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Features: DVD
Alice Hyatt (played by Ellen Burstyn, who won an Oscar for her performance) is a widowed mother trying to start a singing career while raising a growing son (Alfred Lutter). In the early portions of the film, Alice works as a waitress at a diner owned by "Mel" (Vic Tayback); these scenes served as the springboard for the popular TV sitcom "Alice."
"Excellent..." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
Editor's Note
After stunning audiences with his ferociously personal, gritty depictions of masculinity in WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR? (1968) and MEAN STREETS (1973), Martin Scorsese bade farewell to his native New York City in order to direct this delightfully bittersweet portrait of an unflappable single mother. The Oscar-winning Ellen Burstyn is flat-out marvelous as Alice Hyatt, a newly widowed woman who hopes to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a singer. Fleeing her small New Mexico town with her 11-year-old son, Tommy (the hilariously spunky Alfred Lutter), Alice promises not to stop until they reach her hometown of Monterey, California. But after a near disaster in Phoenix (compliments of the fiery Harvey Keitel), the pair settles in Tucson, where Alice grudgingly takes a job as a waitress. It's there where she meets the irresistible David (Kris Kristofferson), a warmhearted customer who won't take no for an answer. At the same time, Tommy befriends Audrey (Jodie Foster), a young tomboy with a mischievous streak.Scorsese's realistic modern fairytale (as evidenced by the film's opening ode to THE WIZARD OF OZ) breathes with a hard-edged tenderness that is a wonder to behold. Robert Getchell's script deftly balances comedy and drama, as well as reality and fantasy, creating a distinctive tone that has inspired numerous imitators (TUMBLEWEEDS, ANYWHERE BUT HERE). ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE is that rare gift, a film that reflects the era in which it was shot but never feels dated.
Plot Summary
When a housewife is left with nothing after her husband's death, she struggles to build a new life for herself and her young son. Moving from a desolate New Mexico town, she settles in various Arizona locales, struggling to make enough money to return to her hometown of Monterey. Noteworthy as a nonviolent domestic drama from Martin Scorsese and the basis for the long-running Linda Lavin sitcom ALICE, this bittersweet film features an incredibly magnetic performance by Ellen Burstyn (for which she won a well-deserved Oscar).
| Features | Audio Commentary: By Martin Scorsese And Cast Members | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital Mono | | Documentary | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Theatrical Trailer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 8/17/2004 |
| Running Time: 112 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1974 | | Catalog ID: 19121 | | UPC: 00085391912125 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen/Standard 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1975) |  | Ellen Burstyn, Winner, Best Actress | | | Diane Ladd, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | | | Robert Getchell, Nominee, Best Writing, Original Screenplay | |
Golden Globe (1975) | | | Ellen Burstyn, Nominee, Best Actress | | | Diane Ladd, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...[The film has] the breezy insouciance of a Thirties screwball comedy..." 06/01/1975 p.188-9New York Times
"...Fine, moving, frequently hilarious....Scorsese [has] fully realized [his] talents as one of the best of the new American film makers." 01/30/1975 p.28 |
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