Tree of Hands

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Tree of Hands
Directed by Giles Foster
Written by Gordon Williams
Based on The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell
Produced byAnn Scott
Starring Helen Shaver
Lauren Bacall
Malcolm Stoddard
Peter Firth
CinematographyKenneth MacMillan
Edited byDavid Martin
Music by Richard Hartley
Production
companies
Granada Film Productions
British Screen Productions
Greenpoint Films
Distributed by Cannon Film Distributors
Release date
  • 7 March 1989 (1989-03-07)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£2 million [1]
Box office£2,458 (UK)

Tree of Hands (released in the US as Innocent Victim) is a 1989 British psychological drama film directed by Giles Foster and starring Helen Shaver, Lauren Bacall, Malcolm Stoddard and Peter Firth. It is based on the 1984 novel The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell.

Contents

Plot

Benet Archdale (Helen Shaver), a London-based best-selling author who has just written a controversial novel, lives alone with her young son. Benet's mother, Marsha (Lauren Bacall), visiting from the United States, is a manic-depressive who has psychotic episodes. When Benet's young son dies, Marsha kidnaps a local child to serve as a substitute. Benet believes she should return the child but upon investigation she finds out that the child has been severely abused by his parents. After the child's disappearance, the parents are charged with the murder. [2]

Cast

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References

  1. "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 30.
  2. BFI.org