Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

Synopsis: An embodiment of the Beckett quote that there is nothing funnier than unhappiness, Joan Micklin Silver's adaptation of the Anne Beattie novel stars John Heard as Charles Richardson, a civil servant... An embodiment of the Beckett quote that there is nothing funnier than unhappiness, Joan Micklin Silver's adaptation of the Anne Beattie novel stars John Heard as Charles Richardson, a civil servant in Utah who is consumed by his obsession with Laura Conley (Mary Beth Hurt), a former lover. Their relationship had developed during a short hiatus in Laura's marriage; however, she'd ended it because of Charles's overadoring behavior, coupled with her guilt over leaving her husband and stepchild. The disconsolate lover conducts imaginary conversations with Laura, grills her colleagues for information about her, and watches her drive her child to school, holding out the forlorn hope that she will decide to permanently leave her indifferent husband, Ox (Mark Metcalf). While this behavior might seem to warrant a call to the police, Charles's pursuit is more longingly meandering than monomaniacal, and his attentions aren't entirely discouraged by the indecisive Laura. In this bittersweet film, lightly tinged with post-1960s malaise, Micklin Silver perfectly catches the tone of Beattie's elliptical, deadpan comic novel. Heard and Hurt are wonderful in their nuanced roles. [More]

Starring: John Heard, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Riegert, Kenneth McMillan

Starring: John Heard, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Riegert, Kenneth McMillan, Gloria Grahame, Griffin Dunne, Nora Heflin, Jerry Hardin, Tarah Nutter, Mark Metcalf

Director: Joan Micklin Silver

Director: Joan Micklin Silver
Screenwriter: Joan Micklin Silver
Producer: Mark Metcalf, Amy Robinson, Griffin Dunne
Composer: Ken Lauber

[See More Credits]