lot on the wild frontier refuses to sugarcoat its subject, and is all the more satisfying for it. The homesman is probably described by many as a western, but thats lazy. The red carpet has been rolled, the stars departed and the losers hopefully dried their eyes. Four pioneer women, all of them wives, for one reason or another have gone insane in a territory lacking an asylum. When three women living on the edge of the american frontier are driven to the brink, the task of saving them from their surroundings falls to independentminded mary bee cuddy swank. But after reading the homesman by glendon swarthout, which is.
Visually, this film is stunning, and not just on the plains. May 18, 2014 the homesman an absorbing, melancholy look at the hard lot of women in the old west. The homesman is produced, directed by and stars tommy lee jones who brings us a visually beautiful and brutally honest visit to the midwest of the 1850s. I think this was a labor of love for tommy lee jones, who produced. The homesman 2014 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. If anyone wants to read an exceptional story, read this one because you will not be disappointed. Then perhaps you, like me, will be hoping for a different sort of ending at the theater. Gro svendsen sonja richter watches as her mother passes away, and she is later raped repeatedly by her husband thor david dencik. The journey in tommy lee jones the homesman, based on the 1988 novel by glendon swarthout, travels from west to east, from the unmarked nebraska territory to a town in iowa. In pioneer nebraska, a woman leads where no man will go soon to be a major. In pioneer nebraska, a woman leads where no man will go soon to be a major motion picture directed by tommy lee jones.
This book, the homesman, caught my eye at costco because of the cover. Nov 14, 2014 when three women living on the edge of the american frontier are driven to the brink, the task of saving them from their surroundings falls to independentminded mary bee cuddy swank. Briggs may or may not be altered for the better by. Nov 12, 2014 title and director notwithstanding, tommy lee jones the homesman is very much a feminist western one painting a vivid picture of how difficult it was for even a strong and. I just felt so bereft at the end, and then like the end didnt make any sense.
Anyone who imagines that a homesteaders life on americas great plains was all little house on the prairie hasnt tried it. In the homesman, hilary swank and tommy lee jones help three women driven to madness by the frontier get back east. Mary bee cuddy is a 30ish spinster, tough as nails but yearning for a man, who has set up a nice homestead out near the town of loup, in oklahoma territory. You might call the kicky ending of the homesman a test of the limits of personal transformation.
They scream, thrash, and moan, and one cuts herself with a needle. The homesman has a long way to travel and passes through violence, sentiment and grim realism as if cormac mccarthy was doing the little house on the prairie. The journey in tommy lee jones the homesman, based on the 1988 novel by glendon swarthout, travels from west to east, from the. Nov, 2014 in the homesman, a most unromantic american west hilary swank and tommy lee jones play two very different people taking a dangerous trip across the arid plains in a beautifully photographed film. France 18 may 2014 cannes film festival greece 26 june 2014. Soon to be a major motion picture directed by tommy lee jones, the homesman is a devastating story of early pioneers in 1850s american west. Hell, you might even be angry, like many audiences were with the. Soon to be a major film directed by and starring tommy lee jones and costarring meryl streep, hilary swank, and john lithgow, this classic western novel captures the devastating realities of early pioneers in the american west through the eyes of one extraordinary woman. Nov 28, 2014 the homesman movie clip meeting 2014 tommy lee jones, hilary swank movie hd duration. The homesman 2014 is available on netflix united states. Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by the pious, independentminded mary bee cuddy, who in turn employs lowlife drifter george briggs to assist her. She could plow, she could shoot, and she wasnt afraid to take on duties that other men shied away from. By default, mary bee cuddy is chosen as the homesman, the person who will.