IMDb > The Bell Jar (1979)

The Bell Jar (1979) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   106 votes
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Up 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Larry Peerce

Writers:

Marjorie Kellogg (writer)
Sylvia Plath (novel)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Bell Jar on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

26 October 1981 (Sweden) more

Genre:

Biography | Drama more

Tagline:

Sometimes just being a woman is an act of courage.

Plot:

Details a young woman's summer in New York working for a Mademoiselle-like magazine, return home to New England... more | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

NewsDesk:
(2 articles)

Poet Sylvia Plath's Son Commits Suicide
 (From PEOPLE.com. 23 March 2009, 12:00 AM, PDT)
Stiles chooses semi-autobio route to Plath
 (From ioncinema. 25 April 2007)

User Comments:

Vastly disappointing more (11 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)

Marilyn Hassett ... Esther Greenwood

Julie Harris ... Mrs. Greenwood
Jameson Parker ... Buddy Willard
Anne Jackson ... Dr. Nolan
Barbara Barrie ... Jay Cee
Robert Klein ... Lenny
Donna Mitchell ... Joan
Mary Louise Weller ... Doreen
Thaao Penghlis ... Marco
Scott McKay ... Mr. Gilling
Meg Mundy ... Bea Ramsey
Carole Monferdini ... Hilda
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ruth Antonofsky ... Singer
Dick Carballo ... Frankie
Allan Eisenman ... Cab driver

Christine Estabrook ... Student editor
David Faulkner ... Professor Edwards
Annie Gagen ... Student editor (as ruth van poons)
Michael Gordon ... Cab driver

Nicholas Guest ... Young man
Margaret Hall ... Jane McLode
Dan Hannafin ... Doorman

Roxanne Hart
Karen Howard ... Toni LaBouchere
Elizabeth Hubbard ... Vikki St. John
Carolyn Hurlburt ... Jody
Beth McDonald ... Student editor

Debbie McLeod ... Betsy
Bonnie Sue Parker ... Nurse
Gil Rogers ... Dr. Richards
Shelley Rogers ... Student editor
Boomer Tibbs ... Waiter
Peggy E. Turnley ... Nurse
Ruth Van Poons ... Student editor
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Directed by
Larry Peerce 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Marjorie Kellogg  writer
Sylvia Plath  novel

Produced by
Monroe Arnold .... associate producer
Monroe Arnold .... executive producer
Andrew Bonime .... co-producer
Jerrold T. Brandt Jr. .... producer
Milt Felsen .... associate producer
Robert A. Goldston .... executive producer
Tony LaMarca .... co-producer
Michael Todd Jr. .... producer
 
Original Music by
Gerald Fried 
 
Cinematography by
Gerald Hirschfeld 
 
Film Editing by
Marvin Walowitz 
 
Production Design by
John Robert Lloyd 
 
Set Decoration by
Paul Hefferan  (as Paul Heffernan)
Don Holtzman 
 
Costume Design by
Donald Brooks 
 
Production Management
George Manasse .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Barnett .... first assistant director
Frank Simpson .... second assistant director
 
Sound Department
Richard Gramaglia .... sound mixer
Robert Gramaglia .... sound recordist
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Gil Geller .... camera operator
Edward Gold .... camera operator
Sal Martorano .... electrician
 
Music Department
Janis Ian .... composer: theme song "Here Comes the Night"
 
Other crew
Harold Adler .... title designer
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents

Runtime:

107 min | Australia:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Early in the picture an early-'50s New York cab has a telephone number on it beginning with "555". The all-numeric phone numbers were not put into use for another decade. more

Movie Connections:

Version of The Bell Jar (2011) more

Soundtrack:

Here Comes The Night more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
2 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Vastly disappointing, 21 August 2000
Author: filho_de_oxum from Houston, TX

I greatly enjoy the novel and the poetry of Sylvia Plath, but this movie does a great disservice to the book. I had seen the movie a number of years ago at the theater, and at this moment I am sort of half watching it on late night broadcast TV (which has done nothing to improve my opinion of the movie). The lead character comes across as whiny and irritating. The acting of the cast in general is pretty poor. It seems a shame that such a fine novel by such a complex and tragic author received the mediocre treatment given it by this film. Read the book!

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
New movie? Puccapunkie23
The Bad Jar *SPOILERS* marciebelljar
This book is unfilmable JanetWeiss
Was the book published before or after she died? bbwibb02
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