[.ca] Dolores Claiborne (Widescreen) (ISBN 630523650X)

From Amazon.com:
Dark secrets, family torments, and two murders swirl around the stoic, hardened figure of Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates), a housekeeper accused of murdering her employer of 22 years. Then there was that timely accident that took Dolores's husband (David Strathairn) during the solar eclipse of 1975. Yet with all the somber suffering that follows Dolores like a miasma of pain, none of it compares with the heartache of a relationship she has with her grown daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Although this flick is rife with horror, it is not of the supernatural kind, but rather of the torment only real people can impose on one another. The script is full of colorful language, and director Taylor Hackford successfully weaves several plot threads and psychological dilemmas throughout this engrossing tale without diminishing any of them. He not only culls intense performances from his cast, but he also brings to life the landscape around them. When the film's best-kept secret is finally given up, it occurs under the surreal backdrop of a solar eclipse that is a truly sensational bit of cinematography. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Sometimes being a \o..\cis all a woman has to hold onto.:
Selena St George has seen better days. She was once an award winning writer, but now it looks like she may lose her job and she can't seem able to get through the day without a drink. To make matters worse, her mother, Dolores Claiborne, has just been arrested for murder. The strange thing is that it's not the first time Dolores Claiborne has been accused of killing someone. Selena is forced to return home. However, it's not for a happy family reunion because these two women have dark secrets that they both are trying to forget... Dolores Claiborne is one of those films that men just don't get (which is ironic since the novel and the screenplay were both written by men). I can understand why men get somewhat agitated when watching Dolores as in this story they are definitely the villains. At their best, they are just guilty of adultery, but at their worst, they are violent child molesters. In fact, you almost get the impression that John C. Reilly's nice guy, Police Constable character was just thrown in to appease male viewers and remind women that not all men are violent lechers. But if you can get over what is arguably some blatant guy-bashing, you'll find yourself enjoying this film. It is wonderfully written, brilliantly acted, and you will not be able to keep yourself from cheering Dolores on, as she watches her husband fall down that pit. You can look at this film in two ways-- as a blatant misandry or as a drama about one woman who will do anything to protect her child.

two murders told in flashback:
The movie opens with what sounds like a fight and an elderly woman falling violently down the stairs. Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) races down the steps, ransacks the kitchen and returns with a rolling pin. Poised to strike, she is caught by the mailman who has entered the house to deliver packages. Dolores' estranged daughter Selena is summoned from NYC -- she has not visited in 15 years, ever since her own father died "in misadventure" although she suspects the killer was Dolores. From here, the story of Dolores' relationships with both of her "victims" (her husband and her former employer, for whom she worked as a maid) is told in flashbacks. Particularly bad is her relationship with her husband, but how and why she finally decides to get rid of him is far more complicated than "why didn't she just leave"? Christopher Plummer has a great role as the detective who is convinced Dolores got off too easy for her husband's death in 1975 and is determined that she pat double now. It's a far cry from when he was a captain with 7 children in "The Sound of Music"!

Sometimes Being A Witch Is All A Woman Has To Hang On To...:
Stephen King's 1992 novel comes to life with a truly great perfomance by Kathy Bates as the title character, Dolores Claiborne, David Straitharn as her deceased husband Joe St. George and Jennifer Jason Leigh as their prescription pill popping progeny, Selena St. George. This film and novel are from King's writing period of evil, not examined through supernatural forces, but like "Gerald's Game" and "Misery", the evil that human beings do to other human beings. Even their own flesh and blood... The film opens with a fall down the stairs by Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt, Dolores' employer and wench of a woman, a marble rolling pin a dead body and a mailman who reports the "goings on" to the local police detective, John Mackey, played by Christopher Plummer. Dolores is hauled in for the murder of her employer but we soon find out that this isn't the first time Dolores has been in trouble with the law! Her husband died of unknown causes during the solar eclipse of 1975 and many islanders think that Dolores had something to do with the death of her abusive husband. The movie succession is filmed in many flashback sequences through the mind's eye of Dolores that are just quite mesmerizing! Great cinematography and direction in this film, no doubt! Did Dolores kill her husband twenty years ago? Did she also murder her badgering witch of a boss, Vera Donovan? What family secrets are hidden and what will be the outcome of Dolores and her daughter, Selena? Watch the film and find out for yourself! Happy Watching!

Sometimes Being A B!tch Is All A Woman Has To Hang On To...:
Stephen King's 1992 novel comes to life with a truly great perfomance by Kathy Bates as the title character, Dolores Claiborne, David Straitharn as her deceased husband Joe St. George and Jennifer Jason Leigh as their prescription pill popping progeny, Selena St. George. This film and novel are from King's writing period of evil, not examined through supernatural forces, but like "Gerald's Game" and "Misery", the evil that human beings do to other human beings. Even their own flesh and blood... The film opens with a fall down the stairs by Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt, Dolores' employer and wench of a woman, a marble rolling pin a dead body and a mailman who reports the "goings on" to the local police detective, John Mackey, played by Christopher Plummer. Dolores is hauled in for the murder of her employer but we soon find out that this isn't the first time Dolores has been in trouble with the law! Her husband died of unknown causes during the solar eclipse of 1975 and many islanders think that Dolores had something to do with the death of her abusive husband. The movie succession is filmed in many flashback sequences through the mind's eye of Dolores that are just quite mesmerizing! Great cinematography and direction in this film, no doubt! Did Dolores kill her husband twenty years ago? Did she also murder her badgering b!tch of a boss, Vera Donovan? What family secrets are hidden and what will be the outcome of Dolores and her daughter, Selena? Watch the film and find out for yourself! Happy Watching!

One of my favorite movies.:
I never get tired of this drama. Kathy Bates, as a wisecracking maid, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, as her depressed and anxiety-prone daughter, are superb. A wonderful mix of comedy, tension, and suspense--masterfully directed. VERY highly recommended.