The Dollmaker
| The Dollmaker | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | The Dollmaker novel by Harriette Arnow |
| Written by |
Susan Cooper Hume Cronyn |
| Directed by | Daniel Petrie |
| Starring | Jane Fonda |
| Music by | John Rubinstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bruce Gilbert |
| Producer(s) | Bill Finnegan |
| Location(s) | Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
| Cinematography | Paul Lohmann |
| Editor(s) | Rita Roland |
| Running time | 150 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Finnegan Productions IPC Films |
| Distributor | ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | May 13, 1984 |
The Dollmaker is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film starring Jane Fonda and based on the 1954 novel of the same title written by Harriette Arnow. It was originally broadcast on ABC on May 13, 1984.
Fonda was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Special for her performance and director Daniel Petrie won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials.
The movie is the story of a family that moves from the rural home in Appalachia to Detroit Michigan where the father intends to find work in a factory. Gertie is hesitant to leave their home; her husband Clovis believes that it will bring the family a regular income and better way of life. What Gertie finds is a new place to exist, rather than live, and the family settles down in a tar paper shack by the railroad tracks in an industrial area.
All the while Gertie holds onto her homespun ways, one of which is carving. Clovis begins to dismiss her talents and puts down Gertie for holding onto her folk art in a modern world. Still, her handiwork is admired by those around her. One of the items that she hangs onto is a piece of a tree limb in which she sees a figure of Jesus calling to her to carve from it.
One setback after another begins to pull the family apart. Clovis doesn't find work and begins to get involved with matters that trouble Gertie; her children begin to also get involved in unsavory affairs.
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Wikipedia