Moll Flanders (1996 film)
| Moll Flanders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Pen Densham |
| Produced by |
John Watson Richard B. Lewis Pen Densham |
| Written by | Pen Densham |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mark Mancina |
| Cinematography | David Tattersall |
| Edited by |
James R. Symons Neil Travis |
Production company |
Trilogy Entertainment Group Spelling Films |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates | June 14, 1996 |
Running time | 123 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$6,000,000 (estimated) |
Moll Flanders is a 1996 film starring Robin Wright and Morgan Freeman. The film was directed by Pen Densham. The original music score was composed by Mark Mancina. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Defoe.
Plot summary
A young girl is picked up from a London orphanage and is told the story of her mother Moll Flanders' life on the way to the British West Indies.
Cast
- Robin Wright as Moll Flanders
- Morgan Freeman as Hibble
- Stockard Channing as Mrs Allworthy
- John Lynch as Jonathan (the Artist)
- Brenda Fricker as Mrs Mazzawatti
- Geraldine James as Edna
- Aisling Corcoran as Flora
- Jeremy Brett as Artist's Father
- Britta Smith as Artist's Mother
- Cathy Murphy as Polly
- Emma McIvor as Mary
- Maria Doyle Kennedy as Alice
Critical reaction
Based on reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Moll Flanders currently has a 47% approval rating from critics.[1] A problem many critics had was with the movie largely throwing out the original Defoe story and structuring it like Forrest Gump (in which Wright was prominently featured). While the original book was about a woman's struggle to survive a male-dominated era (the early 17th century) and her turning to illegal actions to make it through (stealing and prostitution, among other means), the movie dealt with Moll's working on herself and improving her life.[2]
Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars and said of the film "it's an original; Densham took only the name, the period, and a few notions from Defoe, and has made up the rest."[3]
Awards
The International Press Academy nominated Moll Flanders for four awards: Robin Wright for Best Actress in a Drama, John Lynch for Supporting Actor in a drama, Stockard Channing for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, and a nomination for Costume Design.
Notes and references
- ↑ Moll Flanders (1996) at Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ New York Times review
- ↑ Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun-Times
Notes
The film was released in 1996, but still uses a 1995 copyright notice in the closing credits.