Details
Movie Description
Director Jocelyn Moorhouse's film adaptation of the novel by Whitney Otto stars Winona Ryder as Finn Dodd, a Berkeley graduate student on summer hiatus at her grandmother's home to work on her thesis and ponder a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Sam (Dermot Mulroney). Finn's grandma, Hy (Ellen Burstyn), lives with her great aunt, Glady Jo (Anne Bancroft), at their idyllic Northern California home. The two fiery women meet with seven older female relatives and close friends for a regular quilting bee, led by Anna (Maya Angelou). Over the course of the summer, Finn contemplates her future while gaining insight into love and relationships from the different members of the quilting bee. Their experiences are brought to life as each woman shares a unique tale with the confused young woman. The interwoven memories of each sage member of the quilting bee--including Constance (Kate Nelligan); Anna's daughter, Mariana (Alfre Woodard); and Finn's free-spirited mother, Sally (Kate Capshaw)--become lessons in love, pain, and emotional growth for Finn as the women work to make her wedding quilt. Each memory becomes a vivid flashback subtly weaving the past and present together to create a colorful collection of stories, featuring young stars including Claire Danes and Samantha Mathis as the individual women in their youth. A tribute to women's friendship and camaraderie, HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT shines with a cast of all-star actresses.
Synopsis
Finn Dodd is a 26-year-old college student who's engaged to Sam, a nice, handsome carpenter. But Finn feels very confused about many issues in her life, including her impending marriage. For help in resolving her problems, Finn pays a visit to the quilting bee--seven older female relatives and friends who create quilts together. Each sage member of the bee imparts valuable advice to Finn, recounting important memories and events of their lives.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Letterbox - 1.78
Single Layer
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 3.0 - Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
Cast and Crew Bios
Highlights
Trailer - Theatrical
Photo Galleries
Production Notes
Theatrical release: October 6, 1995.
Jared Leto makes his feature-film debut in HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT. Leto and costar Claire Danes also appeared together on the TV series MY SO-CALLED LIFE.
Maya Angelou is a renowned American poet.
Industry Reviews
"...QUILT hangs together quite nicely." -- Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly - Bruce Fretts (10/20/1995)
"...[A] sweet, sincere tale....Cameraman Janusz Kaminski takes great delight in painterly homages that vary from American Gothic to the Norman Rockwell oeuvre..."
Variety - Leonard Klady (10/02/1995)
Quotations
"How do you merge into this thing called a couple and still keep a little part of yourself?"--Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder), about marriage.
"I've never liked full moons; it gives people an excuse to act foolish."--Anna (Maya Angelou).
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