Date: Fri 29-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-10

Quick Words:

Dolores-Claiborne-King-Bates

Full Text:

(rev of "Dolores Claiborne" for Now Playing, 12/29/95)

Now Playing-

Don't Overlook This King Of An Entry: `Claiborne'

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Kathy Bates earned herself a spot on the roster of the more memorable moments

in recent cinema history when she brandished a sledgehammer on James Caan in

Misery . Her work in that Stephen King film adaptation garnered her a

well-deserved Academy Award for Best Actress, and set a precedent she aimed to

maintain in Dolores Claiborne , another celluloid interpretation of a King

novel.

As we close in on the end of the year, many critics will be releasing their

"Best of" lists for 1995, and I am afraid Bates' performance in Dolores

Claiborne , which hit theatres early in the year, may get lost in the shuffle

of the many movies being released during this holiday season. The caliber of

her acting here is first-rate and nothing short of deserving another Oscar

nomination.

But you can judge for yourself, now that Dolores Claiborne has been released

on videocassette and has promptly landed in the Top Ten list of the country's

most-rented videos. This New Year's weekend, which admittedly offers a slew of

new, notable selections at the theatres, also gives you a chance to drop by

your local video store to check out this well-acted, stylishly-told melodrama.

Bates stars as the title character, a put-upon housekeeper who is the prime

suspect in the murder of her employer, an elderly widow. The film opens with

this death scene, an ambiguous sequence in which it is difficult to tell if

Dolores is guilty or not. But it is indicative of director Taylor Hackford's

storytelling style for this movie: never give the audience too much

information; always keep `em guessing; and only reveal knowledge in tempting

tidbits and slowly unraveling layers.

Although one of the original commercial ads for this motion picture utilized a

scene in which Bates is wielding an ax (a move concocted by Columbia/Tristar

marketing wizards who were hoping to summon up a connection between this film

and Misery ), Dolores Claiborne is more than a few stone throws removed from

the horror genre. Yes, it is dark and macabre, but not of the blood-and-guts

category by any means.

When Dolores is brought into custody, her daughter (a typically effective

Jennifer Jason Leigh), a writer in the big city, is summoned to the small

Maine town where Dolores resides. It is not long before their estranged

relationship is made evident, but the reason for their dysfunction is only

referred to cryptically. This is where Hackford begins his intriguing habit of

using flashbacks to gradually reveal past moments that vitally impact current

events.

One character that appears only in flashback (and the reason for that is made

ever more clear as the story progresses) is Dolores' former husband, played

capably by David Straithairn, one of the most prolific character actors in the

today ( Sneakers , The Firm , Passion Fish and Home For The Holidays are but a

few entries on his recent resume). Straithairn usually plays a warm,

down-to-earth kind of Joe, but here he is a menacing, abusive husband whose

culpable deeds are arguably the most horrific moments of the movie.

Overall, the fine acting in the film elevates it above a story that could have

become bogged down in the mechanics of its narrative. There are plenty of

confrontations, revelations and character conflicts, and although Hackford

does his best to relate these story elements to the audience in interesting,

unconventional ways (and succeeds), it is ultimately due to the prowess of the

performers that the film comes off so well (a tip of the hat also goes to

Christopher Plummer, who turns in a notable supporting turn as the local

detective out to ruin Dolores for a past crime he believed her to have

committed).

Dolores Claiborne is rated R for strong language and adult subject matter that

is brought into light as the story reaches its climax. Unlike most films taken

from Stephen Kin works, this film does not contain graphic violence and will

not have you turning away from the screen in disgust.