| | | 1983 Academy Award Winner: Best Actor & Best Original Screenplay.
Features: DVD
Robert Duvall stars as Mac Sledge, an alcoholic drifter who comes into the life of a lonely widow (Tess Harper) and her young son in the barren flatlands of Texas. But when Mac is revealed to be a once-famous country singer, he must confront a painful past that includes his bitter superstar ex-wife (Betty Buckley) and troubled daughter (Ellen Barkin) while facing an uncertain future that may only be redeemed by the simple power of love.Tender Mercies is a movie experience of uncommon grace and dignity, directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy) from an Oscar-winning screenplay by Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Trip to Bountiful) and featuring a once-in-a-lifetime performance by Robert Duvall. Nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture, this modern masterpiece is now presented in a stunning new widescreen transfer from original vault materials.
"Duvall won an Oscar for this one, and it's still a moving and fascinating flick." Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
"Winning but extremely low-key film...Duvall's Oscar-winning performance is the real attraction here..." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"An American classic." Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
"....an episodic gem...fine performances..." TV Guide
"Wonderful, life-affirming flick." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
While director Bruce Beresford has often dwelled on the amusing peccadilloes of southerners, in this film he has adapted his style to characters whose manners are as plain and unadorned as the landscape they inhabit. The film stars Robert Duvall as Mac Sledge, formerly an icon of country & western music, now down-and-out, a penniless alcoholic. Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), the young widow who owns the rural Texas motel where he has ended up, allows him to work off his board. As the months pass, the singer develops a bond with Rosa and her young son, experiencing the healing effects of this deeply religious woman's compassion. They become a family when she accepts Mac's offer of marriage, and he continues to rebuild his life. He attempts to see his daughter, Sue Ann (Ellen Barkin), whom he hasn't seen in years, and despite a nasty dust-up with Dixie (Betty Buckley), his ex-wife, is finally able to do so. However, the last tragedy he must confront is one that will truly test his recovery. Less a traditional story than a chain of epiphanies on faith and love, this masterpiece of low-key naturalism is arguably the finest work in the distinguished careers of both Duvall and Beresford.
Plot Summary
In this movingly atmospheric film, a washed-up country singer remarries and attempts to start a new life for himself. Despite his battles with depression and alcohol, his new wife and son stand by him and help him turn it all around.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: STARZ/SPHE |
| Release Date: 4/8/2008 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1983 | | Catalog ID: 15902 | | UPC: 00013131590296 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.77:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1984) | | | Golden Globe, Robert Duvall, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | |
Nominee (1984) | | | Golden Globe, Bruce Beresford, Best Director - Motion Picture | | | Golden Globe, Tender Mercies, Best Motion Picture - Drama | | | Golden Globe, Bobby Hart, Austin Roberts, Best Original Song - Motion Picture | | | Golden Globe, Tess Harper, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | |
Winner (1984) | | | Oscar, Robert Duvall, Best Actor in a Leading Role | | | Oscar, Horton Foote, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen | |
Nominee (1984) | | | Oscar, Bruce Beresford, Best Director | | | Oscar, Austin Roberts, Bobby Hart, Best Music, Original Song | | | Oscar, Philip Hobel, Best Picture | |
Nominee (1983) | | | Cannes Film Festival, Bruce Beresford, Golden Palm Award |
| Memorable Quotes| "Were you really Mac Sledge?"----Country music fan to Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall)|"Yes, ma'am, I guess I was."----Mac Sledge |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Real delicacy and emotional power, both largely attributable to a fine performance by Robert Duvall..." 03/04/1983 p.C8New York Times
Included in The New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1983" 12/25/1983 p.II:15 Variety
"...An outstanding film....[The] acting is fine down the line..." 12/29/1982 Variety 9 of 10
Robert Duvall is Mac Sledge, a down-and-out ex-country and western singer on the skids since his marriage to fellow C&W warbler Dixie (Betty Buckley) broke up...Out on a drunken binge one night, he winds up in a small motel in Texas prairie country, and next morning accepts an offer of work from Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), the young widow who runs the place. Rosa Lee's husband had been killed in Vietnam, and she is having trouble keeping the motel and gas station going, and at the same time looking after her small son (Allan Hubbard)...Sledge stays on, the couple fall in love and marry. When tragedy unexpectedly touches his life, he finds he now has the strength to keep going and achieves new peace of mind...Tender Mercies is, in the best sense, an old-fashioned film. There's no sex, no violence. Duvall is dignified and moving as Sledge; Harper is most affecting as the widow he loves and marries; Hubbard almost steals the film as her inquiring son.
Apollo Movie Guide 8 of 10
In a world of big, loud, spectacular movies, it's rare for a quiet little film to grab people's attention. Tender Mercies is such a film, and its success is almost entirely due to a rich, understated performance by Robert Duvall...Duvall's performance is wonderful. He makes Mac likeable, sad and ever-so-slightly optimistic all at the same time. His face shows a world of hurt and his words consistently understate what he's thinking. Every word and every glance are filled with meaning. Even when his emotions spill out, he caps them just the way we know Mac would...Tender Mercies also brought a group of fresh faces to the screen. Harper is disappointingly stilted in the role of Rosa Lee. She's positively inscrutable and fails to connect with the audience. Allan Hubbard plays her little boy, Sonny. This is the only film role to Hubbard's credit, and while he obviously is an inexperienced little actor, he comes across as a real Texas kid. Ellen Barkin, in one of her earlier roles, makes a relatively short appearance as Mac's daughter...The greatest strength of Tender Mercies is also its biggest weakness. The understated approach that works so well in the hands of the talented Duvall is far less successful with other cast members, particularly Harper. - Brian Webster
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