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The Ice Storm (film)
Encyclopedia
The Ice Storm is a 1997 drama film directed by Ang Lee
, based on the 1994 novel of the same name
by Rick Moody
.
The film features an ensemble cast of Kevin Kline
, Joan Allen
, Tobey Maguire
, Christina Ricci
, Elijah Wood
, and Sigourney Weaver
. Set during Thanksgiving
1973, The Ice Storm is about two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut
families
who are trying to deal with tumultuous political and social changes of the early 1970s, and their escapism
through alcohol, adultery, and sexual experimentation.
Upon the film's opening in the United States on October 31, 1997, its release was limited and grossed a mere US$8 million on a budget of US$18 million, making it a box office flop. A new special two-disc DVD set was also released as a part of the Criterion Collection on March 18, 2008.
. The Hood family includes Ben (Kevin Kline
), Elena (Joan Allen
) and their children, 16-year-old Paul (Tobey Maguire
) and 14-year-old Wendy (Christina Ricci
). Their neighbors, the Carvers, include Jim (Jamey Sheridan
), Janey (Sigourney Weaver
) and their children: Mikey (Elijah Wood
) and Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd
).
Both families are depicted as uncommunicative, with the parents having difficulty talking to their own children and to each other. Ben, dissatisfied in his marriage and with the futility of his career, is having an affair with Janey. Elena is bored with her life and is looking to expand her thinking but is unsure of how to do so. Wendy enjoys sexual games with her school peers. Paul, an occasional drug user, is trying to bed his schoolmate Libbets Casey (Katie Holmes
). The Carvers' two sons are lonely and confused: Mikey plays along with Wendy's sexual games, while Sandy is obsessed with violence.
Jim Carver travels for his job and is, for the most part, not involved in his children's lives. In one scene he returns from a trip to find that his sons had not even realized he had been gone. Janey, who appears to be carrying on with a number of other men in addition to Ben, finds Jim to be largely an annoyance and would prefer he remain gone all the time. Elena, who is becoming tired and bored with her life, buys spiritual and self-help
books and becomes friendly with the hippie
-ish minister of a local church. But she is ultimately turned off by his subtle passes and his patronizing behavior towards her. She attempts to shoplift, as has Wendy; both are caught in the act.
During their trysts, Ben obsesses to Janey over his displeasure with his job and his frustrations at continually being bested by his colleague, smarmy George Clair (Henry Czerny
). Janey, however, seems to have become bored with the arrangement since she has now become unfaithful, not only to her husband but to Ben as well. She abruptly leaves the room just prior to a planned sexual encounter with Ben, excusing herself to get "birth control pills" but instead flees the house leaving Ben alone.
Realizing that she is not returning, Ben prepares to leave but comes upon his daughter Wendy in the Carvers' basement initiating a sex act with Mikey (a few days previously, she had revealed her genitalia to Mikey's younger brother Sandy). Ben then has an awkward discussion with Wendy about "the birds and the bees". Wendy (who presumably has already obtained this information from other sources) is visibly bored with the conversation. Seeing this, he changes tack and tells her he's really not all that upset with her, except that he thinks that Mikey may not "be right" for her.
As the evening begins, a storm hits New Canaan
which evolves into a dangerous ice storm
.
When Ben reveals to Elena that he found Wendy in the Carvers' basement, she is more concerned with what he was doing there, eventually concluding (correctly) that he must be having an affair with Janey. They have a brief argument over it prior to attending a neighborhood party, which turns out to be a swinger's key party in which all the husbands toss their keys into a bowl. Each woman, at the end of the evening, picks a set of keys and goes home with the owner. Elena suspects that Ben was aware of the nature of the party and had plotted to mark his keys so Janey could fish them out. In her resentment, she decides to participate in the key party.
Concurrently, Paul has taken the train into Manhattan
. Paul is excited that Libbets Casey has invited him to visit her that evening. He tries to keep this a secret from his roommate, Francis (of whom he is not particularly fond), since Francis has the habit of bedding every girl he discovers Paul is attracted to. Paul is then disheartened to discover Francis has also been invited. The three listen to music and begin drinking and smoking marijuana. It becomes clear that Libbets is more responsive to Francis' direct advances than to Paul's more subtle ones. Paul attempts to drug Francis with Libbets' mother's sleeping medication so that he will be out of commission for the evening, but Libbets also takes one of the pills. Francis, however, passes out first. Libbets and Paul leave him to sleep it off on the floor and Paul tries to make his move on Libbets. He is visibly disappointed when she tells him that she only thinks of him "like a brother" before she too passes out.
Wendy decides to make her way to the Carvers' to see Mikey, but he has decided to go out into the ice storm, so she and Sandy climb into bed together and remove their clothes. She and Sandy drink from a bottle of vodka
that Ben had carelessly left out on a table beside the bed earlier and Wendy tries to seduce him; however, they both fall asleep.
Meanwhile, as the key party progresses, Ben becomes drunk. When Janey chooses the keys of another man, Ben attempts to protest but trips and knocks his head on the coffee table, leading Jim to realize that his wife and Ben are having an affair. Ben, in his embarrassment, retreats to the bathroom where he remains for the rest of the evening. The remaining key party participants are paired off and leave together with only Jim and Elena remaining. She retrieves Jim's keys from the bowl and returns them to him. After debating the issue, Jim and Elena leave together, engaging in a quick, clumsy sexual encounter in the front seat of Jim's car. Jim, regretting the line he and Elena have just crossed, agrees to drive her home.
Meanwhile, Mikey, out walking in the storm, is enchanted by the beauty of the trees and fields covered in ice. He slides down an icy hill then sits on a guardrail to rest. But a moment later a power line, broken by a fallen tree, connects with the guardrail and he is electrocuted.
Jim and Elena end up back at the Carvers' house as dawn is breaking. Elena walks in on her daughter in bed with Sandy and orders her to get dressed.
Janey had also returned home earlier and curled up on her bed in the fetal position
without bothering to take off her party clothes. Although it is not revealed what transpired between Janey and her 'key partner', she is visibly exhausted and sad.
Ben has sobered up by this time and begins driving home. He discovers Mikey's body on the side of the road and carries it back to the Carvers' house. The two families are drawn together by Mikey's death and Wendy hugs the shocked and numbed Sandy in an attempt to comfort him. Jim is devastated while Janey remains asleep and ignorant to the recent events. Ben, Elena and Wendy then drive to the train station to pick up Paul who is returning from Libbets' apartment, his train delayed by the ice and the power failure caused by the downed wire. Once all four are together in the car, Ben breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably at the wheel as his family looks on in astonishment.
by his wife, literary scout Nancy Krikorian, who knew Rick Moody
from Columbia University
's MFA program. "It's an astonishingly cinematic book", says Schamus. "But, because of its truly literary qualities, people may have missed its extraordinary cinematic possibilities."
Schamus brought the book to Ang Lee
, who was the first and only contender for the book, and with whom Schamus and partner Ted Hope had already made four films, including The Wedding Banquet
in 1993. Despite the obvious appeal of Moody's comedy of familial errors, Lee says what attracted him to the book was its climax: the scene where Ben Hood makes a shocking discovery in the ice, followed by the emotional reunion of the Hood family on the morning after the storm. "The book moved me at those two points", says Lee. "I knew there was a movie there."
To prepare for the film, Lee let the cast members study stacks of magazine cutouts from the early 1970s. Moody was reportedly very pleased with the final version – and reportedly "sobbed" during the end credits. He also expressed his happiness that the success of the film brought more attention to his novel, leading to more book sales.
.
The film was entered into the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
, where James Schamus
won the award for Best Screenplay
.
The film's release was limited, and it grossed just US$7.8 million on a budget of US$18 million. In the 2000s, it was rereleased as a special edition Criterion Collection DVD.
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
, based on the 1994 novel of the same name
The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life....
by Rick Moody
Rick Moody
Rick Moody is an American novelist and short story writer best known for the 1994 novel The Ice Storm, a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 1973, which brought widespread acclaim, became a bestseller, and was made into a feature film of...
.
The film features an ensemble cast of Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
, Joan Allen
Joan Allen
Joan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
, Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
, Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
, Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
, and Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
. Set during Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
1973, The Ice Storm is about two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
families
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
who are trying to deal with tumultuous political and social changes of the early 1970s, and their escapism
Escapism
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life...
through alcohol, adultery, and sexual experimentation.
Upon the film's opening in the United States on October 31, 1997, its release was limited and grossed a mere US$8 million on a budget of US$18 million, making it a box office flop. A new special two-disc DVD set was also released as a part of the Criterion Collection on March 18, 2008.
Plot
The film begins at a dinner party at the Carvers' house as the adults discuss pop culture references that defined the 1970s: the Watergate scandal, swinging parties for married couples, and the pornographic film Deep ThroatDeep Throat (film)
Deep Throat is a 1972 American pornographic film written and directed by Gerard Damiano and produced by Louis Peraino and starring Linda Lovelace ....
. The Hood family includes Ben (Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
), Elena (Joan Allen
Joan Allen
Joan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
) and their children, 16-year-old Paul (Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
) and 14-year-old Wendy (Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
). Their neighbors, the Carvers, include Jim (Jamey Sheridan
Jamey Sheridan
James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the...
), Janey (Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
) and their children: Mikey (Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
) and Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd
Adam Hann-Byrd
Adam Hann-Byrd is an American actor most recognized for his role as young Alan in the 1995 film Jumanji.-Early life:...
).
Both families are depicted as uncommunicative, with the parents having difficulty talking to their own children and to each other. Ben, dissatisfied in his marriage and with the futility of his career, is having an affair with Janey. Elena is bored with her life and is looking to expand her thinking but is unsure of how to do so. Wendy enjoys sexual games with her school peers. Paul, an occasional drug user, is trying to bed his schoolmate Libbets Casey (Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
). The Carvers' two sons are lonely and confused: Mikey plays along with Wendy's sexual games, while Sandy is obsessed with violence.
Jim Carver travels for his job and is, for the most part, not involved in his children's lives. In one scene he returns from a trip to find that his sons had not even realized he had been gone. Janey, who appears to be carrying on with a number of other men in addition to Ben, finds Jim to be largely an annoyance and would prefer he remain gone all the time. Elena, who is becoming tired and bored with her life, buys spiritual and self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
books and becomes friendly with the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
-ish minister of a local church. But she is ultimately turned off by his subtle passes and his patronizing behavior towards her. She attempts to shoplift, as has Wendy; both are caught in the act.
During their trysts, Ben obsesses to Janey over his displeasure with his job and his frustrations at continually being bested by his colleague, smarmy George Clair (Henry Czerny
Henry Czerny
- Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as...
). Janey, however, seems to have become bored with the arrangement since she has now become unfaithful, not only to her husband but to Ben as well. She abruptly leaves the room just prior to a planned sexual encounter with Ben, excusing herself to get "birth control pills" but instead flees the house leaving Ben alone.
Realizing that she is not returning, Ben prepares to leave but comes upon his daughter Wendy in the Carvers' basement initiating a sex act with Mikey (a few days previously, she had revealed her genitalia to Mikey's younger brother Sandy). Ben then has an awkward discussion with Wendy about "the birds and the bees". Wendy (who presumably has already obtained this information from other sources) is visibly bored with the conversation. Seeing this, he changes tack and tells her he's really not all that upset with her, except that he thinks that Mikey may not "be right" for her.
As the evening begins, a storm hits New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
which evolves into a dangerous ice storm
Ice storm
An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or in some parts of the United States as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on exposed surfaces...
.
When Ben reveals to Elena that he found Wendy in the Carvers' basement, she is more concerned with what he was doing there, eventually concluding (correctly) that he must be having an affair with Janey. They have a brief argument over it prior to attending a neighborhood party, which turns out to be a swinger's key party in which all the husbands toss their keys into a bowl. Each woman, at the end of the evening, picks a set of keys and goes home with the owner. Elena suspects that Ben was aware of the nature of the party and had plotted to mark his keys so Janey could fish them out. In her resentment, she decides to participate in the key party.
Concurrently, Paul has taken the train into Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Paul is excited that Libbets Casey has invited him to visit her that evening. He tries to keep this a secret from his roommate, Francis (of whom he is not particularly fond), since Francis has the habit of bedding every girl he discovers Paul is attracted to. Paul is then disheartened to discover Francis has also been invited. The three listen to music and begin drinking and smoking marijuana. It becomes clear that Libbets is more responsive to Francis' direct advances than to Paul's more subtle ones. Paul attempts to drug Francis with Libbets' mother's sleeping medication so that he will be out of commission for the evening, but Libbets also takes one of the pills. Francis, however, passes out first. Libbets and Paul leave him to sleep it off on the floor and Paul tries to make his move on Libbets. He is visibly disappointed when she tells him that she only thinks of him "like a brother" before she too passes out.
Wendy decides to make her way to the Carvers' to see Mikey, but he has decided to go out into the ice storm, so she and Sandy climb into bed together and remove their clothes. She and Sandy drink from a bottle of vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
that Ben had carelessly left out on a table beside the bed earlier and Wendy tries to seduce him; however, they both fall asleep.
Meanwhile, as the key party progresses, Ben becomes drunk. When Janey chooses the keys of another man, Ben attempts to protest but trips and knocks his head on the coffee table, leading Jim to realize that his wife and Ben are having an affair. Ben, in his embarrassment, retreats to the bathroom where he remains for the rest of the evening. The remaining key party participants are paired off and leave together with only Jim and Elena remaining. She retrieves Jim's keys from the bowl and returns them to him. After debating the issue, Jim and Elena leave together, engaging in a quick, clumsy sexual encounter in the front seat of Jim's car. Jim, regretting the line he and Elena have just crossed, agrees to drive her home.
Meanwhile, Mikey, out walking in the storm, is enchanted by the beauty of the trees and fields covered in ice. He slides down an icy hill then sits on a guardrail to rest. But a moment later a power line, broken by a fallen tree, connects with the guardrail and he is electrocuted.
Jim and Elena end up back at the Carvers' house as dawn is breaking. Elena walks in on her daughter in bed with Sandy and orders her to get dressed.
Janey had also returned home earlier and curled up on her bed in the fetal position
Fetal position
Fetal position is a medical term used to describe the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops...
without bothering to take off her party clothes. Although it is not revealed what transpired between Janey and her 'key partner', she is visibly exhausted and sad.
Ben has sobered up by this time and begins driving home. He discovers Mikey's body on the side of the road and carries it back to the Carvers' house. The two families are drawn together by Mikey's death and Wendy hugs the shocked and numbed Sandy in an attempt to comfort him. Jim is devastated while Janey remains asleep and ignorant to the recent events. Ben, Elena and Wendy then drive to the train station to pick up Paul who is returning from Libbets' apartment, his train delayed by the ice and the power failure caused by the downed wire. Once all four are together in the car, Ben breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably at the wheel as his family looks on in astonishment.
Cast
- Kevin KlineKevin KlineKevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
as Ben Hood - Joan AllenJoan AllenJoan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
as Elena Hood - Jamey SheridanJamey SheridanJames Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the...
as Jim Carver - Sigourney WeaverSigourney WeaverSigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
as Janey Carver - Henry CzernyHenry Czerny- Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as...
as George Clair - Tobey MaguireTobey MaguireTobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
as Paul Hood - Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
as Wendy Hood - Elijah WoodElijah WoodElijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
as Mikey Carver - Adam Hann-ByrdAdam Hann-ByrdAdam Hann-Byrd is an American actor most recognized for his role as young Alan in the 1995 film Jumanji.-Early life:...
as Sandy Carver - David KrumholtzDavid KrumholtzDavid Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...
as Francis Davenport - Katie HolmesKatie HolmesKatherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
as Libbets Casey - Allison JanneyAllison JanneyAllison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
as Dot Halford - Barbara GarrickBarbara GarrickBarbara Garrick is an American actress who portrayed DeDe Halcyon Day in the three television miniseries based on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels. She was nominated for a Gemini Award in 1999 for Further Tales of the City.Garrick was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from...
as Weather Reporter - John Benjamin HickeyJohn Benjamin HickeyJohn Benjamin Hickey is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart....
as Mark Boland - Colleen CampColleen CampColleen Celeste Camp is an American actress and film producer, known for her performances in two installments of the Police Academy series and as Yvette the Maid in the 1985 black comedy Clue. She was also the first actress to play Kristin Shepard in U.S. prime time soap opera Dallas in 1979.Camp...
(uncredited) as Dr. Passimer - Courtney PeldonCourtney PeldonCourtney Peldon is an American television and film actress.-Personal life:Peldon was born in New York City, New York. Her younger sister Ashley Peldon is also an actress...
(uncredited) as Billie
Production
The Ice Storm was first brought to the attention of producer James SchamusJames Schamus
James Schamus is an award-winning screenwriter The Ice Storm and producer Brokeback Mountain, and is CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company whose films have included Lost in Translation, Milk, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The...
by his wife, literary scout Nancy Krikorian, who knew Rick Moody
Rick Moody
Rick Moody is an American novelist and short story writer best known for the 1994 novel The Ice Storm, a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 1973, which brought widespread acclaim, became a bestseller, and was made into a feature film of...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's MFA program. "It's an astonishingly cinematic book", says Schamus. "But, because of its truly literary qualities, people may have missed its extraordinary cinematic possibilities."
Schamus brought the book to Ang Lee
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
, who was the first and only contender for the book, and with whom Schamus and partner Ted Hope had already made four films, including The Wedding Banquet
The Wedding Banquet
The Wedding Banquet is a 1993 film about a gay Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet....
in 1993. Despite the obvious appeal of Moody's comedy of familial errors, Lee says what attracted him to the book was its climax: the scene where Ben Hood makes a shocking discovery in the ice, followed by the emotional reunion of the Hood family on the morning after the storm. "The book moved me at those two points", says Lee. "I knew there was a movie there."
To prepare for the film, Lee let the cast members study stacks of magazine cutouts from the early 1970s. Moody was reportedly very pleased with the final version – and reportedly "sobbed" during the end credits. He also expressed his happiness that the success of the film brought more attention to his novel, leading to more book sales.
Reception
The Ice Storm currently maintains an 83% positive rating at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
The film was entered into the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...
, where James Schamus
James Schamus
James Schamus is an award-winning screenwriter The Ice Storm and producer Brokeback Mountain, and is CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company whose films have included Lost in Translation, Milk, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The...
won the award for Best Screenplay
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival...
.
The film's release was limited, and it grossed just US$7.8 million on a budget of US$18 million. In the 2000s, it was rereleased as a special edition Criterion Collection DVD.