| Foxfire | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover art | |
| Based on | |
| Screenplay by | Susan Cooper |
| Directed by | Jud Taylor |
| Starring |
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| Composer | Johnny Mandel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Marian Rees |
| Producer | Dorothea G. Petrie |
| Cinematography | Thomas Burstyn |
| Editor | Paul LaMastra |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | December 13, 1987 (1987-12-13) |
Foxfire is an Americandramatelevision film that premiered onCBS on December 13, 1987, as part of theHallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It is directed byJud Taylor from a teleplay bySusan Cooper, based on theplay of the same name by Cooper andHume Cronyn. The film starsJessica Tandy, Cronyn, andJohn Denver, with Tandy and Cronyn both reprising their roles from the 1982Broadway production.[1]
The film was honored with thePeabody Award and was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film. It won twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, forOutstanding Lead Actress for Tandy andOutstanding Art Direction, from a total of eight nominations (includingOutstanding Drama/Comedy Special).
John Denver plays the country singer son of Annie Nations (Jessica Tandy), a woman passionately committed to both her farmland in theBlue Ridge Mountains and to the revered memory of her late husband, Hector (Hume Cronyn). Ultimately, she must make a life-changing decision, to accede to her son's wish that she move off the Mountain and sell her land to a real estate developer, or to spend her remaining years cloaked in her memories.
According to Hume Cronyn, the older people living in the mountains led lives "which were to some degree narrow, parochial, insular - but also enormously rich. These pioneers carved both a living and a tough joyous way of life out of unwelcoming mountain soil".
The character of Annie Nations is based on real-lifeArie Carpenter. "Aunt Arie" told young students who came to interview her, "They want me to sell an' move away from here, but I won't do it. It's just home - That's all".[2]
Foxfire was filmed on locations inNorth Carolina'sBlue Ridge Mountains.[3]
The film received positive reviews from critics.John J. O'Connor ofThe New York Times stated, "although the surface ofFoxfire is gentle, as basically decent people try to understand each other and themselves, the subtext is far from comforting." O'Connor concluded his review by writing, "Foxfire is a sturdy vehicle. Heartily urged on by Mr. Cronyn, Miss Tandy takes it for a memorable spin."[3] Don Shirley of theLos Angeles Times called the film "immensely affecting" and opined, "the holidays are when many people pause to ponder the themes of then and now, holding on and letting go, living and dying. AndFoxfire illuminates these themes with an irresistible glow." Shirley also wrote that it "preserves the gorgeously tuned performances of Cronyn and Tandy."[4]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 45th Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Foxfire | Nominated | [5] |
| 47th Peabody Awards | Institutional Award | Won | [6] | ||
| 40th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special | Marian Rees,Dorothea G. Petrie | Nominated | [7] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Hume Cronyn | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Jessica Tandy | Won | |||
| Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special | Susan Cooper | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) | Johnny Mandel | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Jan Scott, Erica Rogalla | Won | |||
| Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special (Single Camera Production) | Paul LaMastra | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Dramatic Miniseries or a Special | Hank Garfield,William Gazecki,William Nicholson, Peter Reale | Nominated |