The true story of Frances Shreuder (Lee Remick), a women who decided that she needed her father's money to fund her elaborate lifestyle, and would do anything to get it, including outright thievery and embezzlement. But when she fears that Daddy (G. D. Spradlin) might cut Frances out of his will entirely, she cooks up a plot to have her sons kill him off. [The title refers to the fact that Shreuder managed to get a seat on the board of directors of the ballet, and her daughter was an aspiring dancer as well.] While Lee Remick is not perhaps the perfect choice for such a demanding role, she does give a credible and effective performance as the most monster mother of them all. Tate Donovan [Nancy Drew] and Frank Military are both excellent as Frances' deeply troubled sons, one of whom winds up in a mental institution. Inga Swenson [Advise and Consent] is excellent as Frances' outraged sister Marilyn, who has to watch as her mother, who always favored Frances, cuddles up to the woman responsible for her husband's death. As the mother, a superb Elizabeth Wilson [The Tunnel of Love] almost walks off with the movie. There is also very nice work from John Glover as Frances' friend, Dick; G. D. Spradlin as her father; and Tony Musante as her first ex-husband and the father of her boys. Four and a half hours long, in three installments, this has not a boring moment in it. Based on a book by Shana Alexander. Another book about the case, At Mother's Request, was also made into a telefilm.
Verdict: Fascinating look at truly twisted people. ***.
4 comments:
I dimly remember this one, and need to check it out again...I am a big Remick fan...Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder...even The Omen.. and do you remember that Charles Bronson film Telefon? She was creepy as the mind-controlled nurse!
I saw Telefon in the theaters and have virtually no recollection of it except a scene when the microphone can be seen dangling over the actors. Remick also did musical theater, but I can't think of the name of the show she was in -- it was based on "Elmer Gantry" -- 110 degrees in the Shade or something like that?
I think Remick did several Broadway musicals...Anyone Can Whistle and a revival of Follies come to mind, both by Sondheim...Did I also see a YouTube clip of her singing "Send int he Clowns" from A Little Night Music? She may have done a production of that as well...
"Anyone Can Whistle" is the one I was thinking of, thanks. She had an interesting career, everything from "Wine and Roses" to "Omen" to Broadway musicals.
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