Sarah, Plain and Tall (film)
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by Patricia MacLachlan
- Patricia MacLachlan
- Carol Sobieski
| Sarah, Plain and Tall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Video release poster | |
| Based on | Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan |
| Screenplay by |
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| Directed by | Glenn Jordan |
| Starring | |
| Composer | David Shire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Glenn Jordan |
| Cinematography | Mike Fash |
| Editor | John Wright |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | February 3, 1991 |
Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American drama television film that premiered on CBS on February 3, 1991, as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It is directed and produced by Glenn Jordan from a teleplay by Patricia MacLachlan and Carol Sobieski, based on the book of the same name by MacLachlan. It stars Glenn Close, who also serves as an executive producer, and Christopher Walken. It tells the story of Sarah Wheaton, a Maine spinster who goes to Kansas in the early 1900s in response to widower Jacob Witting's newspaper advertisement seeking a wife.[1]
The film was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries, winning one for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special. It also received two Golden Globe Award nominations, for Best Miniseries or Television Movie and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie for Close. It was followed by two sequels, Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End.
The story is set in Kansas in 1910. Jacob Witting is a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife, Katherine, during childbirth six years before. Since then, the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult for him to handle alone. He advertises in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah Wheaton of Maine responds describing herself as "plain and tall". She travels to Kansas to become his wife.
Upon arriving, Sarah proves to have good sense, an interest in helping with even the most physically demanding chores, and a quiet, warm personality. But she grows homesick because miles and miles of Kansas farmland prove no substitute for Maine's ocean vistas. She is under no obligation to marry Jacob and is free to leave if she so desires; much of the story's suspense depends on whether or not she will decide to stay.
Cast
- Glenn Close as Sarah Wheaton
- Christopher Walken as Jacob Witting
- Lexi Randall as Anna Witting
- Margaret Sophie Stein as Maggie Grant
- Jon DeVries as Matthew Grant
- Christopher Bell as Caleb Witting
- James Rebhorn as William Wheaton
- Woody Watson as Jess Stearns
- Betty Laird as Mrs. Parkley
- Marc Penney as Ticket Agent
- Kara Beth Taylor as Rose
