Mrs. Soffel

Mrs. Soffel is a 1984 American drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong, starring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson and based on the story of condemned brothers Jack and Ed Biddle, who escaped prison with the aid of the warden's wife, Kate Soffel.

Mrs. Soffel
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed byGillian Armstrong
Produced byEdgar J. Scherick
David A. Nicksay
Scott Rudin
Written byRon Nyswaner
Starring
Music byMark Isham
CinematographyRussell Boyd
Edited byNicholas Beauman
Production
company
Distributed byMGM/UA Entertainment Company
Release date
December 26, 1984
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million[1]
Box office$4,385,312

It was filmed on location in and around the Serez family farm in Mulmur, Ontario, as well as Wisconsin (train sequences) and establishing shots in Pittsburgh. The jail sequences were filmed in both the Allegheny County Courthouse and old Allegheny County Jail. The film was entered in the 35th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]

Plot

Kate Soffel is the wife of a Pittsburgh prison warden in 1901. They have four children. After several months of being sick in bed for no discernible reason, she suddenly regains her strength. She visits inmates to read Bible scripture to them and meets Ed Biddle and his brother Jack, both of whom may be innocent of the crimes that brought them there.

Mrs. Soffel falls in love with Ed and enables him and Jack to escape, smuggling bar-cutting blades to him at the prison. They go on the run together, with tragic results.

Cast

Reception

The film received lackluster reviews upon release and currently holds a 36% 'Rotten' score on Rotten Tomatoes.[3] Roger Ebert awarded the film two stars, calling it "an anemic Bonnie and Clyde" and concluding that the performances were unconvincing.[4] Vincent Canby called it a "very strange and maddening movie", but praised the performances of Keaton and Gibson.[5]

References
  1. http://catalog.afi.com/Film/57149-MRS-SOFFEL
  2. "Berlinale: 1985 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  3. "'Mrs. Soffel' (1984)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  4. Roger Ebert (1984-01-01). "Mrs. Soffel Movie Review". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  5. Vincent Canby (1984-12-26). "Movie Review -- Diane Keaton Portrays 'Mrs. Soffel'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-06-17.


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