Details
Movie Description
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, an expertly crafted and intelligent adapation of John Irving's novel, explores themes of disappointment, ideas of moral ambiguity, and, indeed, lessons about life itself, woven into a dramatic story that is neither slow nor sentimental. Tobey Maguire is the immensely likable Homer Wells, a lifelong resident of a Maine orphanage who comes of age during WWII under the auspices of its director, Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine). Larch is pragmatic, progressive, highly intelligent, and loathe to let Homer go out into the world. He sees him as a son, and the only one whose medical training allows for him to take over when he retires from his job as physician, obstetrician, and illegal abortionist. When ingenue Candy (Charlize Theron) and air force adventurer Wally (Paul Rudd), come to Larch for help with an abortion, Homer befriends the couple and, against Larch's wishes, sets off with them to see the world, or at least the rest of Maine. Working at an apple orchard owned by Wally's mother (Kate Nelligan), Homer lives and works with a group of African-American migrant workers, among them the morally ambiguous Mr. Rose Delroy Lindo and his beloved daughter Rose Rose (Erykah Badu in a stunning debut). When Wally goes off to war, and Rose Rose gets into a complex and frightening situation, Homer is faced with serious choices and dilemmas that can only be solved by the wisdom he has learned from Larch. A classic, old-fashioned-style American film that deals directly with sensitive and taboo issues, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES is a beautifully acted, carefully paced story full of substance.
Synopsis
Lasse Hallstrom directed this elegant version of John Irving’s best-selling novel about Homer Wells, an orphan in 1940s Maine who can’t seem to stay adopted and ends up being raised at an orphanage by the doctor who runs it. Dr. Larch is an expert in the field of gynecology and teaches Homer all he knows. When Homer begins to question the doctor’s ethics, he leaves the orphanage and sets off on a journey to discover what will be most important to him, so beginning his true passage to adulthood in a world of increasingly complex political and social mores.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Single Side - Dual Layer
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.0 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Lasse Hallstrom - Director
2. John Irving - Screenwriter
3. Richard N. Gladstein - Producer
Making-of - 1. THE CIDER HOUSE RULES: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN CLASSIC
Trailers - 1. TV Spots
2. Original Theatrical Trailer
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Biographies - 1. Cast & Crew
Theatrical release: October 21,1999.
Filmed on location in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts.
Industry Reviews
"...A touching, old-fashioned charmer that ultimately satisfies..."
Variety - p.48-50 - David Rooney (09/13/1999)
"...Lyrical..." -- Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (01/21/2000)
"...Earnest, well-acted....[Caine is] a masterful actor in peak form..."
Rolling Stone - p.68-9 - Peter Travers (02/03/2000)
"...[THE CIDER HOUSE RULES] is a stunning achievement--lovingly photographed and emotionally transcendent..."
Movieline - p.33 - Stephen Farber
"...Fine, subtle work from Caine and the ever-impressive Maguire..." -- 3 out of 5 stars
Premiere - p.85 - Kerrie Mitchell (09/01/2000)
"...[A] superb adaptation....Irving and Hallstrom move way beyond the predictable to ponder the way in which everyone must make his or her way through life's constant interplay of choice and fate....They've been aided immeasurably by a large cast..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (12/10/1999)
"...Michael Caine's performance is one of his best, and Charlize Theron is sweet and direct..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/17/1999)
Quotations
"Goodnight, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England."--Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine)
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