Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Hickenlooper |
Written by | Billy Bob Thornton |
Produced by | George Hickenlooper |
Starring | Billy Bob Thornton Molly Ringwald J. T. Walsh |
Cinematography | Kent L. Wakeford |
Edited by | Henny Bouwmeester George Hickenlooper |
Music by | Bill Boll |
Release date | 1994 |
Running time | 29 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade is a 1994 short film written by Billy Bob Thornton, directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh. [1]
It was adapted into the 1996 feature film Sling Blade , also starring Thornton, [2] which won Thornton the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. [3]
Thornton plays Karl Childers, an intellectually disabled man who has been in a mental hospital for the past 25 years for murdering his mother and her lover. On the day of his release, he is interviewed by a reporter, Theresa Tatum (Molly Ringwald), who is writing an article with the intent of examining whether criminals judged to be insane should be released. Before the interview, Tatum is of the opinion that criminals like Karl should never be released. During the interview, however, Tatum must question her previous beliefs.
The title of the film comes from Karl's description of the murders. He admits to committing murder with a kaiser blade: "Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade."
Billy Bob Thornton is an American film actor, writer and director. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn (1997), political drama Primary Colors (1998), science fiction disaster film Armageddon (1998), the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998), which earned him his third Oscar nomination.
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Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life before being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the drama film Tempest (1982). Ringwald became a teen idol following her appearances in filmmaker John Hughes' teen films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986). These films led to the media referring to her as a member of the "Brat Pack." Her final teen roles were in For Keeps and Fresh Horses.
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Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film written, directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Set in Arkansas, it is the story of intellectually challenged Karl Childers and the friendship he develops with a boy and his mother. Karl was released from a psychiatric hospital where he had grown up due to having killed his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. It also stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, and Robert Duvall.
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A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. Other common names for the tool are bush knife, ditch bank blade, briar axe, and surveyor's brush axe. On the East Coast of the United States some farmers call it a bush axe. The Plover, Wisconsin dialect refers to it as a ditch witch. Also historically used as a wildland firefighting tool to cut fireline, known as a brush hook. It is also sometimes referred to as a bush hook in south eastern North Carolina. Its use in wildland fire has been substantially superseded by the chainsaw.
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