Sam Shepard Movies
A Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (for 1979's Buried Child), an Oscar-nominated actor, and a director and screenwriter to boot, multi-talented Sam Shepard has made a career of plumbing the darker depths of middle-American rural sensibilities and Western myths. The son of a military man, he was born Samuel Shepard Rogers on November 3, 1943, in Fort Sheridan, IL. Following a peripatetic childhood, part of which was spent on a farm, Shepard left home in late adolescence to move to New York City, where by the age of 20, he already had two plays produced.As a playwright, Shepard went on to win a number of Obies for such dramas as Curse of the Starving Class (1977), which he made into a film in 1994, and True West (aired on PBS in 1986). As an actor, the lanky and handsome Shepard made his feature film debut with a small role in Bronco Bullfrog (1969) and didn't resurface again until Bob Dylan's disastrous Renaldo and Clara (1978). The film followed Shepard's residence in London during the early '70s, where he worked on-stage as an actor and director when not playing drums for his band, The Holy Modal Rounders, which had performed as part of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975. Also in 1978, Shepard made a big impression playing a wealthy landowner in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, but it was not until he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing astronaut Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983) that he became a well-known actor. Following this success, he went on to specialize in playing drifters, cowboys, con artists, and eccentric characters with only the occasional leading role. Some of his more notable work included Paris, Texas (1984), which he also wrote; Fool For Love (1985), which was adapted from his play of the same name; Baby Boom (1987), Steel Magnolias (1989), and The Pelican Brief (1993). In addition to acting and writing, Shepard has also directed: in 1988, he made his debut with Far North, a film he wrote especially for his off-screen leading lady, Jessica Lange, with whom he has acted in Frances (1982), Country (1984), and Crimes of the Heart (1986).
In 1999, Shepard could be seen on both the big and small screen. He appeared in Snow Falling on Cedars and Dash and Lilly, a made-for-TV movie for which he won an Emmy nomination in the role of the titular Dashiell Hammett. In addition, he also lent his writing skills to Simpatico, a Nick Nolte vehicle about friendship and loss adapted from Shepard's play of the same name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Prolific French filmmaker Yves Simoneau directs Sam Shepard and Frank Whaley in a sports drama detailing the remarkable racing career of the horse many believe to be the finest thoroughbred filly ever to run the tracks. In her first ten runs Ruffian was unbeaten, and continued to break longstanding records with every stride. But some careers are like shooting stars, and in just her second season racing Ruffian suffered a career-ending injury. On July 6, 1975, race fans gathered at the Belmont and in front of their televisions eager to witness the prized racehorse's eleventh official race. Billed as the "Battle of the Sexes," this landmark run pitted Ruffian against Kentucky Derby top colt Foolish Paradise. As the race got underway Ruffian was running at her best, but disaster would strike just short of the one-mile marker. It was there that Ruffian would take a brutal tumble that would effectively end both her racing career, and her life. Yet despite her tragic end, Ruffian's inspirational story lives on in this drama that shows why she was the only horse ever to be buried at the Belmont. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, (more)
Filmmakers Paul Lovelace and Sam Wainwright Douglas invite viewers to follow the tale of two true American originals in this documentary detailing the collaboration between fiddler Pete Stampfel and guitarist Steve Weber -- aka the Holy Modal Rounders. It was during "The Great Folk Scare" of the early 1960s that these two eccentric souls collided in New York's Greenwich Village, and their partnership was soon solidified thanks to a mutual appreciation for American roots music and early psychedelia. But this was only the beginning, because over the course of the next four decades Stampfel and Douglas would exist on the fringes of the music industry while gaining a steady cult following. From their work on the Easy Rider soundtrack to the lost years and ultimately a shot at redemption in the form of a 40th anniversary concert in Portland, OR, this is the story of the American outlaw subculture at its most volatile and luminous. Special appearances by Dennis Hopper, Sam Shepard, Loudon Wainwright III, John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful, and Peter Tork of the Monkees give testament to the endless influence of a duo that beat the odds to endure for four decades and counting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Based on short stories written by Sam Shepard and published in his semi-autobiographical collections Crusing Paradise and Motel Chronicles, See You In My Dreams is the compelling story of the star-crossed romance between Joe (Aidan Quinn), a New Mexico rancher, and Joe's war bride Angela (Marcia Gay Harden). Settling down on his ranch in the years following WW2, Joe is full of grandiose dreams about his future, but is quickly weighed down by the harsh realities of life, just as Angela grows more and more disenchanted with her role as the loyal dutiful farm wife. Having invested all his hopes in his son Ben (Will Estes), Joe allows his inner demons to get the best of him and ultimately compels Ben to leave home at the age of 15. Several years later, Ben returns with his own bride Ingrid (Jacinda Barrett), hoping to mend fences with his estranged father--while Angela has likewise drifted away and into the arms of another man. Offering sidelines advice and solace to both sides of the argument is Joe's best friend, Esteban (Cheech Martin). There are no pat answers or simple solutions in this poignant made-for-TV character study, which made its CBS debut on June 13, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
In 2000, director Michael Almereyda brought his film crew to San Francisco to document the rehearsal process for the Magic Theater's production of Sam Shepard's play The Late Henry Moss, as directed by the playwright himself. The resulting film, This So-Called Disaster, is partly a study of the magic of theater, as well as a study of the fascinating Shepard, who is nearly universally considered one of the most influential American dramatists of the past century. Shepard and Almereyda's first collaboration came via the former's adaptation of Hamlet, in which Shepard played the part of the Ghost of Hamlet's father. Shepard, in turn, invited Almereyda to film the rehearsal process for his latest play, The Late Henry Moss, a 16-year labor of love for Shepard that relates a fictional recounting of the playwright's own relationship with his late father. Following the cast -- which includes such luminaries as Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Cheech Marin, and Woody Harrelson -- and the crew until the production's opening night, Almereyda observes the minutiae involved in leading up to the first curtain, as well as some private moments with Shepard as he recounts some of his personal history as related to The Late Henry Moss. This So-Called Disaster was included in the programs for the 2003 Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- T-Bone Burnett, James Gammon, (more)
- 2002
Written in 1982, Sam Shepard's darkly hilarious stage play True West was given its first important American staging at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in the starring roles (a PBS version of this production has been made available on DVD). This Showtime cable-TV adaptation was taped at Bruce Willis' theater company in Hailey, ID, with Willis stepping into the old John Malkovich role as Lee, a tattered, battered petty crook and drifter. Showing up unannounced at his mother's home in the middle of the California desert, Lee is welcomed with more or less open arms by his mother (Danielle Kennedy), but is given a less than enthusiastic reception by his straitlaced brother Austin (Chad Smith), a screenwriter who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a Hollywood producer (Andrew Allburger). The simmering sibling rivalry between Lee and Austin boils over when Lee suddenly steals all of Austin's creative thunder -- leading to a riotous "collaboration" which all but reduces the tiny house to a pile of rubble. True West debuted on August 12, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Chad Smith, (more)
A literary drama offering the parallel tales of two wounded souls, director Mehdi Norowzian's tale of redemption and the struggle to find one's place in life finds an ex-convict's correspondence with a young boy offering hope for the future despite the fact that the boy has yet to find his own place in the world. Believing that her husband has been unfaithful, Mary Bloom (Elisabeth Shue) embarks on an affair with a young handyman (Justin Chambers) that results in her pregnancy. Racked with guilt when her husband dies in a car accident shortly thereafter, Mary begins to hate her son, Leo (Davis Sweat), leaving the youngster hungering for affection. Assigned correspondence with a convict for a class project, the withdrawn Leo begins to form a close bond with Stephen (Joseph Fiennes), who increasingly relies on his communication with Leo as a form of cathartic repentance. When Stephen is released from jail, he gets a job at a diner where concerned co-workers Vic (Sam Shepard) and Caroline (Deborah Unger) attempt to help him establish himself on the outside. Simultaneously brutalized by local drunk Horace (Dennis Hopper), Stephen decides to leave the diner and search for the boy whose letters carried him through his darkest days. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The made-for-cable drama After the Harvest was based on Martha Ostenso's 1927 novel Wild Geese, and was first broadcast in Canada under that title on March 4, 2001. Sam Shepard heads the cast as ill-tempered Canadian farmer Caleb Gare, who tyrannically treats his family like slaves, forcing them to work sunup to sundown and live in dire poverty so he can selfishly fulfill his dream to grab up all the land surrounding his farm. The only person who might have been able to stand up to Caleb was his long-suffering wife Jude (Nadia Litz), who has long since been cowed into quiet desperation lest her children bear the brunt of her husband's cruelty. But the reign of Caleb Gare is soon to end ignominiously -- that is, if Linda Archer (Liane Balaban), the attractive new schoolteacher in town, has anything to say about it. In the U.S., After the Harvest was first seen May 29, 2001, on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Nadia Litz, (more)
Akira Kurosawa was arguably the most important Japanese filmmaker who ever lived; he was certainly among the most revered and most influential. His award-winning feature Rashomon was one of the first major international successes in Japanese filmmaking, convincing many western cineastes for the first time that Japan had a national cinema worth investigating, and his subsequent body of work -- including Ikiru, The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and Ran -- is emotionally rich and esthetically compelling in a way few filmmakers can match. Kurosawa is a documentary which explores the personal and professional lives of this giant of world cinema, including interviews with his friends, family, contemporaries, actors, fellow filmmakers, and noted cinema historians -- and in archival clips, Kurosawa himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Paul Scofield, (more)
- 2000
Marine Captain Mary Jane O'Malley (Anne Heche), a divorced mother of two small children, shoots and kills her decorated war hero superior officer, Major Nelson Gray (Sam Shepard), after he breaks into her bedroom with the intention of attacking her. At least that's her story. The military prosecutors are charging her with premeditated murder based on the love affair O'Malley had been having with the married major. O'Malley's military attorney, Captain Walker Randall (Eric Stoltz), has one chance to make a convincing case of self-defense. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Heche, Eric Stoltz, (more)
- 1999
Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates directed this made-for-cable feature inspired by the true story of one of America's greatest literary couples, Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett. Hellman (Judy Davis) was an award-winning playwright whose successes included The Children's Hour and The Little Foxes, while Hammett (Sam Shepard) was a superlative mystery writer whose books inspired such classic films as The Thin Man and The Maltese Falcon. The couple met in the 1930s, while Hammett was working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. They remained together until Hammett's death from lung cancer in 1961 (never married despite the conventions of the day) in a relationship strained by Hammett's infidelity and their shared alcoholism. Dash and Lilly uses Hellman's 1950s testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee as a springboard to look back at their relationship; both Hammett and Hellman were branded as Communists and called before HUAC, leading to a prison term for Hammett. The film also features Bebe Neuwirth as Dorothy Parker, Laurence Luckinbill as Joseph Rauh, and Mark Zimmerman as Walter Winchell. Hellman's relationship with Hammett formed one of the plot points of the 1977 biopic Julia, which starred Jane Fonda as Hellman and Jason Robards in an Oscar-winning performance as Hammett. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Judy Davis, (more)
In this romantic comedy with supernatural touches, Stevenson Lowe (James Spader) works for a large publishing house, editing and acquiring new projects. Lowe's new boss is after him to buy fewer books that are good and more books that will sell, while his girlfriend Julia (Polly Walker) is trying to convince him that marriage might not be such a bad idea. But marriage is a tough sell for Lowe; in the hopes that a new home might make him think about settling down, Julia suggests that Lowe look at a brownstone that's just gone on the market. Lowe likes the place and buys it, without deciding if Julia should join him. However, Lowe quickly discovers that he's not actually alone in his new digs; the ghosts of Max Gale (Michael Caine) and Lily Marlowe (Maggie Smith), an acting couple who were the toast of the legitimate stage many years ago, are already in residence. Max and Lily are soon offering Lowe all sorts of unsolicited advice on winning the heart of his lady love, though given how much they bicker, they may not be the best people from whom to learn the art of romance. Buck Henry, Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, and Marcia Gay Harden highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Michael Caine, (more)
- 1997
This hour-long documentary presents the playwright, actor, and director Sam Shepard giving viewers a glimpse of his inner self through the prism of a group of his plays presented off-Broadway in 1996 and 1997. Shepard, who won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for his play Buried Child, is also the writer behind Curse of the Starving Class, True West, and Fool for Love. Highlights include scenes excerpted from play performances, Shepard in his first television interview, and commentary by actors Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, and Ed Harris. Directed by Oren Jacoby. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
In this drama about love and how it can go wrong, Reese McHenry (Sam Shepard) is the owner of a clothing store who, in 1966, hires Carol Fitzsimmons (Diane Keaton) to work for him as a seamstress. Carol is a widow, and Reese's wife is in a coma; both are lonely, and they begin a habit of going to the movies every Wednesday afternoon, and sometimes also meeting for furtive sexual assignations. But Reese is unable to commit to a more permanent relationship as long as his wife is alive, despite his feelings for Carol, and their love remains in a state of limbo for the next 30 years. Meanwhile, Reese's son Tom (Robert Patrick) and Carol's daughter Katherine (Diane Lane) become romantically involved with no knowledge of their parent's relationship, but Tom's unwillingness to commit mirrors his father's own failings. The Only Thrill was based on the play The Trading Post by Larry Ketron, who also wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, (more)
This miniseries follows the original Lonesome Dove miniseries, and both are based on the characters created by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry. Although much of the cast has changed from the original, the compelling saga is as satisfying as ever. The Western tale continues with the gritty Captain Woodrow Call (played this time by James Garner), a former Texas Ranger who is hired as a bounty hunter to track down the elusive and brutal Mexican gunman Joey Garza (Alexis Cruz). The characters Pea Eye Parker (Sam Shepard) and Lorena (Sissy Spacek) also return in this moving and atmospheric drama. ~ Jessica Frost, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Alexis Cruz, (more)
- 1995
Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut in this made-for-television movie about an aging cowboy dealing with the changing face of the West. Jones stars as Hewey Calloway, a cowboy who has roamed the West for years, who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads -- torn between the freedom of his lifestyle and the security of a loving family and homestead. The film was based on the book by Elmer Kelton and filmed in Texas. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Terry Kinney, (more)
Management consultant Diane Keaton has no time in her life for anything except her high-profile job. All this changes when she inherits a 14-month-old infant from a pair of recently deceased-and very distant-relatives. Intending to put the child up for adoption, she discovers that she has grown fond of the kid and has begun to thrive on the responsibilities of motherhood. All of this, of course, jeopardizes Keaton's love life and professional standing, but all turns out well when the baby inadvertently leads to a whole new moneymaking agenda for our heroine. Capraesque in concept, Baby Boom avoids phony sentiment and obvious humor, emerging as one of the singular comic delights of the late 1980s. On great bit has Keaton "celebrating" a major business coup by surreptiously performing an under-the-table jig (a bit of business that dates back to the 1924 Reginald Denny comedy Skinner's Dress Suit). Baby Boom was spun off into a TV sitcom in 1989, with Kate Jackson filling Diane Keaton's designer shoes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Harold Ramis, (more)
- 1986
Originally aired on American public television, True West is a filmed performance of the Steppenwolf Theater Company's production of Sam Shepard's sibling rivalry play. John Malkovich plays a drifter who comes back home to patch up differences--as well instigate new ones--with his brother, a Hollywood screenwriter played by Gary Sinise. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This documentary about poet Peter Orlovsky's schizophrenic brother, Julius, is a film within a film and is generally regarded as photographer/documentarian Frank's masterwork. Brother Julius spent years in a mental hospital and upon release was put into his brother's care. Frank captures the brothers' day-to-day lives, as well as a road trip with Allen Ginsberg. At times the film breaks into another film about actors working on a film about them; cinematic devices -- including black-and-white, color cutting, and unsychronized sound -- lend an element of visual "schizophrenia" to the work. One of the players is a young Christopher Walken. The emerging document is a testament to the camera's voyeuristic tendencies and a commentary on the mentally ill in society as well as an investigation into the life of the filmmaker himself. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
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Jim Sheridan helms this remake of Susanne Bier's 2004 war melodrama, this time with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal taking the lead roles of two brothers torn between war and love in this Relativity Media production. Maguire stars as a soldier who's sent to Afghanistan as his deadbeat brother (Gyllenhaal) stays at home with his sibling's wife (Natalie Portman) and kids. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, (more)
A loving husband and father finds his promising future transformed into a waking nightmare when he's convicted of involuntary manslaughter after accidentally killing the burglar who broke into his home in this gritty prison drama starring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer. Wade Porter (Dorff) would have done anything to protect his family, and when they were threatened he did what any caring family man would have done. But somehow everything went wrong, and now Wade has been sentenced to spend three years in a maximum-security prison. It's a place where the rules of society have been all but forgotten, and in addition to sharing a cell with a notorious mass murderer (Kilmer), Wade somehow incurs the wrath of the sadistic head prison guard (Harold Perrineau). Now, in order to survive the series of vicious beatings orchestrated for the amusement of the guards, Wade realizes that in order to survive the block and get back to his family he will have to become the toughest felon of them all. But even if Wade does manage to live through this harrowing ordeal, what will be left of that loving family man once he's finally released back into civilized society? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer, (more)
- 2007
- R
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Brad Pitt stars as legendary Wild West outlaw Jesse James in Chopper director Andrew Dominik's cinematic rendering of the events that would eventually bring about the death of the man rumored be the "fastest gun in the West." An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw. When Robert and his brother Charlie sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status. Casey Affleck stars as Robert Ford and Sam Shepard co-stars as Frank James -- Jesse's devoted sibling and partner in crime. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, (more)
Desperate circumstances force a man to make a terrible choice in this period drama. It's 1957, and Walker Payne (Jason Patric) is a good but troubled man who struggles to keep his appetite for whiskey and women under control for the sake of his two daughters after breaking up with his wife (Drea de Matteo). Like most of the men in the small Illinois town he calls home, Payne provides for his daughters by working in a nearby coal mine, and when the mine suddenly closes, jobs become all but impossible to find. Payne's money problems come to a head when his ex-wife, who has decided to leave town and attend nursing school, demands 5,000 dollars or otherwise she will take custody of their children and he'll never see them again. Opportunity comes to Payne in the form of Syrus (Sam Shepard), a charming but unscrupulous man who offers Payne the chance to make some big money fast. Syrus runs an illegal dog-fighting circuit outside of town, and he's certain Payne's pooch Brute, a good-natured but massive animal, has the stuff to be a champion. Can Payne sacrifice his loyal canine friend to maintain the custody of his daughters? Walker Payne also stars Bruce Dern as Walker's friend Chester and KaDee Strickland as Audrey, a divorcée with an unpleasant past who falls for Payne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Drea de Matteo, (more)
Director Wim Wenders and writer Sam Shepard, who collaborated on the award-winning film Paris, Texas, once again join forces for this dark drama of a man trying to turn over a new leaf late in life. Howard Spence (Sam Shepard) is a veteran actor who has been a popular Western star since the mid-'70s. Spence's onscreen image as a strong, principled lawman is a severe contrast to his life off the set, which has been dominated by drinking, drugs, and promiscuous womanizing. However, Spence has begun to find his hedonistic life a shallow existence, and one day, in the midst of filming his latest movie, he simply hops on his horse and rides away, eventually making his way to the small Nevada town where his mother lives. Mother (Eva Marie Saint) has little interest in seeing her wayward son after so many years, but she does share a recently discovered bit of information with him -- one of Spence's former girlfriends stopped by with word that she had given birth to his son years before. Spence borrows his father's old car and drives to Butte, MT, where he finds Doreen (Jessica Lange), the woman who was his lover years ago. Doreen runs a tavern where her son, Earl (Gabriel Mann), plays for the locals with his rock band; Spence is in fact Earl's father, but the young man has no interest in meeting his biological father, and shuts out Spence as the actor tries to get to know him. As Spence struggles to find some sort of familial connection in Butte, he makes friends with a young woman named Sky (Sarah Polley), only to discover she was also fathered by him during his rowdy younger days. Don't Come Knocking's distinguished supporting cast includes Tim Roth, George Kennedy, Fairuza Balk, Julia Sweeney, and Tim Matheson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, (more)
A man with no memory struggles to make sense of the troubling details that are still stuck in his mind in this psychological thriller. Frank (Val Kilmer) wakes up in a small town in the New Mexico desert with a severe head wound and most of his memory wiped away. However, Frank is somehow convinced that someone is planning to assassinate the President of the United States, and that Chloe (Neve Campbell), the woman who is claiming to be his girlfriend, is some sort of imposter. When Frank learns that the president is indeed passing through town that day, he tries to warn Sheriff Kolb (Sam Shepard) that something sinister if afoot; as it happens, Kolb believes him, though he's more than a bit busy dealing with a hard-fought election campaign against former Deputy Cash (Noble Willingham). Blind Horizon was screened at the 2004 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Neve Campbell, (more)
