| The Grass Harp | |
| Director: | Charles Matthau |
| Producer: | Charles Matthau Jerry Tokofsky John Winfield |
| Screenplay: | Stirling Silliphant |
| Narrator: | Boyd Gaines |
| Music: | Patrick Williams |
| Cinematography: | John A. Alonzo |
| Distributor: | Fine Line Features |
| Runtime: | 107 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $8 million |
| Gross: | $559,677 |
The Grass Harp is a 1995 American comedy drama film based on the novella by Truman Capote. The screenplay, which is the final work of Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, is adapted from the play. Directed by Charles Matthau, the film features a cast including Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Edward Furlong and Nell Carter.[1] Piper Laurie won the Best Supporting Actress award from the Southeastern Film Critics Association for her performance.[2]
In a small 1940s Alabama town, Collin Fenwick is sent to live with his father's maiden cousins—the sweet Dolly and the overbearing Verena—following the death of his mother. He soon discovers that the Talbo household is anything but normal. After also losing his father, Collin grows to be close with Dolly and housekeeper Catherine, and becomes acquainted with the eccentric townspeople, from the gossip-loving barber to a traveling evangelist with 15 illegitimate offspring. To escape Verena's oppression, Dolly, Collin and Catherine run away to an old treehouse in the woods. Their rebellion sparks a series of events that changes their lives, as well as the entire town.[3] [4]
The Grass Harp is based on Truman Capote's 1951 semi-autobiographical novel. The screenplay is written by Stirling Silliphant and Kirk Ellis. Silliphant's previous credits include In the Heat of the Night, The Towering Inferno, and The Poseidon Adventure. The film is directed by Charles Matthau, son of Walter Matthau. It was filmed on location in Wetumpka, Alabama.[4]
Despite generally good reviews, the film did poorly at the box office. With an estimated budget of $9 million, the film grossed roughly $1.5 million in ticket sales.[5]
The New York Times review of the film states that the actors' performances were "uniformly expert, sharp renderings of distinctive individuals", and that Charles Matthau had "managed to set them in a landscape specifically distant and atmospheric".[4]
The Los Angeles Times review calls it a beguiling film, and one that "celebrates rebirth and renewal but within a tough-minded view of life that never allows it to lapse into a fairy tale".[6]
Variety calls it a "sensitive screenplay adaptation", and noted the film's "wonderful ensemble cast".[7]