Steel Magnolias [Blu-ray]

Director: Herbert Ross Herbert Ross

Overview

The title refers to those seemingly frail Southern belles who survive any and all deprivations through whims of iron. Robert Harling's original stage play was set exclusively in a Louisiana beauty parlor where an all-female cast of characters laughed, cried and compared menfolk. The film expands the playing field by including scenes at picnics, hospitals and the like, and by visually depicting the males who never appeared in the stage version. Dolly Parton plays the goodnatured beauty-shop owner, while Shirley MacLaine is the cantankerous town eccentric, decked out in grungy overalls and speaking fluent Trash. Well-to-do Sally Field bravely endures several assaults to her sensibilities, not the least of which is the illness (and subsequent death) of daughter Julia Roberts. The performances are first-rate, with the possible exception of Daryl Hannah's overemphatic portrayal of a gawky hairdresser. The film stumbles a bit in its depiction of the male characters as fools and deadheads, and in the final overlong hospital scenes involving the comatose Roberts, which play like a road company version of Terms of Endearment. Otherwise, Steel Magnolias is a prime example of ensemble filmmaking, lovingly coordinated by director Herbert Ross. (Sidebar: Herbert Ross was reportedly rather rough on Julia Roberts, deriding her lack of experience. The rest of the female cast rallied around Roberts and told the director to lay off or pay the price).

Product Details

Release Date:	05/28/2019
UPC:	0043396557581
Original Release:	1989
Rating:	PG
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:58:00
Sales rank:	19,277

Special Features

Director's commentary; In Full Bloom: remembering Steel Magnolias featurette; Deleted scenes; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sally Field	M'Lynn Eatenton
Dolly Parton	Truvy Jones
Shirley MacLaine	Ouiser Boudreaux
Julia Roberts	Shelby Eatenton
Olympia Dukakis	Clairee Belcher
Daryl Hannah	Annelle Dupuy Desoto
Tom Skerritt	Drum Eatenton
Sam Shepard	Spud Jones
Dylan McDermott	Jackson Latcherie
Kevin J. O'Connor	Sammy Desoto
Bill McCutcheon	Owen Jenkins
Ann Wedgeworth	Aunt Fern
Knowl Johnson	Tommy Eatenton
Jonathan Ward	Jonathan Eatenton
Bibi Besch	Belle Marmillion
Janine Turner	Nancy Beth Marmillion
James Wlcek	Marshall Marmillion
Ronald Young	Drew Marmillion
Nancy Parsons	Janice Van Meter
Bob Ginnaven	Mayor Van Meter,Mayor Van Meter
Tom Hodges	Louie Jones
Rick Hurst	Bark Boone
Robert Harling	Minister
C. Houser	Jack Jr. (age 1)
Daniel Camp	Jack Jr. (age 3)
Norman Fletcher	Mr. Latcherie Sr.
Lori Tate	Mrs. Latcherie Sr.
Robert Adams	Dr. Judd
Carol Sutton	Nurse Pam
Aja Sansone	Monique
Rodney Alan Fulton	Bobby Ray Ross
Gale J. Odom	Church Singer
Betsy Widhalm	Church Organist
Oscar J. Bienvenu Jr.	Doctor
Teresa Beaudion	Receptionist
Travis Harrison	Delivery Boy
James Shapkoff III	Delivery Man
Walker May	Newspaper Boy
Robert R. Morgan	Cook
Spencer Henderson	Dancing Man
Sandra Asbury-Johnson	Dancing Woman
Gladys Mallard	Nurse
Betty J. Dove	Nurse
Roger D. McCann	Cook's Helper,Cook's Helper
Carole Cook	Actor
Trent Dawson	Church Singer
Georges Delerue	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Harling

Herbert Ross	Director
Robert Harling	Screenwriter
Ray Stark	Producer
Victoria White	Executive Producer
Raymond Stark	Producer
Kevin Harris	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

A self-styled "woman's picture" that generates laughter and tears with equal facility, Steel Magnolias is blessed with an extraordinary ensemble of female actors, each of them cast to perfection. Much of the action revolves around a small Southern town's beauty shop, managed by lusty, straight-talkin' Dolly Parton. Her regular customers and close friends include devoted mother Sally Field, who's worried that her diabetic daughter (Julia Roberts in her first major screen role) isn't up to raising her newborn child; Shirley MacLaine, the town's tart-tongued curmudgeon; Olympia Dukakis, a no-nonsense matron who's Shirley's frequent sparring partner; and Daryl Hannah, Dolly's ditzy assistant. These characters are sharply drawn by Robert Harling, who adapts his own play to the screen and provides the women with crisp, natural dialogue. Director Herbert Ross (The Goodbye Girl) unites his talented performers, making them a cohesive group and reinforcing the notion that when women with common goals and yearnings stick together, there's nothing they can't accomplish or endure.