Coal Miner's Daughter [25th Anniversary]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed around, Lynn introduced a feminist mindset to Nashville years before the phrase "women's liberation" became common currency. Coal Miner's Daughter is a screen adaptation of Lynn's autobiography, starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn. One of eight children born to Ted Webb (Levon Helm), a coal miner raising a family despite grinding poverty in Butcher's Holler, KY, Loretta married Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) when she was only 13 years old. A mother of four by the time she was 20, Lynn began singing the occasional song at local honky-tonks on weekends, and at 25, she cut (at Mooney's suggestion) a demo tape that earned her a deal with an independent record label. Loretta and Mooney's tireless promotion of the record (including a long road trip through the south in which they stopped at every country radio station they could find) paid off -- Loretta's first single, "Honky Tonk Girl," hit the charts and earned her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Stardom called and Loretta never looked back, but success brought with it both joy (a long string of hit records and sold-out concerts and a close friendship with Patsy Cline) and sorrow (a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork and a great deal of stress to a marriage that endured -- but just barely). Sissy Spacek won an Academy award for her vivid, thoroughly natural performance as Loretta (she also did her own singing), and Levon Helm (drummer for the legendary rock group the Band) made an impressive screen debut as her father. Ernest Tubb makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Fre/Spa/Eng
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Features:
  • Completely restored audio with enhanced 5.1 track
  • Limited edition photo journal inside
  • Feature commentary with Sissy Spacek and director Michael Apted
  • Tommy Lee Jones remembers Coal Miner's Daughter
  • An exclusive interview with Loretta Lynn and director Michael Apted
  • President George Bush Sr. salutes AFI and Coal Miner's Daughter

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Actress - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1980 (Tom Rickman)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1980 (John W. Corso, John M. Dwyer)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1980 (Ralf Bode)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1980 (Arthur Schmidt)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1980 (Bernard Schwartz)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1980 (Richard Portman, Roger Heman, James R. Alexander)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1980 (Michael Apted)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1980
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1980 (Tommy Lee Jones)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - 1980 (Beverly D'Angelo)

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Actress - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actress - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1980

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Actress - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Actress - 1980 (Sissy Spacek)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Sissy Spacek - Loretta Lynn
       Tommy Lee Jones - Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn
       Beverly D'Angelo - Patsy Cline
       Levon Helm - Ted Webb
       Phyllis Boyens - Clara Webb
       Ernest Tubb - Himself
       Robert Elkins - Bobby Day
       Bob Hannah - Charlie Dick
       Bill Anderson, Jr. - Webb Children
       Foster Dickerson - Webb Child
       Malla McCown - Webb Child
       Pamela McCown - Webb Child
       Kevin Salvilla - Webb Child
       Sissy Lucas - Loretta and Mooney's Child
       Brian Warf - Loretta & Mooney's Child
       Elizabeth Watson - Loretta and Mooney's Child
       David Barry Gray - Doc Turner
       Allison Caine

• Director:

  Michael Apted

• Producer:

  Bernard Schwartz

• Book Author:

  Loretta Lynn

• Screenwriter:

  Tom Rickman

• Book Author:

  George Vescey, George Vecsey

• Cinematographer:

  Ralf Bode

• Songwriter:

  Shel Silverstein

• Composer (Music Score):

  Owen Bradley

• Songwriter:

  Bob Montgomery

• Editor:

  Arthur Schmidt

• Production Designer:

  John W. Corso

• Associate Producer:

  Zelda Barron

• Executive Producer:

  Bob Larson

• Set Designer:

  John M. Dwyer

• Costume Designer:

  Joe Tompkins

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  James R. Alexander

• First Assistant Director:

  Dan Kolsrud

REVIEW:

• One of the best music biopics ever made, this 1980 portrait of country singer Loretta Lynn features strong social commentary about Appalachian poverty and the hypocrisy of show business. Director Michael Apted seems to sneak these themes between the seams of a finely crafted melodrama that hews to the standard path of a star's rise, fall, and comeback. The intelligent, rangy actress Sissy Spacek gives it her all, demonstrating surprisingly strong musical skills. Spacek won several awards, including an Oscar, for her performance. The cinematography of Ralf Bode and Apted's piercing direction provide even those who aren't fans of country music with an unforgettable portrait of backwoods Kentucky. Coal Miner's Daughter received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi