The Green Mile (film)

The Green Mile is a 1999 American prison fantasy crime drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King’s 1996 novel of the same name. It stars Tom Hanks as a death row corrections officer during the U.S. Great Depression who witnesses supernatural events that occur after an enigmatic inmate (Michael Clarke Duncan) is brought to his facility. David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Doug Hutchison and James Cromwell appear in supporting roles.

The Green Mile
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byFrank Darabont
Produced by
  • Frank Darabont
  • David Valdes
Screenplay byFrank Darabont
Based onThe Green Mile
by Stephen King
Starring
Music byThomas Newman
CinematographyDavid Tattersall
Edited byRichard Francis-Bruce
Production
company
Castle Rock Entertainment
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • December 10, 1999 (1999-12-10) (United States)
Running time
189 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[2]
Box office$290.7 million[2]

The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $290 million on a $60 million budget. It was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Duncan, Best Sound and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

Plot

In a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, Paul Edgecomb begins to cry while watching the film Top Hat. His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that the film reminded him of the events of 1935, which took place when he was a prison officer, in charge of death row, what they refer to as the "Green Mile".

In 1935, Paul supervises officers Brutus Howell, Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger, and Percy Wetmore at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Paul, who suffers from a severe bladder infection, receives John Coffey, a physically imposing but mentally challenged black man, into his custody. John had been sentenced to death after being convicted of raping and murdering two white girls. One of the other inmates is a Native-American named Arlen Bitterbuck, who is charged with murder and is the first to be executed. Percy demonstrates a severe sadistic streak, but, as the nephew of Louisiana's First Lady, he cannot be held to account; he is particularly abusive towards inmate Eduard Delacroix, breaking his fingers, killing his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles, and repeatedly calling him "faggot". In exchange for resigning from the penitentiary and accepting a job at an insane asylum, Percy is allowed by Paul to oversee Del's execution; at the execution, Percy deliberately avoids soaking the sponge used to conduct electricity to Del's head, leading to Del suffering a gruesome and agonizing death with Paul and the others in attendance.

John begins to demonstrate supernatural powers; he cures Paul's bladder infection, resurrects Mr. Jingles, and heals Melinda Moores, wife of the prison's chief warden, of a brain tumor. This last affliction he releases into Percy, who under its influence shoots prisoner William Wharton to death. Wharton had from the moment of his arrival been a troublemaker; he assaulted the guards as he was being escorted into the block, made mischief on two occasions that later caused Paul to order him restrained in the block's padded cell, groped Percy, racially insulted John, and revealed psychically to John that he is, in fact, responsible for the crime for which John was condemned. John then reveals the story psychically to Paul, and, when doing so, he also releases his supernatural energy into Paul. Percy is committed to the insane asylum.

Although distraught over the notion of being executed when innocent, John tells Paul that he wishes to die, as he views the world as a cruel place and constantly feels the cruelty of humanity like shards of glass in his head. Mentioning that he had never seen a movie before, John watches Top Hat with the other guards as a last request. John is executed that night; he asks the customary hood not be placed over his head, as he is afraid of the dark. Paul concludes his story by telling Elaine that John's was the last execution that he and Brutus supervised; they both subsequently resigned from the prison and took jobs in the juvenile system.

Elaine realizes that, since he had a grown son in 1935, Paul must be much older than he looks. Paul reveals that he is 108 years old. He is kept alive by the power that John passed on to show his psychic memories. Del's mouse, Mr. Jingles, is also still alive. Paul is shown later attending Elaine's funeral, and muses that if John's power could make a mouse live for as long as Mr. Jingles has, how much longer does he himself have left.

Cast
  • Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb
  • David Morse as Brutus "Brutal" Howell
  • Bonnie Hunt as Jan Edgecomb
  • Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey
  • James Cromwell as Warden Hal Moores
  • Michael Jeter as Eduard Delacroix
  • Graham Greene as Arlen Bitterbuck
  • Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore
  • Sam Rockwell as William "Wild Bill" Wharton
  • Barry Pepper as Dean Stanton
  • Jeffrey DeMunn as Harry Terwilliger
  • Patricia Clarkson as Melinda Moores
  • Harry Dean Stanton as Toot-Toot
  • Dabbs Greer as Old Paul
  • Bill McKinney as Jack Van Hay
  • Brent Briscoe as Bill Dodge
  • Eve Brent as Elaine Connelly
  • William Sadler as Klaus Detterick
  • Paula Malcomson as Marjorie Detterick
  • Evanne and Bailey Drucker as Kathy and Cora Detterick
  • Gary Sinise as Burt Hammersmith

Production

Darabont adapted the novel into a screenplay in under eight weeks.[3]

The film was shot at Warner Hollywood Studios, West Hollywood, California, and on location in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Blowing Rock, North Carolina[4] and the old Tennessee State Prison.[5]

Casting

Hanks and Darabont met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994. Stephen King stated he envisioned Hanks in the role and was happy when Darabont mentioned his name.[3] Hanks was originally supposed to play elderly Paul Edgecomb as well, but the makeup tests did not make him look credible enough to be an elderly man.[6] Because of this Greer was hired to play the older Edgecomb.

Duncan credited his casting to Bruce Willis, with whom he had worked on the film Armageddon one year earlier. According to Duncan, Willis introduced him to Darabont after hearing of the open call for John Coffey.[7] Basketball player Shaquille O’Neal was considered for the role of John Coffey.

Morse had not heard about the script until he was offered the role. He stated he was in tears by the end of it.[3] Darabont wanted Cromwell from the start, and after he read the script, Cromwell was moved and agreed.[3]

Soundtrack

The official film soundtrack, Music from the Motion Picture The Green Mile, was released on December 19, 1999 by Warner Bros. It contains 37 tracks, primarily instrumental tracks from the film score by Thomas Newman. It also contains four vocal tracks: "Cheek to Cheek" by Fred Astaire, "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" by Billie Holiday, "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" by Gene Austin, and "Charmaine" by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.

Home media

The film was released on VHS and DVD on June 13, 2000.[8][9] The film earned $17.45 million in combined DVD and VHS rental revenue by June 18, 2000.[8]

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 78% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 6.83/10. The critical consensus states "Though The Green Mile is long, critics say it's an absorbing, emotionally powerful experience".[10] The film also has a score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 36 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Roger Ebert gave the film ​3 1⁄2 stars out of 4, writing "The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years".[12]

Awards and honors

2000 Academy Awards[13][14]

2000 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

  • Won – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
  • Won – Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Clarkson
  • Won – Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
  • Nominated – Best Director – Frank Darabont
  • Nominated – Best Music – Thomas Newman

2000 Broadcast Music Incorporated Film & TV Awards

  • Won – Film Music Award – Thomas Newman

2000 Black Reel Awards

  • Won – Theatrical – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan

2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

  • Won – Favorite Actor – Drama – Tom Hanks
  • Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama – Michael Clarke Duncan
  • Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama – Bonnie Hunt

2000 Bram Stoker Awards

  • Nominated – Best Screenplay – Frank Darabont

2000 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

  • Won – Best Screenplay, Adaptation – Frank Darabont
  • Won – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
  • Nominated – Best Film

1999 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

  • Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
  • Nominated – Most Promising Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan

2000 Directors Guild of America

  • Nominated – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures – Frank Darabont

2000 Golden Globe Awards

  • Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture – Michael Clarke Duncan

2000 NAACP Image Awards

  • Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Michael Clarke Duncan

2000 MTV Movie Awards

  • Nominated – Best Breakthrough Male Performance – Michael Clarke Duncan

2000 Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Awards)

  • Nominated – Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR – Mark A. Mangini, Julia Evershade
  • Nominated – Best Sound Editing – Effects and Foley – Mark A. Mangini, Aaron Glascock, Howell Gibbens, David E. Stone, Solange S. Schwalbe

2000 People's Choice Awards

  • Won – Favorite All-Around Motion Picture
  • Won – Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture

2001 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (Nebula Award)

  • Nominated – Best Script – Frank Darabont

2000 Screen Actors Guild Awards

  • Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Cast
  • Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Michael Clarke Duncan

4th Golden Satellite Awards

  • Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture — Doug Hutchison

References
  1. "The Green Mile (1999)". IMDb. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. Box Office Information for The Green Mile. The Numbers. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  3. "About the Film". Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  4. Darabont, Frank (Director) (December 10, 1999). The Green Mile (Motion picture). United States: Warner Bros.
  5. Fedschun, Travis (March 4, 2020). "Nashville tornado struck Old Tennessee State Prison, where 'The Green Mile,' 'Walk the Line' were filmed". Fox News. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  6. "15 Things You Might Not Know About The Green Mile". mentalfloss.com. May 14, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  7. Doty, Meriah (September 4, 2012). "Bruce Willis helped Michael Clarke Duncan get his Oscar caliber role". Yahoo! Movies.
  8. Mccourt, Judith (June 22, 2000). "Renters See 'Green' as Hanks Title Breaks Debut Record". videostoremag.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2000. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  9. Wolf, Jessica (April 27, 2001). "Retailers See a Hot Summer of Video and DVD Ahead". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2001. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  10. "The Green Mile (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. "The Green Mile Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  12. "The Green Mile". Roger Ebert dot com. December 10, 1999.
  13. "The 72nd Academy Awards (2000) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  14. Lyman, Rick (March 28, 2000). "Oscar Victory Finally Lifts the Cloud for DreamWorks". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2011.


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