'"[16], Beresford, known for carefully planning every shot in his films, drew his own storyboards as well as detailed drawings of how he envisioned the sets. "[81], Many critics specifically praised Duvall's performance. Those two gentlemen helped me a lot in the beginning.”, Looking forward, Duvall is eyeing a number of new projects, including the possibility of an adaptation of Steve Harrington’s World War I epic, Remember Ben Clayton for AMC, the network for whom he starred in 2006’s Broken Trail. He also felt, however, that it tended toward melodrama on a few occasions and that the soundtrack had "a bit of syrupy music ... especially at the end". "[3] This renewed interest in cinema prompted Foote to write Tender Mercies, his first work written specifically for the screen. It contains one of his most understated performances. Beresford said Hubbard, like Harper, was chosen based on a simple, rural quality he possessed. New York Times critic Vincent Canby observed that it was released during "the time of year when distributors usually get rid of all of those movies they don't think are worth releasing in the prime moviegoing times of Christmas and the midsummer months". Photo: Jeff Bridges (left) and Robert Duvall in Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Crazy Heart" "Crazy Heart" has been described as similar to your film "Tender Mercies." [13] The boy was able to relate easily to the character because, like Sonny, his father died at an early age; later, some media reports falsely claimed that his father was killed during the Vietnam War, just as Sonny's was in the film's backstory. [13] Beresford flew to New York and reportedly was ready to quit, until Duvall flew out to speak with him. Sonny finds a father figure in Mac. He says he doesn’t intentionally seek out roles that allow him to sing: “It’s a functional thing, really.”, But also a beloved hobby. Want more Rolling Stone? The difference between this and "Tender Mercies" was I had a support system in "Tender." [86] Beresford and studio executives were surprised when the film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. As Mac he avoids both melodrama and condescension, finding climaxes in each small step toward rehabilitation, each new responsibility shouldered. [14] Beresford said of the trip, "I want to come over and see if this is all true, because if it's not really a true picture of what it's all like, it wouldn't be right to make it. This is further demonstrated by Mac's singing "On the Wings of a Dove" to himself after their meeting;[46] the lyrics describe God baptizing his son Jesus, which connects Sledge's spiritual reconciliation with the divine to the earthly reconciliation with his own child. He commented, "What's the point if you're not going to do your own [singing]? Singing in film is, of course, nothing new for Duvall. “He killed a man out of the moment, he didn’t premeditate it, like King David did in the Psalms,” Duvall said. The music is everything beautiful country music should be, especially the ballads here. [15], The film was given a budget of $4.5 million ($12,655,015 in 2019 dollars), modest by Hollywood standards at the time. We want to hear from you! [64] The simultaneous release of Angelo My Love led to some more publicity for Duvall himself, but was of no help to Tender Mercies. The Opry House as it was known then, was a two-story building that used to be a skating rink in its earlier life. His newfound happiness is interrupted when Sue Anne dies in a car accident. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life around through his relationship with a young widow and her son in rural Texas. I've watched it 10+ times over the years and Robert Duval is awesome. After I was named Best Actor I expected the offers to flood in. "[10] The film's financial backers were initially concerned about whether he could sing well enough for the role. [24] Beresford, Foote and Duvall considered the climactic scene to be the one in which Mac, tending the family garden, discusses with Rosa Lee his pain over his daughter's death. In 1983 I won an Oscar for my portrayal of a down-and-out country singer who finds salvation in the film Tender Mercies. ... Tender Mercies Mac Sledge 1983 The Pursuit Of D.B. He played Mac in 1983's "Tender Mercies," a performance that earned him not only an Oscar but also a … He delivers an understated version of the 1906 classic, which appears on the movie’s soundtrack, out July 24th digitally and on CD October 16th. Philip Hobel said, "What we saw in Breaker Morant is what we like as filmmakers ourselves — an attention to the environment, a straightforward presentation; it's almost a documentary approach. But Duvall said the greatest crime of the runaway preacher in The Apostle was one of passion, not premeditation. "[84] In his book Alternate Oscars, listing his personal opinions of who should have won the Academy Awards each year, Peary excluded Tender Mercies from all the categories, and chose Michael Caine as deserving of the Best Actor honor for Educating Rita. It is no surprise that Robert Duvall won the Oscar for his role as he was just outstanding in my opinion. Although he greets them politely Mac remains reluctant to open up about his past. Sledge eventually teams up with the musicians, offering them fatherly counsel in a much more direct way. He said the script appealed to him because of the basic values it underlined and because the themes were universal even though the story was local. "[86] Duvall, who was presented with the Oscar by country music star, Dolly Parton, said of winning the award, "It was a nice feeling, knowing I was the home-crowd favorite. The real line is, “There’s room here for two dear/But after the ceremony.”, The Wild Horses soundtrack also includes a new recording of “When Fallen Angels Fly,” a song by one of the actor’s all-time favorite singer-songwriters, Billy Joe Shaver. Jewett writes of this scene, "Mac Sledge can't trust happiness because it remains inexplicable. . She never lost faith, and that's a rare thing. With much apprehension, Mac (Robert Duvall, center) returns to the stage for the first time in over a year to sing, in "Tender Mercies" MoviePhoto measures 10 x 8inches. However, the post-screening feedback was, in Beresford's words, "absolutely disastrous. Later, he secretly attends Dixie's concert. [75], David Sterritt, The Christian Science Monitor[4], Tender Mercies received mostly positive reviews. He meets the owner, a young widow named Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), and offers to work in exchange for a room. [17] The fact that Mac sustains his newfound life with Rosa Lee and Sonny after his daughter's death, rather than reverting to his old pattern of alcoholism and abuse, is consistent with a recurring theme in Foote's works of characters overcoming tragedy and finding in it an opportunity for growth and maturation. Jewett describes Mac as similarly undeserving of redemption, based on his selfish and abusive past, typified by his condition in his first encounter with Rosa Lee: in a drunken stupor following a motel room fight. It’s not because he captured the essence of a talented, recovering alcoholic trying to make amends for a sorry life. "[80] Linda Beath of The Globe and Mail said Duvall's performance was "fabulous," but that the film was "very slight" compared to Beresford's Australian pictures. Duvall said he felt the scene underscored Mac's stoicism in the face of tragedy and loss. They start attending a Baptist church on a regular basis. [10] Duvall's early involvement led to rumors that he had requested Foote write the script for him, something that both men denied. "[10] The actual location of the bar scenes was in Seven Points, Texas, in a club called the Cedar Creek Opry House. [13] Buckley was originally from Fort Worth, Texas, near the Grapevine Opry; when her concert scenes were filmed there, her whole family participated as extras. Beresford and Boyd filmed the scene in a long take and long shot so it could flow uninterrupted, with the lonely Texas landscape captured in the background. Ebert said of Foote's screenplay, "The down-to-earth quality of his characters drew attention away from his minimalist storytelling; all the frills were stripped away. In the final scene Sonny finds a football Mac has left him as a gift. Academy Awards, USA 1984 Winner Oscar: Best Actor in a Leading Role Robert Duvall: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Horton Foote: Nominee Oscar: Best Picture Philip Hobel: Best Director Bruce Beresford: Best Music, Original Song Austin Roberts Bobby Hart. Duvall’s vocal performance here is one of the subtlest, most beautiful moments in Tender Mercies. The members of the local country band ask Mac permission to perform one of his songs, and he agrees. Song and dance man Playing a country singer in “Tender Mercies,” Duvall did his own singing and wrote several songs. [4], Some reviews were less favorable. It is a matter of faith, elusive and intangible. Some time later Mac and Sonny are baptised together in Rosa Lee's church. [65], Tender Mercies was released on March 4, 1983,[66] in only three theaters: one in New York City, one in Los Angeles, and one in Chicago. [24], Cinematographer Russell Boyd largely used available light to give the movie a natural feel, which Beresford said was crucial to its sense of authenticity. “Chip chose to never bring it out,” Duvall says, still sounding a little mystified as to what happened after all this time. [13] When filming on Diner wrapped, Barkin joked to her agent about future roles, "No more troubled teenagers, unless the movie is with Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall or Robert Redford. [43] In a related way, the film emphasizes the importance of the woman's role in domestic life - although Mac takes on the role of patriarch in his new family setting, it is only through the support and care of Rosa Lee that he is able to settle into this role. It’s not because Duvall could actually sing a great country song. The music is everything beautiful country music should be, especially the ballads here. Soundtrack Credits. "[54] Briley also proposes that Mac's response — "Yes, ma'am, I guess I was" — to a fan who asks if he was really Mac Sledge suggests that he has washed away his old self through baptism. 1983 Press Photo Actor Robert Duvall in "Tender Mercies" Movie - hcq24105 This is an original press photo. I put Billy Joe in The Apostle and the second day we were filming, he said, ‘Hell, I’ve got this deal licked.’ He was such a natural. Man, I have to have my freedom. [69] It was also shown at the 1983 International Film Festival of India in New Delhi. After the story is published the neighbourhood learns of Mac's past, and members of a local country–western band visit him to show their respect. Although unsuccessful at the box office, it was critically acclaimed and earned five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. Following what Foote saw as a far more successful adaptation of his 1968 play Tomorrow in 1972, his interest in filmmaking was rekindled, with the condition that he maintain some degree of control over the final product. [14] Beresford agreed to direct and was hired after receiving final approval from Duvall (the actor had a clause in his contract allowing him such approval, the first time he had this power on a film). [11] The script was rejected by many American directors, creating concerns for Foote and the producers that the film would never be made. ... No answer is completely satisfying, least of all the idea that God sends bad events to teach us something. While filming one scene with Harper and Barkin, he became so frustrated during a phone conversation with Duvall that he said, "Well if you want to direct the film, go right ahead," and walked off the set. But my telephone was surprisingly quiet. [22], Tess Harper was performing on stage in Texas when she attended a casting call for a minor role in the film. [77] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "This is a small, lovely and somewhat overloaded film about small-town life, loneliness, country music, marriage, divorce and parental love, and it deals with all of these things in equal measure. When country star Willie Nelson offered to help publicize it, a studio executive told Duvall she did not understand how the singer could contribute to the promotion, which Duvall said was indicative of the studio's failure to understand both the film and the country music genre. "[48] Before finding redemption, Sledge questions why God has allowed his life to take the path it has and, in particular, why his daughter was killed instead of him. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Foote later said, "This film was turned down by every American director on the face of the globe. "[49] The final scene, in which Mac and Sonny play catch with a football Mac bought him as a gift, symbolizes the fact that, although Mac has lost the chance to reconcile with his daughter, he now has a second chance at establishing a father–child relationship with Sonny. Robert Duvall full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. He buys a bottle of whiskey but, returning home to a worried Rosa Lee and Sonny, he tells them he poured it away. The film was released on March 4, 1983, in a limited number of theatres. Mac attends his daughter's funeral at Dixie's lavish home in Nashville and comforts her when she breaks down. 1983 Press Photo Actor Robert Duvall in "Tender Mercies" Movie - hcq24105 This is an original press photo. Only a few films have managed to capture the gentle quiet splendor by which love, against all odds in this dark world, makes itself known. Robert Duvall plays the role of Mac; the supporting cast includes Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin and Allan Hubbard. The fact that he sang and even wrote some songs for the film just adds to that authenticity. On the very first day of filming, he asked the actor to "pick up the pace", prompting Brimley to reply, "Hey, I didn't know anybody dropped it. [70] A jury headed by director Lindsay Anderson determined that none of the films in contention, including Tender Mercies, were good enough to win the Golden Peacock, the festival's top prize. "[3] Film director and producer Alan J. Pakula credited the script with helping define the American independent film movement of the late 1980s by initiating a trend of personal filmmaking that often looks beyond Hollywood conventions. [13] Although Buckley performed it in the film, country singer Lane Brody was chosen to record it for radio release,[35] and Mac Davis later sang it at the 1984 Academy Awards ceremony. Foote said of this stage in his career, "I learned that film really should be like theatre in the sense that, in theatre, th… Seven Points is just east of Ellis County, across the Trinity River in western Henderson County, Texas. [25] Duvall said he thought Buckley perfectly conveyed the underlying frustration of a country singer and "brought a real zing to [the] part. So when the script for his new film, Wild Horses, called for him to sing the western standard, “Cheyenne,” the 84-year-old stepped up to the microphone. Robert Duvall's film The Apostle was overlooked, despite Duvall's incredible performance In honor of Duvall we have gone hack to an earlier Duvall film, Tender Mercies, for which he did receive an Oscar . [7] When the film first played on HBO in March 1984, it surpassed the three major networks in ratings for homes with cable televisions. Boys at school bully Sonny about his dead father, and he and Mac grow closer. [21] In total, Duvall drove about 680 miles (1,094 km) to research the part, often asking people to speak into his tape recorder so he could practice their inflections and other vocal habits. oliversarmy March 5, 2010, 6:13am #5 But, let’s talk about Duvall in “Tender Mercies,” probably my favorite movie. It was a pretty tense set." With her help, … "[7] Others in the film industry were equally dismissive; one Paramount Pictures representative described the picture as "like watching paint dry". "[12] During his visit to Texas, he saw parallels between the state and his homeland: the terrain reminded him of the Australian bush country, and the Texans he met in the isolated areas reminded him of residents of the Outback. [71], Following its brief theatrical run, Universal Studios quickly sold the film's rights to cable companies, allowing Tender Mercies to be shown on television. and I said, 'I don't know Robert Duvall. 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