The Ice Storm (film)
| The Ice Storm | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ang Lee |
| Produced by |
Ted Hope James Schamus Ang Lee |
| Screenplay by | James Schamus |
| Based on |
The Ice Storm by Rick Moody |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mychael Danna |
| Cinematography | Frederick Elmes |
| Edited by | Tim Squyres |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $8,038,061 |
The Ice Storm is a 1997 American drama film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Rick Moody.
The film features an ensemble cast of Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, Glenn Fitzgerald, Jamey Sheridan, and Sigourney Weaver. Set during Thanksgiving 1973, The Ice Storm is about two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut upper-class families who are trying to deal with tumultuous social changes of the early 1970s, and their escapism through alcohol, adultery, and sexual experimentation.
The film opened in the United States on September 26, 1997. Its release was limited and it ultimately grossed US$8 million on a budget of US$18 million. A special two-disc DVD set was released as part of the Criterion Collection on March 18, 2008.
Set over Thanksgiving weekend, 1973, the film centers around two families: the Hoods (Ben and Elena and their children, 16-year-old Paul and 14-year-old Wendy) and their neighbors, the Carvers (Jim and Janey, and their children, Mikey and Sandy).
Ben, dissatisfied in his marriage and with the futility of his career, is having an affair with Janey. Elena is bored with her life and is looking to expand her thinking but is unsure of how to do so. Wendy enjoys sexual games with her school peers, as well as both Carver boys. Paul has fallen for a classmate, Libbets, at the boarding school he attends, though his roommate Francis is also interested in her.
On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, Ben and Elena have an argument when she learns of his affair with Janey, but they go ahead with their plans to attend a neighborhood party, which turns out to be a "key party", where married couples swap sexual partners by having wives select other husbands' keys from a bowl; Jim and Janey are also there. As the party progresses, Ben becomes drunk. When Janey chooses the keys of a handsome young man, Ben attempts to protest but trips and knocks his head on the coffee table, leading Jim to realize that his wife and Ben are having an affair. Ben, in his embarrassment, retreats to the bathroom where he remains for the rest of the evening. The remaining key party participants are paired off and leave together with only Jim and Elena remaining. She retrieves Jim's keys from the bowl and returns them to him. After debating the issue, Jim and Elena leave together, engaging in a quick, clumsy sexual encounter in the front seat of Jim's car. Jim, regretting the line he and Elena have just crossed, offers to drive her home.
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