| A Woman of Independent Means | |
|---|---|
 Home video cover art | |
| Based on | A Woman of Independent Means byElizabeth Forsythe Hailey |
| Screenplay by | Cindy Myers |
| Directed by | Robert Greenwald |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Laura Karpman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sally Field |
| Producer | Robert Greenwald |
| Cinematography | Steven Shaw |
| Editor | Éva Gárdos |
| Running time | 360 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | February 19 (1995-02-19) – February 22, 1995 (1995-02-22) |
A Woman of Independent Means is a 1995 Americanperiod dramatelevision miniseries directed and produced byRobert Greenwald from a teleplay by Cindy Myers, based on the 1978 book of the same name byElizabeth Forsythe Hailey. The miniseries starsSally Field (who also served as an executive producer), withRon Silver,Tony Goldwyn,Jack Thompson,Sheila McCarthy,Brenda Fricker, andCharles Durning in supporting roles. It follows for some seven decades the story of Bess Alcott, from herDallas marriage to her fourth-grade sweetheart Robert Steed to the birth of three children to the fussings with grandchildren.[1]
The miniseries received fourPrimetime Emmy Award nominations, includingOutstanding Miniseries andOutstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for Field, winning one for its costume design. Field was also nominated for aGolden Globe Award and aScreen Actors Guild Award for her performance.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part I" | Robert Greenwald | Cindy Myers | February 19, 1995 (1995-02-19) |
| 2 | "Part II" | Robert Greenwald | Cindy Myers | February 20, 1995 (1995-02-20) |
| 3 | "Part III" | Robert Greenwald | Cindy Myers | February 22, 1995 (1995-02-22) |
A Woman of Independent Means received praise for the performances of the cast, particularly that ofSally Field.Tony Scott ofVariety stated thatRobert Greenwald "with the reminiscing Bess as his constant object, directs Field and the large cast with admirable skill".[3]Ken Tucker ofEntertainment Weekly gave the miniseries a grade of B, writing that it "has a pleasingly diffuse, almost aimless structure" and "is stubbornly, intriguingly true to its title".[4]Tom Shales ofThe Washington Post described it as "an absurdly lengthy parade of episodes, some of them admittedly moving, that fails to achieve any kind of meaningful cumulative impact".[5]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Artios Awards | Best Casting for TV Mini-Series | Wendy Kurtzman | Nominated | [6] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Miniseries | Sally Field,Robert Greenwald, Philip Kleinbart, Preston Fischer, and Steve Saeta | Nominated | [7] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Sally Field | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting | Wendy Kurtzman | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special | Julie Weiss(for "Part I") | Won | |||
1996 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Sally Field | Nominated | [8] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Nominated | [9] |