The Group (film)
| The Group | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
| Written by | Sidney Buchman |
| Produced by | Sidney Buchman |
| Starring | Candice Bergen Joan Hackett Elizabeth Hartman Shirley Knight Joanna Pettet Jessica Walter |
| Cinematography | Boris Kaufman |
| Edited by | Ralph Rosenblum |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
Production company | Famartists Productions S.A. |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6,000,000[1] |
The Group is a 1966 ensemble film directed by Sidney Lumet based on the novel of the same name by Mary McCarthy about a group of female graduates from a Vassar-like college during the early 1930s.
The cast of this social satire includes Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, Elizabeth Hartman, Shirley Knight, Jessica Walter, Kathleen Widdoes, and Joanna Pettet. The film also features small roles for Hal Holbrook, Carrie Nye, James Broderick, Larry Hagman and Richard Mulligan. For its time, the movie touched on some controversial topics, such as free love, contraception, abortion, lesbianism and mental illness.
The film was not issued in any consumer format, including VHS and DVD until 2009, when Amazon.com began selling a DVD-R of the film.
Plot
After their university days, eight women go their separate ways. Lakey, always regarded as their leader, leaves for Europe to begin a new life on her own.
The domestic lives of the others go mainly awry. Priss has married a doctor but has two miscarriages. Kay weds a playwright who cheats on her. Dottie gives up a flamboyant lifestyle in Greenwich Village to settle down with a dull Arizona businessman. Pokey has her hands full with two sets of twins.
As for the others, Polly has an affair with a married man, Helena travels the world but is unable to find happiness at home, while Libby, a success in the literary world, is frigid in her personal life.
With the war's intensity building in Europe in 1939, Lakey returns home. When the others realize the woman with her is more than just a traveling companion, they know she has become a lesbian. After a tragedy that results in the death of one of the women, Lakey leads them to the funeral for one last time together as a group.
Cast
- Candice Bergen - Lakey
- Joan Hackett - Dottie
- Elizabeth Hartman - Priss
- Shirley Knight - Polly
- Joanna Pettet - Kay
- Mary-Robin Redd - Pokey
- Jessica Walter - Libby
- Kathleen Widdoes - Helena
- James Broderick - Dr. Ridgeley
- James Congdon - Sloan Crockett
- Larry Hagman - Harald Peterson
- Hal Holbrook - Gus Leroy
- Richard Mulligan - Dick Brown
- Robert Emhardt - Mr. Andrews
- Carrie Nye - Norine
Box office
The film grossed $6 million at the box office,[1] earning $3 million in US theatrical rentals.[2] It was the 25th highest grossing film of 1966.
Awards
- Joan Hackett was nominated for the British BAFTA Film Award for the best foreign (i.e. non-British) actress.
- The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival in 1966.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Box Office Information for The Group". The Numbers. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1966", Variety, 4 January 1967 pg 8
- ^ "IMDB.com: Awards for The Group". imdb.com. Retrieved 2010-02-26.