Sweet Land

Last updated

Sweet Land
Sweetland poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Ali Selim
Written byAli Selim
Based on"A Gravestone Made of Wheat"
by Will Weaver
Produced byJames Bigham
Alan Cumming
Ali Selim
Starring Elizabeth Reaser
Tim Guinee
Lois Smith
Alex Kingston
Paul Sand
Tom Gilroy
Robert Hogan
Jodie Markell
John Heard
Patrick Heusinger
Ned Beatty
Alan Cumming
CinematographyDavid Tumblety
Edited byJames Stanger
Music byThomas Lieberman
Distributed byLibero LLC
Release dates
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Sweet Land is a 2005 American independent period drama film written and directed by Ali Selim. It is an adaptation of the 1989 short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat" by Will Weaver. The film stars Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Lois Smith, Ned Beatty, John Heard, Alex Kingston and Alan Cumming. It premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 21, 2005, and went into limited release on December 1, 2006. The film won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Contents

Plot

In the aftermath of World War I, Inge Altenberg, [1] an orphan from Snåsa, Norway, arrives in America to a very cold reception. The parents of immigrant farmer Olaf Torvik remain in Norway, where they met her. Dialogue reveals that the four of them have worked out an agreement that allowed her to emigrate to America for the purpose of marrying Olaf. The Minnesota farming village of Audubon, in which her intended husband lives, is horrified to learn that she is a German immigrant with no papers. To make matters worse, she has accidentally obtained membership papers for the American Socialist Party. Scandalized, both the town's Lutheran minister and the county clerk refuse to marry them.

When events lead them to openly cohabit with each other, they find themselves ostracized by the entire town. They are then forced to harvest their crop completely by hand and alone. This particular harvest season brings not only work, but love as well.

Cast

Production

Early development

Director Ali Selim first read Will Weaver's short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat" in 1989 in the Sunday magazine of the Star Tribune , a Minneapolis newspaper. [2] After purchasing the film rights, he spent much of the 1990s working on a script in his spare time as he worked as a director of television commercials.

Two early supporters of the project were actors Alan Cumming, who played Frandsen, [3] and Gil Bellows, who signed on as a co-producer. Selim met Cumming while screening a short film in Los Angeles; he knew Bellows from directing him in a steak-sauce commercial. Bellows helped Selim get the script into workshops in Los Angeles, where the reaction was positive; however, no Hollywood studios were interested in making the film. [4] [5]

In 2004, Selim raised about $1 million to produce the film himself, mostly from private investors in Minnesota, and pre-production began in July, with shooting planned for that fall. [6]

Casting

Dan Futterman, whom Selim also had directed in commercials, was originally cast as Olaf but had to drop out when his film Capote went into production. Futterman suggested Tim Guinee as his replacement. [5]

The role of Frandsen, a character that does not appear in the short story, was written for Alan Cumming. Alex Kingston was a friend of Cumming's from their early days in London. [2]

Elizabeth Reaser signed on after another actress dropped out because of a scheduling conflict. Reaser initially balked at having to master her multilingual dialogue on such short notice, and she tried to back out of the audition. Her agent talked her out of it, and she got the part. [7]

Selim said on the film's DVD commentary that Ned Beatty, who has a summer home in his wife's hometown in northern Minnesota, said he took a role in the film to impress his in-laws—although he later confessed that he also liked the script. [8]

Filming

Sweet Land was filmed in 24 days in October 2004 in and around Montevideo, a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota. [2] Reaser does not speak German and had to learn her lines phonetically despite only four sessions with a dialogue coach. [5]

The film uses some computer-generated graphics: The northern lights in the scene where Inge walks through the fields to Olaf's house to take a bath (the scene was actually filmed in the daytime), and, later in the film, the geese flying over Olaf's house.

Distribution

Theatrical

Selim entered Sweet Land in several film festivals, and despite a positive reception and some awards, no Hollywood distributor would take it on. Eventually, Jeff Lipsky, formerly of October Films, agreed to distribute it, and Sweet Land opened in limited release on December 1, 2006. Initially released only in Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York, the film was rolled out gradually to other markets over the next several months. [9]

Home media

Sweet Land secured a national DVD distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, who released the film on DVD on July 10, 2007. [10]

Reception

Sweet Land received mostly positive reviews, which focused on the simplicity of its story, the beauty of its cinematography, and its strong sense of place. Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times named the film one of the ten best of 2006. [11] [12] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote Sweet Land "is a type of American independent we don't see often enough, a beautifully photographed film (in 35-millimeter no less) that celebrates its regional identity. In addition, it's sure-footed enough to tread on the borders of sentimentality without falling into that ever-seductive trap." [13]

On review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Sweet Land has an 85% rating based on 73 reviews. [14] The site's critics consensus reads, "Finding the right balance between subtle and sentimental, Sweet Land moves beyond other similarly-themed dramas with evocative cinematography that plays an equal role to the talented cast." [14]

Box office

Although Sweet Land did not get a wide national release, by the end of December 2006 it approached $1 million in receipts. [15] The film remained in theaters for 37 weeks, often in limited engagements at independent theaters, primarily in the Midwest. The film's final gross was $1.8 million. [15]

Accolades

Musical adaptation

The film was adapted into a stage musical by producer Perrin Post and playwright Laurie Flanigan Hegge, with music and lyrics by Hegge and Dina Maccabee. [20] The musical premiered at the History Theatre in St. Paul in 2017. [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Heaven Can Wait</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry

Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American sports fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry about a young man being mistakenly taken to heaven by his guardian angel, and the resulting complications of how this mistake can be undone, given that his earthly body has been cremated. It was the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's play of the same name, the first being Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Sweetin</span> American actress and television personality (born 1982)

Jodie Lee Ann Sweetin is an American actress and television personality. She is best known for her role as Stephanie Tanner in the ABC comedy series Full House and its Netflix sequel series Fuller House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Cumming</span> Scottish actor (born 1965)

Alan Cumming is a Scottish actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. He received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for the West End production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1991). His other Olivier-nominated roles were in The Conquest of the South Pole (1988), La Bête (1992), and Cabaret (1994). Cumming won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for reprising his role as the Emcee on Broadway in Cabaret (1998). His other performances on Broadway include Design for Living (2001), and Macbeth (2013).

<i>Splendor in the Grass</i> 1961 American drama film

Splendor in the Grass is a 1961 American period drama film produced and directed by Elia Kazan, from a screenplay written by William Inge. It stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty as two high school sweethearts, navigating feelings of sexual repression, love, and heartbreak. Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie, Barbara Loden, Zohra Lampert, and Joanna Roos are featured in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Tunney</span> American actress (born 1972)

Robin Tunney is an American actress who made her film debut in Encino Man (1992), and later rose to prominence with headline parts in the cult films Empire Records (1995) and The Craft (1996). Her performance in Niagara, Niagara (1997) won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. She then had leading roles in End of Days (1999), Supernova, Vertical Limit, Cherish, The Secret Lives of Dentists and The In-Laws (2003), and earned wider recognition playing Veronica Donovan on Prison Break (2005–2006) and Teresa Lisbon on The Mentalist (2008–2015).

<i>X2</i> (film) 2003 film by Bryan Singer

X2 is a 2003 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter, from a story by Singer, Hayter and Zak Penn. The film is based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to X-Men (2000), as well as the second installment in the X-Men film series, and features an ensemble cast including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Kelly Hu, and Anna Paquin. The plot, inspired by the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, concerns the genocidal Colonel William Stryker leading an assault on Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer, Cerebro, in order to destroy every mutant on Earth and to save the human race from them, forcing the X-Men to team up with the Brotherhood of Mutants to stop Stryker and save the mutant race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Jason Leigh</span> American actress (born 1962)

Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). She received critical praise for her performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Single White Female (1992), and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Penn</span> American musician (born 1958)

Michael Daniel Penn is an American musician, singer and composer. His 1989 single "No Myth" was a top 20 hit in the US and successful in several other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette Bening</span> American actress (born 1958)

Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. With a career spanning over four decades, she is known for her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and nominations for five Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Tony Awards, making her one of few artists nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting without winning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Beatty</span> American actor (1937–2021)

Ned Thomas Beatty was an American actor. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in Hollywood". His film appearances included Deliverance (1972), White Lightning (1973), All the President's Men (1976), Network (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Back to School (1986), Rudy (1993), Shooter (2007), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Rango (2011). He also had the series regular role of Stanley Bolander in the first three seasons of the hit NBC TV drama Homicide: Life on the Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zooey Deschanel</span> American actress and musician (born 1980)

Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in Mumford (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000). Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), 500 Days of Summer (2009), and Our Idiot Brother (2011). She has also ventured into dramatic film territory with Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), Winter Passing (2005), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), The Happening (2008), and The Driftless Area (2015). From 2011 to 2018, she starred as Jess Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuesday Weld</span> American actress

Tuesday Weld is a former American actress. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over the following decade, she established a career playing dramatic roles in films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gil Bellows</span> Canadian actor (born 1967)

Gil Bellows is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for the roles of Tommy Williams in the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption, Billy Thomas in the Fox television series Ally McBeal (1997–2002), and CIA agent Matt Callan in the CBS television series The Agency (2001–2003). In 2016–2017, he was a regular cast member in the USA Network series Eyewitness.

Elliott Kastner was an American film producer, whose best known credits include Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976), and Angel Heart (1987).

The 17th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards were announced on 14 December 1991 and given on 21 January 1992.

<i>Mind the Gap</i> (2004 film) American comedy-drama film

Mind the Gap is a 2004 American multi-story comedy-drama film, written and directed by Eric Schaeffer. The film moves back and forth between five separate stories that interconnect with each other by the end of the film. The film stars Elizabeth Reaser, Eric Schaeffer, Jill Sobule, Charles Parnell, John Heard, Vera Farmiga, and Alan King in his last film role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Reaser</span> American actress

Elizabeth Ann Reaser is an American film, television, and stage actress. Her work includes the films Stay, The Family Stone, Sweet Land, Against the Current, The Twilight Saga, Young Adult, and Ouija: Origin of Evil, and the TV series Saved, Grey's Anatomy, The Ex-List, The Good Wife, True Detective, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Haunting of Hill House.

Ali Selim is an American film and television director. Over the past fifteen years he has directed over 850 television commercials, five half-hour documentaries and several music videos.

The British Academy Britannia Awards are presented by BAFTA Los Angeles, a branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), as "a bridge between the Hollywood and British production and entertainment business communities." Established in 1989, it honours "individuals and companies who have dedicated their careers or corporate missions to advancing the art-forms of the moving image." The awards ceremony has been on an indefinite hiatus since the 2019 edition.

References

  1. ↑ "Sweet Land review". Spirituality & Practice.
  2. 1 2 3 Kerr, Euan (April 28, 2006). "Ali Selim's long trek to "Sweet Land"". MPR News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ Tucker, Betty Jo. "Alan Cumming on 'Sweet Land' and More". Reel Talk Reviews. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ "How Ali Selim Made Sweet Land Outside the Industry". Studiodaily.com. October 18, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 King, Susan (November 16, 2006). "The rich soil of truth". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Home-Grown Hollywood". Minnesotamonthly.com. August 27, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Actress cultivated her character's core". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 18, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  8. ↑ Sweet Land DVD commentary.
  9. ↑ "How Ali Selim Made Sweet Land Outside the Industry". Studio Daily. October 18, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sweet Land". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (October 18, 2006). "Sweet Land Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  12. ↑ Sharkey, Betsy (November 15, 2006). "'Sweet Land'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ Turan, Kenneth (November 15, 2006). "Delicate 'Sweet Land' captures an elusive love". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Sweet Land". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Sweet Land". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Sweet Land – Official Movie Website". Sweetlandmovie.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Florida Film Festival 2006". August 12, 2007. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007.
  18. ↑ "2007 Independent Spirit Awards". Film Independent. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  19. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (February 25, 2007). ""Sunshine" Wins Four, "Half Nelson" Gets Two at Independent Spirit Awards; "Quinceanera" and "Sweet". IndieWire. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  20. ↑ "'Sweet Land the Musical': Rural debut is tonight where movie was made". West Central Tribune. June 17, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Sweet Land, the musical | History Theatre". History Theatre. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.