The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
April 19, 2022
In actor/critic Simon Callow’s sole directorial effort, this 1991 Southern Gothic from writers Carson McCullers and Edward Albee stars Oscar®-winners Vanessa Redgrave and Keith Carradine as, respectively, an eccentric moonshine supplier and her ne’er-do-well, convict ex-husband.
Vanessa Redgrave gives a towering, mesmerizing performance as Miss Amelia, the proud, eccentric loner with boyish short hair who rules a small Southern town during the Depression, supplying moonshine and running the country store. When a fast-talking, hunchbacked dwarf named Lymon (Cork Hubbert) arrives claiming to be her cousin, she inexplicably takes him in and soon dotes on him. He talks her into turning the store into a café with music and dancing, and soon both Miss Amelia and the town are coming to life. When her handsome ne’er-do-well once-husband Marvin Macy (Keith Carradine) arrives fresh from jail (she kicked him out of bed before their marriage was consummated), Lymon is captivated, creating a bizarre love triangle. The growing tension climaxes in a bloody bare-knuckles fight between Miss Amelia and Marvin. A 1991 Merchant Ivory production, this grotesque Southern Gothic tale is the only film directed by actor/critic Simon Callow. It has a distinguished literary pedigree, coming from a novella by Carson McCullers (”The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”) by way of a play by Edward Albee (”Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”). The film is a marvel of melodrama, dark comedy, and pathos, with an unforgettable performance by Redgrave at its heart. Digitally restored.
- Director: Simon Callow
- Principal Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Carradine, Rod Steiger, Cork Huppert, Austin Pendleton
- Country: USA, UK
- Year: 1991
- Running Time: 100 min
- Producer: Ismail Merchant
- Screenplay: Michael Hirst
- Cinematographers: Walter Lassally
- Editors: Andrew Marcus
- Music: Richard Robbins
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Berlin International Film Festival 1991 (Golden Bear Nominee)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: English
- Format: DCP
- US Distributor: Cohen Film Collection
- International Sales: Cohen Media Group