The Arts
“Country” tribute to farm spirit
Captures devotion to land
By D. Dietrich
Of The Print
To say that “Country” starring Jessica
Lange and Sam Shepard is another save the
farm film is to sell it drastically short. Indeed
the new release playing at the Eastgate theater is
set in the uniquely rural farmland of Iowa
where the men are men and the women are in
the kitchen. But the film soon becomes the
study of human devotion and the historical
decline of family farming in America.
Written and co-produced by William D.
Witliff, who also wrote Raggedy Man, the film
follows the foreclosure of a farm in a small
community and brings to life the effects of big
business in the farming industry. The primary
conflict is between the government loan
officer’s, “It’s a business,” attitude and the
farmer’s “It’s a way of life,” concept.. But
when it comes to power, the government has it
and prefers to keep these families as numbers
on a data sheet.
Lange and Shepard play Jewell and Gilbert
Ivy whose farm has been in Jewell’s family for
years and is actually a prime piece of land. In
spite of that the rising costs of supplies combin
ed with a few bad years of weather has placed
the Ivy’s on a kind of a black list with the
Farmer’s Home Administration whose job is to
oversee the farming loans. When Shepard tries
to find out why his checks are being garnished
he is told by the steroetypically evil government
loan officer that it is simply until a review of his
loan is completed. What they neglect to tell
Shepard is that they have already decided to
“work toward a voluntary liquidation.”
Within a few days the Ivy’s find themselves
among other neighbors rediculously required to
pay originally long-term loans within thirty
days. The premise is part of American history
and the film takes the liberty of examining the
desperation felt by families faced with such an
impossible demand. This farming couple and
their two children, Carlisle (Levi L. Knebel)
and Marleen (Theresa Graham), along with
Lange’s father (Wilford Brimley) go through a
series of self realizations in order to work
through what is easily the hardest times of their
lives.
Shepard is the first to lose control and turns
to the bottle for an escape. Fortunately for
Lange his escape isn’t as drastic as that of their
neighbor whose retarded son has been taken
away by the state along with all of his land and
livestock. Lange is called over to the neighbors
by the wife who says her husband has holed
himself up in the barn and she can’t bring
herself to go in. What Lange sees when she
enters the barn is a truly broken man and the
off-screen gunshot is surely one of the most
deeply felt in screen history.
Lange loses the support of her husband and
finds herself fighting the system the only way
she can, with the voice of the community
behind her. Her struggle is reminiscent of Nor
ma Rae in a selfless effort to fight for what she
believes in. Her performance is one of control
arid subtleties creating a simple intensity that
won’t allow the viewer to look away.
The most important aspect in the direction of
this movie is the respect the camera seems to
have for the characters. We don’t see their emo
tions splashed over the twenty-foot screen but
instead we sense it through cracks in doors and
sideway glances. It would seem disrespectful to
do otherwise because the movie feels like a
documentary taking care not to offend.
The movie doesn’t end in a happily-ever-
after style. There is still a struggle left for the
family to overcome but they have found the
strength to fight it at least and there is now
hope. The ending does give some satisfaction
with a short statement of the legislation passed
last February to stop the foreclosure of similar
farms. One wonders if it is coincidence that,
such legislation happened to be passed while
this film was being made.
Not to be seen for a light evening,
“Country” is to be seen for beautiful scenery,
top performances by the entire cast and a fitting
musical score carried our primarily by George
Winston’s caressing piano solos. Not only is
this movie of human character but of American
history and a slice of culture rapidly being forc
ed into extinction.
IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP!!
THE ARTIST IN YOU IS EMERGING!!
Are you one or more of these things?
Writer.. .Poet.. .Photographer
Artist.. .Philosopher
If you are one or more of these things, then
this is news for you! Rhapsody, the art and
literary magazine of Clackamas Community
College, wants your fiction, poetry, essays,
photography, drawings, paintings, and
■ anything else artistic for publication in the
Fall/Winter issue. This is your opportunity to
share your creativity with the world. Heck, if
you have a twenty-foot sculpture we will take a
picture of it or squeeze it onto our pages by
some other means. We want your stuff!
Yes! You are very interested...I can tell. So I
am going to tell you exactly what to do. Send all
correspondence to Rhapsody Magazine,
Clackamas Community College, 19600 S.
Molalla Ave., Oregon City, Oregon 97045.
Please include a self-addressed stamped
envelope for the return of your materials. Or
bring your submissions to Trailer B on cam
pus. Feel free to call us at 657-8400, ext. 309.
We are looking forward to your contribution.
REHEARSING FOR THEIR One-act play, The perfect their form as Parrish pulls out a tooth.
Good Doctor, Chris Parrish and Marty Yost
Photo by Joel Miller
Page 4
Thanks ever so much,
Michael Jarmer
Rhapsody Editor
Clackamas Community College