The Dollmaker

This extremely powerful film features one of the strongest and best performances by Jane Fonda, as a Kentucky share-cropper's wife struggling during the years 1944-5 both to liberate herself as a person and save her family from devastating and terrible hardship, which means no money and nothing to eat (a problem compounded by having five children to feed). The film is thoroughly authentic and is a rare example of the shallow trendies of Hollywood getting to grips with real life and genuinely provincial people. Jane Fonda portrays a heroic young woman with irrepressible fire and vigour, a kind of "Kentucky Mother Courage', and as the film progresses and she improves her speech patterns, her Kentucky accent gets closer and closer to the real thing. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, considering how few actors can ever manage it. Fonda's husband is played by Levon Helm, a genuine hick born in Arkansas, whose first acting role was in THE COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980), which was also set in Kentucky. Helm needed no coaching to 'talk country', as he was born to it. All he had to do was fine-tune his Arkansas accent and shift it slightly into Kentucky mode. This film is based upon a novel by Harriette Simpson Arnow (1908-1986), who was born in Kentucky and intimately knew what she was writing about (she had also lived in Detroit, which is portrayed in the latter part of the film). I wondered why the Kentucky scenes did not really look like Kentucky, but the end credits explained that those scenes were shot in Tennessee. The setting is meant to be the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains of Appalachia in Kentucky, but only a pernickety person like myself would notice the difference, and that there are too many rivers and not enough trees, and a severe shortage of very steep hills. The Michigan scenes were also shot in Illinois. Oh well, never mind, it all works anyway. The wonderfully accurate use of language and turns of phrase present in the script were presumably all taken word for word from the novel, and it is a joy to see and hear this record for posterity of a now-vanishing speech which was a direct survival of the 17th century language of England and Northern Ireland ('Ulster') amongst the Kentucky country folk who describe themselves as the 'Scotch-Irish' because they are descended from the Protestant Scots who settled in Ulster in Elizabethan and Stuart times, as I partly am myself, and as by far the majority of the American presidents have been (such as Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, to name but two, Lincoln being a distant relation of mine by marriage only, through his stepmother Johnston). One especially good aspect of this film is the casting of the children, all of whom were chosen very carefully and are excellent. (Hollywood casting of children is often so very puke-making, isn't it?) The TV film was directed by Daniel Petrie (1920-2004), who directed 91 films in his career, mostly for television, but whose best known feature films for the cinema were A RAISIN IN THE SUN (1961) with Sidney Poitier and FORT APACHE THE BRONX with Paul Newman (1981). For TV he made films about Truman, Roosevelt, and Nixon, thus carving a presidential niche for himself. He was a Canadian, and it is not known how he came to make such a sensitive film about Kentucky country folk as this, having presumably never had experience of them. He was clearly a man of greater talent than is customarily recognised. The story of this film is based upon a common problem faced by women throughout history, namely that they sometimes marry men stupider than themselves. That is always a bad idea, because the woman and her children are then at the mercy of bad decisions made by someone who is essentially a fool, but who insists upon exerting authority in the household because it is his right as a superior male, and he has the muscle to back it up. Fonda's husband means well but he is just not very bright, and early in the tale, she is still frozen in the mould of the dutiful wife, enforced by threats from her overbearing mother (played by Geraldine Page), who would rather die than defy her husband in any way whatever and who insists that it is Fonda's duty to 'love honour and obey', with the emphasis on the obey. So the husband, without telling his wife, sneaks off to Detroit to become a factory worker for Mr. Flint (yes, Mr. Flint of Flint, Michigan) and earn lots of money (or so he imagines). Fonda is forced by her mother to follow her husband to the appalling environment where he is now living in a paper-thin shack in a row of what are essentially workers' barracks, and where the good salaries they earn are soon wasted on the higher prices paid to live and frittered away on surviving the endless strikes, so that after a lengthy period of misery they end up with nothing after all. As things get grimmer, Fonda is increasingly forced to develop a bit more self-confidence and start taking the initiative herself. She has always had a knack for 'country whittling' with wood, a habit indulged in by most mountain folk in Kentucky in those days. But her talent is greater than most, and she is discovered by an arts and crafts teacher and enabled to sell her carvings, especially her animals and dolls (hence the title of the film), which finally earns them enough money to get ahead, while all the husband's efforts have dismally failed. I shall not relate the end of the story, as that is against IMDb rules, but I urge everyone to see this remarkable film. If only there were more like it, and less money were wasted on worthless, insipid cinematic trivia.

This is hands down, one of THE best movies/show ever shown on TV. I've only seen it a handful of times but I remember it so vividly. There isn't a single thing wrong with this movie. The acting, the directing, the script, costumes, everything is...well...perfect. Easily the best performance of Jane Fonda's career. I hope to come across it soon on DVD.

"The Doll Maker" starring Jane Fonda, was probably the most memorable movie I have ever seen. I have seen it only one time. I do not need to see it again. I would love to, but my husband was so emotionally moved by the scene with the child, that I promised him that I would never bring it around him. This story is so very real. The scenery, the acting, the emotions, all become a true part of your soul, if only for a couple of hours. I loved "The Doll Maker"! This movie is a sociological work of art. I am trying to think of a movie, which could possibly come close emotionally to this story. I almost want to say "Old Yeller". The difficulty presented to both families, may be comparable. When I think of the coloration of the scenery in "The Doll Maker", I am somewhat reminded of the movie, "The Grapes of Wrath". "The Grapes of Wrath" was an epic film, the movie "Old Yeller" was a family oriented film. "The Doll Maker" is a "must see"!

This movie is an undiscovered gem: a simple, beautiful story of a woman struggling with poverty and other obstacles in her life. Jane Fonda creates a picture of an Appalachian woman who is complex, brave, and at times resigned to the limitations of her life. This movie is unique in its straightforward presentation of a story about poverty that never swerves into sentimentality or condescension: ultimately it celebrates the strength, faith, and ingenuity of Gertie. Had this movie been released as a feature film it probably would have gotten more attention and be praised along side movies like "The Grapes of Wrath," which coincidentally was one of Jane Fonda's father's most memorable roles.

This is a movie you'll want to watch again and again. Jane Fonda has created memorable characters throughout her career but her portrayal of Gertie is so achingly authentic and original, Fonda, as you may have seen her in other roles, is all but unrecognizable here.

Originally made for TV, I hope this movie will be released on DVD and be re-run frequently on TV and get some of the attention it deserves (I caught for the first time as a late night rerun.) Fonda's Gertie represents a very real American woman who is too rarely seen in movies, presented here with such stark realism, you'll take her into your heart.

This movie and Fonda's performance can stand along side the very best of American films. And it is simply a beautiful story - I hope more people get a chance to discover The Dollmaker.