Paul Newman

Synopsis:
Widowed Beatrice Hunsdorfer is miserable in her life, and in turn she has contempt for everyone around her. She blames everyone except herself for her problems, but most specifically her now deceased husband George who left her before he died. People who know her believe she’s crazy. She dreams of a better life – mostly by wanting to open a tea room where she would sell what she believes would be her world famous cheesecake – while realistically not being able to achieve that dream as she lounges around her run down and unkempt house smoking, drinking, reading the personal ads in the newspaper, and somewhat taking care of her elderly boarder, which is how she makes ends meet.Read More »

Quote:
Hank Stamper and his father, Henry Stamper own and operate the family business by cutting and shipping logs in Oregon. The town is furious when they continue working despite the town going broke and the other loggers go on strike ordering the Stampers to stop, however Hank continues to push his family on cutting more trees. Hank’s wife wishes he would stop and hopes that they can spend more time together. When Hank’s half trouble making brother Leland comes to work for them, more trouble starts.Read More »

Paul Newman made his directorial debut and Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward, stars as Rachel Cameron, a 35-year-old unmarried schoolteacher who feels as though she’s wasted her life. Rachel’s best friend, Calla Mackie (Estelle Parsons), invites her to attend a religious revival meeting. Here Rachel is swept up in the emotional fervor orchestrated by a young guest preacher (Terry Kiser). This is the first of several cathartic incidents which convince Rachel to kick over the traces and express her own needs and emotions. She has a brief sexual liaison with an old family friend (James Olson), and is delighted at the notion that she might have become pregnant. Rachel ends up alone and childless (her “pregnancy” was nothing more than a benign cyst), but still determined to forge a new life for herself. Based the novel A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence, Rachel, Rachel won New York Film Critics awards for both Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and an Oscar nomination for Joanne Woodward.Read More »