In Country (1989)

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers (WGA):

Bobbie Ann Mason (novel)
Frank Pierson (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 September 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The story of an American family.

Plot:

Samantha Hughes, a teenaged Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before her birth...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Memorial | Vietnam Veteran | Vulgarity | Washington D.C.

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Emmett Smith
Emily Lloyd	...	Samantha Hughes
Joan Allen	...	Irene
Kevin Anderson	...	Lonnie
John Terry	...	Tom
Peggy Rea	...	Mamaw
Judith Ivey	...	Anita
Daniel Jenkins	...	Dwayne
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Pete
Jim Beaver	...	Earl Smith
Richard Hamilton	...	Grampaw
Heidi Swedberg	...	Dawn
Ken Jenkins	...	Jim Holly
Jonathan Hogan	...	Larry
Patricia Richardson	...	Cindy
Kimberly Faith Jones	...	Donna
Don Young	...	Speaker
Joe Ross	...	Principal
Mark Sawyer-Dailey	...	Drug Store Manager
Linda Kinard	...	Drug Store Cashier
W.G. Harvey	...	Reverend (as Rev. W.G. Harvey)
Rebecca Reynolds	...	Nurse
Erin Hendley	...	Irene's Baby
Tyler Cote	...	Donna's Baby
Gena Colley	...	Marlene
Belinda Coatley	...	Belinda
Hazel Elliott	...	Volunteer
Walter Spann	...	Hotshot
Terry Draper	...	Soldier
Steve Frogue	...	Soldier
Jim Gaines	...	Soldier (as James Gaines)
Rod Hightower	...	Soldier
Greg Smothers	...	Soldier
Charlie Lamb	...	Veteran at dance
Earl Cole	...	Veteran at dance
Clovis Lovelace Sr.	...	Veteran at dance
Michael Mayes	...	Veteran at dance
Larry McCullaugh	...	Veteran at dance
Ken Sigers	...	Veteran at dance
Mike Smith	...	Veteran at dance
Tom Stratton	...	Veteran at dance
Mike Swinford	...	Veteran at dance
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gil Janklowicz	...	Fitness Instructor (uncredited)
Aaron Michael Lacey	...	Billy Knight (uncredited)
Terry McIntosh	...	Veteran at dance (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Jewison

Writing credits (WGA)
Bobbie Ann Mason		(novel)
Frank Pierson		(screenplay) and
Cynthia Cidre		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michael Jewison	....	associate producer
Norman Jewison	....	producer
Charles Mulvehill	....	executive producer
Richard A. Roth	....	producer

Original Music by
James Horner

Cinematography by
Russell Boyd

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs
Lou Lombardo

Casting by
Howard Feuer

Production Design by
Jackson De Govia		(as Jackson DeGovia)

Art Direction by
John R. Jensen		(as John Jensen)

Set Decoration by
Thomas L. Roysden		(as Tom Roysden)

Costume Design by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers

Makeup Department
David Forrest	....	makeup artist
Josée Normand	....	hair stylist: Bruce Willis
Werner Sherer	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ric Kidney	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
H. Gordon Boos	....	first assistant director
Nilo Otero	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Guenter Bartlik	....	scenic painter
Larry Boyd	....	swing gang
James Cripps	....	construction supervisor
Anita Dallas	....	assistant propmaster
Craig Edgar	....	assistant art director
Trish Gallaher Glenn	....	property master (as Trisha Gallaher)
Nikita Knatz	....	illustrator
W. Scott Mason	....	construction supervisor (as Scott Mason)
Michael McCombe	....	greensman
Joe Mendoza	....	swing gang
Barbara Munch	....	lead person
Joe Northrop	....	stand-by painter
Richard Reseigne	....	construction coordinator
J. Grey Smith	....	lead person (as Grey Smith)
Bruce Thomas	....	swing gang

Sound Department
Anke Bakker	....	sound effects editor
David Cole	....	assistant sound editor
Richard Crosthwait	....	assistant sound editor
Alison Fisher	....	dialogue editor
Alison Grace	....	dialogue editor
Alastair Gray	....	assistant sound editor
Sharon Lackie	....	supervising sound editor
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Paul Massey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ian McPherson	....	assistant sound editor
Andy Nelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael O'Farrell	....	supervising sound editor
Allen Ormerod	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott D. Smith	....	sound mixer
Marc-Jon Sullivan	....	boom operator
John Szoges	....	assistant sound editor
Mark Weber	....	cable person
Don White	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeffrey A. Williams	....	boom operator (as Jeffrey Williams)

Special Effects by
Thomas R. Ward	....	special effects (as Tom Ward)

Camera and Electrical Department
Murray K. Campbell	....	gaffer (as Murray Campbell)
Ted Churchill	....	Steadicam operator
Bill Coe	....	first assistant camera
Brown Cooper	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Gerrit Garretsen	....	dolly grip
Peter Gerling	....	second assistant camera
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
J. Michael McClary	....	director of photography: second unit
Philip C. Pfeiffer	....	camera operator: second unit (as Philip Pfeiffer)
Ron Phillips	....	still photographer
Kerry Rike	....	key grip
Carl D. Stitt	....	best boy grip (as Carl Stitt)
Darrel D. Tawney	....	best boy (as Darrel Tawney)
Richard Clark	....	video playback operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Donzaleigh Abernathy	....	casting assistant
Karen Standard	....	location casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hope Hanafin	....	assistant costume designer
Sue Miller	....	costumer
Chuck Velasco	....	wardrobe supervisor
Karen Young	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Sherrye Gibbs	....	first assistant editor
Aubrey Head	....	negative timer
Cherie MacNeill	....	second assistant editor
Michael Pacek	....	first assistant editor
Peter Watson	....	second assistant editor
Mic Fabus	....	editorial consultant (uncredited)

Music Department
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Malcolm McNab	....	musician: trumpet solo
Shawn Murphy	....	score mixer
James Horner	....	conductor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
William Gillespie	....	transportation captain
Wayne Stone	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Judy Arthur	....	publicist
Kelley Baker	....	assistant: Norman Jewison
Renee Bodner	....	script supervisor
George Bosley	....	location assistant
Kimberly Boyd	....	production secretary
Elizabeth Broden	....	assistant: Norman Jewison
Bryan Carter	....	wall engraving
Stuart Clarfield	....	set trainee
Daneen Lagrone Conroy	....	assistant: Bruce Willis (as Daneen Conroy)
Chris Cook	....	executive assistant
Theo Dimson	....	title designer: main titles
David Dix	....	production office assistant
Daren Hicks	....	production secretary: Los Angeles
William Allan Hilling	....	military advisor
K.C. Hodenfield	....	production associate
Paulin Ho	....	production accountant
Jerry Hurley	....	military advisor
P. Iovino	....	production office assistant
Andrew Laster	....	first aid
Charles Laster	....	projectionist
Sarah Marsh	....	production office assistant
LaNelle Mason	....	researcher
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Charles Norton	....	craft service
Peggy Pridemore	....	location manager: Washington D.C.
Nancy Prindiville	....	assistant: Richard Roth
Valley Via Reseigne	....	location manager
Judi Rosner	....	production office coordinator
Chuck Rousseau	....	weapons handler (as Charles Rousseau)
Michael Rowland	....	production office assistant
Ivan Selin	....	military consultant
Karen Spratt	....	animal handler
Leslie Tucker	....	production office assistant
Karen Turner	....	production office assistant
Nadia Venesse	....	additional dialect coach
Ramona Villarrial	....	production accountant
Johanna Weinstein	....	title designer
Gordon Williams	....	military advisor (as Dr. Gordon Williams)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Yorktown Productions

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chicago Audio Works  production sound services
• Donah Bassett and Associates  negative cutting
• Film Effects  opticals
• Film House, Toronto  post-production facilities
• Inter Video  video playback

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Ken Jenkins, who plays "Jim Holly" (the organizer of the veteran's dance), is the father of Daniel Jenkins who plays Sam's father in the Vietnam flashbacks. Their casting in the film was purely coincidental.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Bench: Life Before 'Seinfeld' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

I Never Felt Worse

A powerful Bruce Willis performance...

A lot of the criticism against this movie comes from the fact that it didn't follow the book as accurately as it could have. But since I haven't read the book, that's not an issue for me. I didn't have to sit there and say "Hey! That's not how it happened!"

This movie caught me by surprise. The only reason I saw it was because I happened to be channel-surfing and I noticed Bruce Willis with a weird mustache. The movie was just starting, so I settled in to watch the whole thing. This says a lot about the kind of recognizeability Bruce Willis has earned in the years since he made this movie.

In all I was very impressed with his performance as Emmett. And while Emily Lloyd was a bit on the anoying side, the role she played was portrayed beautifully (which I guess was the whole point).

Being a Canadian, the Vietnam War doesn't hold as much meaning to me as it does to Americans. But this movie went a long way towards showing me how someone who was affected by the Vietnam War dealt with the repercussions. While the movie did develop very slowly and seemed to drag on at times, it was wonderfully refrshing and touching.