Country

A good farm film should be as grimy as the main characters' fingernails after a day in the field and that's exactly what "Country" is. I was impressed by the tenderness of the acting and the unvarnished nature of the writing. This is one of those kitchen-sink dramas where voices are hardly raised and tears fall silently, without a scene being made by the character who is letting them go. Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard are two of the finest actors of their generation and they prove it further here. Lange produces some moments of genuine strength that will inspire you and real vulnerability that will move you, all without ever taking it over the top. The whole feeling of this film is even and sure handed, even though it deals with some heavy subject matter like toxic pride and unethical lending practices. Wilford Brimley also turns in one hell of a performance here as Lange's father. His mannerisms are so real and his powerful eyes just make his presence magnetic in every scene he's in. "Country" is a must see for fans of movies that tell a great story without flare or easy answers.

source: Country

Country

I absolutely loved this movie! I remember when all the farm foreclosures were happening in the 80's and the big Farm Aid concert with Willie Nelson. Jessica Lange is one of my favorite actresses and she was very convincing as the farm wife in this movie. Really gave a good example of true farm living, close families, and neighbors sticking up for each other.

Strong film set in USA. Good acting in film based on trouble in USA farming in early 1980s. Main star is Jessica Lange. Good acting from Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Wilfred Brimley(grandfather), the children playing church going family. A family trying keep farm from controlled by loan company. The family have problem in USA winter making profit, debt to company. The father(Sam Shepard) feels frustrated. He studies the farms books. His frustration turns to his family at times, company official in company office and a bar. Loan company try to auction off equipment on farm. The film shows the detail of working on farm with tractors and working on land. A tornado causes some damage to tractor.

I first read about Richard Pearce's "Country" in a chronicle of the twentieth century; the look at 1984 in film mentioned it (as well as "Ghostbusters", "Beverly Hills Cop" and "This Is Spinal Tap"). I had been hoping to see it for a long time. Wilford Brimley's recent death gave me an extra incentive to do so, so I've finally seen it. More than anything, the movie addresses the hardships faced by family farms in the era of agribusiness. Reagan - the number one ally of agribusiness - called the movie "a blatant propaganda message against our agri programs", while Congress had Jessica Lange (nominated for an Oscar for this movie) testify about family farms. It's a fine movie, if not a masterpiece. Another thing that should get addressed is food miles (how far food travels from the farm to the market). In the meantime, I do recommend the movie.

Some people may consider this movie too slow moving but for those who enjoy a solid story of American life that plagued farmers due to banks playing hardball and low grain prices. It has a Grapes of Wrath feel to this movie showing to what extent some had to go to just to survive even in there own country. The cast is top notched, Jessica Lange, Sam Shepherd, Wilfred Bromley....plus the supporting cast. Totally believable story (as my parents went thru the same thing...farm stress). Farmers do not wear capes, they don't have superpowers....but they truly are heroes.

Country was filmed in Dunkerton, IA. My grandpa owned the farm before and after the movie was made. There was a L shaped 120 acres around it. My dad's 1977 F-150 pickup was even in the scene when Gill goes to the FMHA office. We have a lot of news articles that people gave to us and what my grandma collected during that time. The movie was made long before I was born, but it's interesting to hear stories from my dad and my grandma. We have a video of my dad and grandpa burning down the house in the Spring of 1989. I live just a mile and a half from where the site is. All that is there is just the well from the house. Went up there and a took a brick that was laying on top with a pile of rocks.(probably from the barn)Its a great movie for todays generation to show how horrible these times were in the 1980s, that is wasn't all fun. A lot of farmers dissapered in these yrs......

Iowa farm family, unable to turn a profit, is faced with foreclosure on their land by the bank; the husband--his pride bruised--slips into despair while his resilient wife (Oscar-nominated Jessica Lange) does her best to salvage whatever she can to keep the family together. She coddles her father (who blames her husband for losing the grip on the farm), she rallies other farmers for a peaceful protest...she even tries talking a neighbor out of committing suicide. A story on the loss of human dignity and self-worth, intensely felt and well-acted if cinematically pedestrian. The music score (with solemn piano solos) tells you what you're in for: a despairing portrait of our economic times. The point comes through, and yet the film isn't really moving or all that memorable. ** from ****

Like "The Grapes of Wrath" before it, Richard Pearce's "Country" is about poverty-stricken farmers up against the banks and the kind of weather that could wipe them out in an instant. It may lack the poetry of Ford's masterpiece but Pearce gives it a wonderful documentary-like feeling helped by terrifically naturalistic performances from Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard. Its dramas don't feel manufactured, just as the family at its centre feel like a proper family, despite the obvious star quality of its leads. It is, in fact, the kind of film Americans do better than almost anyone else when they set their minds to it; strong, honest and intelligent and it seldom puts a foot wrong. I'm just amazed Pearce's career never really went anywhere.