The Turning (1992 film)

Last updated
The Turning
The Turning (1992 film).jpg
Film poster
Directed by L.A. Puopolo
Written by
  • L.A. Puopolo
  • Chris Ceraso
Based onHome Fires Burning by Chris Ceraso
Produced by
  • William B. O'Boyle
  • L.A. Puopolo
Starring
CinematographyJ. Michael McClary
Edited byLesley Topping
Music byHerb Pilhofer
Production
companies
  • Puopolo Productions
  • White Deer Productions
Distributed byPhaedra Cinema
Release date
  • May 2, 1992 (1992-05-02)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Turning (alternately titled Home Fires Burning, Pocahontas or Pocahontas, Virginia) [1] [2] [3] is a 1992 American independent drama/thriller film [1] [4] directed by L.A. Puopolo, based on the play Home Fires Burning by Chris Ceraso. [5]

Contents

It is the film debut of actress Gillian Anderson. [4] Both she and co-star Raymond J. Barry later appeared in the TV series The X-Files , although they did not have any scenes together.

The film was shot on location in Pocahontas, Virginia and the neighboring communities of Abbs Valley, Virginia and Nemours, West Virginia. It was released on home video in 1997. [4]

Plot

After four years away, Cliff Harnish (Michael Dolan) returns to his hometown of Pocahontas, Virginia in a bid to stop his parents' divorce. Unsuccessful, he finds that his mother, Martha (Tess Harper), has turned to alcohol while his father, Mark (Raymond J. Barry), is seeing a woman called Glory (Karen Allen). Cliff also has an awkward reunion with his ex-girlfriend, April (Gillian Anderson).

Desperate to bring his parents back together, Cliff poses as a delivery driver to gain entry to Glory's house. Inside, he reveals his true identity and threatens Glory, calling her a "homewrecker" and ordering her to break off her relationship with his father. During this confrontation, it becomes clear that Cliff has formed white supremacist and neo-Nazi views. Disturbed by Cliff's actions, Mark disowns him.

Later, Cliff breaks into Glory's house while Mark is present and holds Glory at knifepoint, threatening to hurt her unless Mark – to whom he passes Glory's gun – shoots him first. Unable to kill his son, Mark fires into the wall behind Cliff and Glory. Glory seizes the gun and aims it at Cliff but Mark dissuades her from shooting him. Mark forces Cliff to drop the knife and tells him that he must learn to live with the pain of his parents' divorce. Mark and Cliff leave the house together.

Cast

Production

Filming took place in November 1991. Shooting locations included Pocahontas and Abbs Valley in Tazewell County, Virginia, as well as Nemours, West Virginia. [6] [7]

Critical response

Michael Dolan has described the film as "not very good ... My agent saw [it] and wouldn't talk to me for months." [4]

Reviewing The Turning at the time of its original 1992 release, David Stratton of Variety commented that the film "still smacks of the theater. Though it packs an undeniable emotional punch, [it] comes across as overwritten and contrived as a cinema experience." He described the ending as "an anticlimax, since the audience has been led to anticipate an act of cathartic violence that never occurs." However, he praised Dolan's "genuinely scary character" as well as the "strong performances" of the other cast members. [8] Ray Pride of the Chicago Reader wrote that despite its "pictorial and emotional strengths", the film is "too rooted in its theatrical origins to be truly memorable." He also criticised the film for its characters' "unconvincing" insights and its "distracting" musical score. [9]

In 1997, Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, writing that "at every turn, The Turning is ridiculously vague. We get no real idea of what Martha and Mark did – or what happened to Cliff during his absence – that has turned him into a psychopath clutching madly at 'traditional family values.'" He also commented that Puopolo "directs his cast as if they were giving a stage performance, which means that the realism of the film's location not only ensures the artificiality of the entire endeavor but also shows up the many flaws in the basic material as well." [10] In a negative review of the home video release, Dave Nuttycombe of the Washington City Paper called the film a "tiredly talky Southern Gothic drama". [11]

Controversy

The film features a sex scene between Dolan and Anderson's characters, and was shot while Anderson was still a 19-year-old student in drama school. After the film was bought by British film distributor David Lewis in 1996, his company Unique Films released it on home video nationwide. By then appearing in the TV series The X-Files , Anderson hired lawyers in an attempt to stop the film's release. The British tabloid press, which described the film as a "B movie", reported that Anderson had tried to buy it back for "large sums of money" without success. They described the scene as "semi-topless". According to Dolan, the scene was shot at 4 A.M. after a long day and both he and Anderson were exhausted.

Anderson had a clause in her contract stating that her breasts could not be exposed in any scenes. [12] [13] [14] Despite the controversy, the Orange County Register judged the scene to be "fleeting" and argued that the film "deserves better than to serve as a salacious footnote to a television show." [5] Nuttycombe called the scene "gratuitous" and "irrelevant". [11]

In 2002, Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club, who described The Turning as an "unconvincing melodrama", argued that the film had been re-released purely for the "one brief love scene featuring Anderson, much tamer than the video box's lurid cover would suggest." [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The X-Files</i> American television series

The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 1993 to May 2002 on Fox. During its original run, the program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A tenth season consisting of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: the 1998 film The X-Files and the stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008, six years after the original television run ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillian Anderson</span> American actress (born 1968)

Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress, writer, and activist. She is best known for her roles as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the sci-fi series The X-Files, Lily Bart in the drama film The House of Mirth (2000), DSI Stella Gibson in the BBC/RTÉ crime drama series The Fall (2013–2016), Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy drama series Sex Education (2019–2023), and Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the Netflix drama series The Crown (2020). Among other honors, she has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<i>Mississippi Burning</i> 1988 American crime thriller film by Alan Parker

Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 murder investigation of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in fictional Jessup County, Mississippi, who are met with hostility by the town's residents, local police, and the Ku Klux Klan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Carter (screenwriter)</span> American television and film producer (born 1956)

Christopher Carl Carter is an American television and film producer, director and writer who gained fame in the 1990s as the creator of the Fox science fiction supernatural drama series The X-Files.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocahontas</span> Native American woman (c. 1596 – 1617)

Pocahontas was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Powhatan, the paramount chief of a network of tributary tribes in the Tsenacommacah, encompassing the Tidewater region of what is today the U.S. state of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Scully</span> Fictional character in the television series The X-Files

Dana Katherine Scully, M.D., is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in the Fox science-fiction, supernatural television series The X-Files, played by Gillian Anderson. Scully is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent and a medical doctor (MD), partnered with fellow Special Agent Fox Mulder for seasons one to seven and seasons 10 and 11, and with John Doggett in the eighth and ninth seasons. In the television series, they work out of a cramped basement office at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC to investigate unsolved cases labeled "X-Files." In 2002, Scully left government employment, and in 2008, she began working as a surgeon in Our Lady of Sorrows, a private Catholic hospital – where she stayed for seven years, until rejoining the FBI. In contrast to Mulder's credulous "believer" character, Scully is the skeptic for the first seven seasons, choosing to base her beliefs on what science can prove. She later on becomes a "believer" after Mulder's abduction at the end of season seven.

<i>Pocahontas</i> (1995 film) 1995 animated film by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg

Pocahontas is a 1995 American animated musical historical drama film loosely based on the life of Powhatan woman Pocahontas and the arrival of English colonial settlers from the Virginia Company. The film romanticizes Pocahontas's encounter with John Smith and her legendary saving of his life. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.

<i>The X-Files</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on October 4, 1996, concluding on the same channel on May 18, 1997, and contained 24 episodes. Following the filming and airing of the season, production began on The X-Files feature film, which was released in 1998 following the show's fifth season.

<i>The X-Files</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 1997, concluding on the same channel on May 17, 1998, and contained 20 episodes. The season was the last in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; subsequent episodes would be shot in Los Angeles, California. In addition, this was the first season of the show where the course of the story was planned, due to the 1998 The X-Files feature film being filmed before it, but scheduled to be released after it aired.

<i>The X-Files</i> (film) 1998 film by Rob Bowman

The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction thriller film based on Chris Carter's television series of the same name, which revolves around fictional unsolved cases called the X-Files and the characters solving them. It was directed by Rob Bowman, written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz and featured five main characters from the television series: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, John Neville, and William B. Davis reprise their respective roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Well-Manicured Man, and the Cigarette-Smoking Man. The film was promoted with the tagline Fight the Future.

Pilot (<i>The X-Files</i>) Pilot episode of The X-Files

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode aired on September 10, 1993, on the Fox network in the United States and Canada. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter, and directed by Robert Mandel. As the pilot, it would set up the mythology storyline for the series. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.9 and was viewed by 7.4 million households and 12.0 million viewers. The episode itself was generally well received by fans and critics alike, which led to a growing cult following for the series before it hit the mainstream.

"Ghost in the Machine" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on October 29, 1993. It was written by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, and directed by Jerrold Freedman. The episode featured guest appearances by Wayne Duvall and Rob LaBelle, and saw Jerry Hardin reprise his role as Deep Throat for the first time since the character's introduction. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Ghost in the Machine" earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.9, being watched by 5.6 million households in its initial broadcast, and received mixed reviews from critics.

"Fire" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on December 17, 1993. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Larry Shaw and featured guest appearances by Mark Sheppard and Amanda Pays. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Fire" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.8, being watched by 6.4 million households in its initial broadcast; and received mostly positive reviews from critics.

<i>The X-Files: I Want to Believe</i> 2008 science fiction film

The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a 2008 American supernatural thriller film directed by Chris Carter, and written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz. It is the second feature film installment of The X-Files franchise created by Carter, following the 1998 film. Three main actors from the television series, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Mitch Pileggi, reappear in the film to reprise their respective roles as Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and Walter Skinner.

Small Potatoes (<i>The X-Files</i>) 20th episode of the 4th season of The X-Files

"Small Potatoes" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States appropriately on April 20, 1997. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Cliff Bole. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Small Potatoes" received a Nielsen rating of 13.0 and was viewed by 20.86 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with many applauding the entry's humorous tone.

Pocahontas is the titular character of Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1995 film Pocahontas, and the seventh addition to the Disney Princess franchise.

"Chimera" is the sixteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States, on April 2, 2000, was written by David Amann, and directed by Cliff Bole. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Chimera" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.5, being watched by 12.89 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.

The X-Files is an American science fiction–thriller media franchise created by Chris Carter. The franchise generally focused on paranormal or unexplained happenings. The first franchise release—simply titled The X-Files—debuted in September 1993 and ended in May 2002. The show was a hit for Fox, and its characters and slogans became pop culture touchstones in the 1990s. 1996 saw the premiere of a second series set in the same universe but covering a storyline independent of the X-Files mythology, titled Millennium. In 1998, the first X-Files feature film titled The X-Files was released, eventually grossing over $180 million. A spin-off—The Lone Gunmen—was released in 2001 and abruptly canceled. Six years after the initial television series was canceled, another film—The X-Files: I Want to Believe—was released. In January 2016, a tenth season of The X-Files aired, featuring Carter as executive producer and writer, and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. An eleventh season premiered in January 2018.

Chinga (<i>The X-Files</i>) 10th episode of the 5th season of The X-Files

"Chinga" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by noted author Stephen King and series creator Chris Carter, and directed by Kim Manners. The episode aired in the United States on February 8, 1998, on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Chinga" earned a Nielsen rating of 12.8 and was viewed by 21.33 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.

<i>Captain John Smith and Pocahontas</i> 1953 film by Lew Landers

Captain John Smith and Pocahontas is a 1953 American historical western film directed by Lew Landers. The distributor was United Artists. It stars Anthony Dexter, Jody Lawrance and Alan Hale.

References

  1. 1 2 "Home Fires Burning (1992)". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Pocahontas". film.virginia.org. Virginia Film Office. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  3. ↑ "New Film Starts". Variety . November 10, 1991. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gaines, Allison (September 19, 1997). "Gillian Anderson's First Role". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "The Turning talks itself out of making some real points // Review: Excessive dialogue is but one of the deficiencies of this tale of family breakdown and fringe violence". Orange County Register . May 2, 1997.
  6. ↑ Rose, Andrea (November 19, 1991). "Cameras Rolling: Location Shots under way in Pocahontas". Bluefield Daily Telegraph . Vol. 96, no. 323. p. 1. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  7. ↑ "The Turning: Pocahontas Movie Viewing set this Month". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. April 12, 1995. p. B-4. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  8. ↑ Stratton, David (May 29, 1992). "Home Fires Burning". Variety. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ Pride, Ray (October 15, 1992). "This Week at the Chicago Film Festival: A Day-by-Day Critical Guide". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (May 2, 1997). "Vague Turning Moves from the Stage to the Big Screen". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Nuttycombe, Dave (October 24, 1997). "The Truth Is Right Here". Washington City Paper . Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Scully's X Cert Files – Exclusive: Calling Agent Mulder ... The Naked Truth is Out There and Your Partner's Trying to Ban It". Sunday Mirror . London, UK. November 3, 1996.
  13. ↑ "X-Files Gill's Naked Romp". The Mirror . London, UK. April 29, 1997.
  14. ↑ "X-Files Star Topless in Film". The Cincinnati Post . April 30, 1997.
  15. ↑ Phipps, Keith (March 29, 2002). "The Turning". The A.V. Club . The Onion. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
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.