Independence Day (1983 film)

Independence Day is a 1983 American drama film directed by Robert Mandel from a script by the novelist Alice Hoffman. It was designed by Stewart Campbell and shot by Charles Rosher. It stars Kathleen Quinlan, David Keith, Cliff DeYoung, Frances Sternhagen and Dianne Wiest.

The film concerns the small-town life of an artist (Quinlan) and her challenge to become "what she's almost sure she could be." "Her desperation takes the form of affectations and pretensions that are a little like those of the young Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams and the young Margaret Sullavan in The Shop Around the Corner, but the Quinlan character "has the talent driving her on past all that." Wiest plays a battered wife.

The film was reviewed favorably by the critic Pauline Kael in her collection State of the Art: "Kathleen Quinlan plays the part of the woman artist with a cool, wire-taut intensity, Robert Mandel keeps the whole cast interacting quietly and satisfyingly, Wiest has hold of an original character and plays her to the scary hilt." After years only available on VHS, Independence Day got a DVD release by the Warner Archive Collection in November 2015.

Plot
In the small town of Mercury, New Mexico (the film actually was shot in Anson, Texas), where she works as a waitress in her family's diner, Mary Ann Taylor's true love is photography. She would like to get beyond these limits, but when Jack Parker returns to town, he lets her know that he's been to the big city and happiness there is as elusive as anyplace else.

Mary Ann and Jack fall in love. Their bliss is interrupted, however, by the discovery that Jack's meek sister is being physically abused by her husband. Jack tries to intervene, but in the end, Nancy intentionally triggers a gas explosion, killing her husband and herself.

Cast

 * Kathleen Quinlan as Mary Ann Taylor
 * David Keith as Jack Parker
 * Frances Sternhagen as Carla Taylor
 * Cliff DeYoung as Les Morgan
 * Dianne Wiest as Nancy Morgan
 * Josef Sommer as Sam Taylor
 * Bert Remsen as Red
 * Richard Farnsworth as Evan
 * Brooke Alderson as Shelly
 * Noble Willingham as Andy Parker
 * Cheryl Smith as Ginny (Smith's final film role)
 * Jeff Polk as Billy Morgan
 * Zachary DeLoach as Joey Morgan

Release
Following a handful of less than ecstatic test engagements, Independence Day was quietly withdrawn from distribution as the under performance was seen as confirmation of the doubts raised by Warner Bros. marketing division regarding the viability of the film.