The Green Mile (film)

The Green Mile is a 1999 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King's 1996 novel of the same name. It stars Tom Hanks as a death row corrections officer during the Great Depression who witnesses supernatural events that occur after an enigmatic inmate (Michael Clarke Duncan) is brought to his facility. David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Doug Hutchison and James Cromwell appear in supporting roles.

The Green Mile
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrank Darabont
Produced by
Screenplay byFrank Darabont
Based onThe Green Mile
by Stephen King
Starring
Music byThomas Newman
CinematographyDavid Tattersall
Edited byRichard Francis-Bruce
Production
company
Castle Rock Entertainment
Darkwoods Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros. (United States)
Universal Pictures (International)
Release date
  • December 10, 1999 (1999-12-10) (United States)
Running time
189 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million
Box office$286.8 million[1]

The film premiered on December 10, 1999, in the United States to positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual style and performances. It was a commercial success, grossing $286 million from its $60 million budget, and was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Duncan, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Plot

At a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, centenarian Paul Edgecomb becomes emotional while viewing the film Top Hat. His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that the film reminded him of the events of 1935, which took place when he was a prison officer, in charge of death row, what they refer to as the "Green Mile".

In 1935, a 44-year old Paul supervises officers Brutus Howell, Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger, and Percy Wetmore at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Paul has been suffering from a severe bladder infection, and is introduced to John Coffey, a physically imposing but mentally challenged black man. John had been sentenced to death after being convicted of raping and murdering two white girls. He joins two other condemned inmates on the block: Eduard "Del" Delacroix, a Cajun, and Native-American inmate Arlen Bitterbuck, the latter of whom has been charged with several murders and is the first to be executed. Percy demonstrates a sadistic streak, but, as the nephew of Louisiana's First Lady, he cannot be held to account; he is particularly abusive towards Del, breaking his fingers, and killing his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles. In exchange for resigning from the penitentiary and accepting a job at an insane asylum, Percy is allowed by Paul to oversee Del's execution; at the execution, Percy deliberately avoids soaking the sponge used to conduct electricity to Del's head (doing so as retaliation for Del mocking him earlier), leading to Del suffering a gruesome and agonizing death with Paul and the others in attendance. Percy was later bounded in a darkened cell as punishment for his actions. Later on, they tell Percy to clean up his act before releasing him.

John begins to demonstrate supernatural powers; he cures Paul's bladder infection, resurrects Mr. Jingles, and heals Melinda Moores, wife of the prison's chief warden, of a brain tumor. This last affliction he releases into Percy, who under its influence shoots prisoner William Wharton to death. Wharton, who had arrived shortly after Bitterbuck's execution, had from the moment of his arrival been a troublemaker; he assaulted the guards as he was being escorted into the block, made mischief on two occasions that later caused Paul to order him restrained in the block's padded cell, groped Percy, racially insulted John, and revealed psychically to John that he is, in fact, responsible for the crime for which John was condemned. John then reveals the story psychically to Paul, and, when doing so, he also releases his supernatural energy into Paul. Percy is committed to the insane asylum.

Although distraught over the notion of being executed when innocent, John tells Paul that he wishes to die, as he views the world as a cruel place and constantly feels the cruelty of humanity like shards of glass in his head. Mentioning that he had never seen a movie before, John watches Top Hat with the other guards as a last request. John is executed that night; he asks the customary hood not be placed over his head, as he is afraid of the dark. Back in the present, Paul concludes his story by telling Elaine that John's was the last execution that he and Brutus witnessed; they both subsequently resigned from the prison and took jobs in the juvenile system.

Paul is grateful to still be alive by the power that John passed on to show his psychic memories. Del's mouse, Mr. Jingles, is also still alive. Paul is shown later attending Elaine's funeral, and muses that if John's power could make a mouse live for as long as Mr. Jingles has, how much longer does he himself have left?

Cast

Production

Darabont adapted Stephen King’s novel, The Green Mile, into a screenplay in under eight weeks.[2]

The film was shot at Warner Hollywood Studios, West Hollywood, California, and on location in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Blowing Rock, North Carolina[3] and the old Tennessee State Prison.[4] The interior sets were custom built by production designer Terence Marsh. "We tried to give our set a sense of space. A sense of history. And a sense of mystery, in a way. We chose the elongated cathedral-like windows because there is a very mystical element in this movie, a supernatural element [...] It presented us with lots of opportunities", he said.[5] The electric chair was also a bespoke design, and was inspired by real prisons which have the device.[5]

Casting

Hanks and Darabont met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994. Stephen King stated he envisioned Hanks in the role and was happy when Darabont mentioned his name.[2] Hanks was originally supposed to play elderly Paul Edgecomb as well, but the makeup tests did not make him look credible enough to be an elderly man.[6] Because of this Greer was hired to play the older Edgecomb.

Duncan credited his casting to Bruce Willis, with whom he had worked on the film Armageddon one year earlier. According to Duncan, Willis introduced him to Darabont after hearing of the open call for John Coffey.[7] Basketball player Shaquille O’Neal was considered for the role of John Coffey.

Morse had not heard about the script until he was offered the role. He stated he was in tears by the end of it.[2] Darabont wanted Cromwell from the start, and after he read the script, Cromwell was moved and agreed.[2]

Soundtrack

The official film soundtrack, Music from the Motion Picture The Green Mile, was released on December 19, 1999 by Warner Bros. It contains 37 tracks, primarily instrumental tracks from the film score by Thomas Newman. It also contains four vocal tracks: "Cheek to Cheek" by Fred Astaire, "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" by Billie Holiday, "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" by Gene Austin, and "Charmaine" by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.

Reception

Box office

In the United States, The Green Mile opened on December 10, 1999, and grossed $136.8 million in the U.S. and $150 million in other territories, bringing a worldwide total of $286.8 million, against its production budget of $60 million.[1]

Home media

The film was released on VHS and DVD on June 13, 2000.[8][9] The film earned $17.45 million in combined DVD and VHS rental revenue by June 18, 2000.[8]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 6.83/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Though The Green Mile is long, critics say it's an absorbing, emotionally powerful experience."[10] At Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[12]

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film ​3 1⁄2 out of 4 stars, writing "The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years ... it tells a story with beginning, middle, end, vivid characters, humor, outrage and emotional release".[13] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum also took note of the film's length, but praised Tom Hanks' "superior" performance and Darabont's direction. "Darabont’s style of picture making is well matched to King-size yarn spinning. The director isn’t afraid to let big emotions and grand gestures linger", she said.[14] San Francisco Chronicle's Edward Guthmann thought the cinematography was "handsome", and the music was "florid and melodramatic". He added, "Darabont is such a committed filmmaker, and believes so earnestly and intensely in the stories he puts onscreen".[15] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post called the storytelling "brilliant", and said "From its deceptively easygoing beginning to the heart-wrenching finale, The Green Mile keeps you wonderfully high above the cynical ground."[16]

However, some critics had a less positive response. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter opined "By inflating the simple story with a languorous pace, pregnant pauses, long reaction shots and an infinitely slow metabolism, Darabont has burdened his movie version with more self-importance than it can possibly sustain."[17] Whilst complimenting the production design and soundtrack, the critic from Timeout magazine thought some scenes were tiresome and the film "suffers from a surfeit of plot threads and characters".[18] Writing for the BBC, Clark Collis took issue with some of the plot's unrealistic elements and thought the film was too long.[19] David Ansen of Newsweek thought The Green Mile was weaker than Darabont's previous film, The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He stated, [The Green Mile] is a "lumbering, self-important three-hour melodrama that defies credibility at every turn".[20]

Accolades
Award Category Recipients Result Ref
Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Frank Darabont Nominated [21]
Best Sound Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson, Michael Herbick and Willie D. Burton Nominated
Best Picture David Valdes and Frank Darabont Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Broadcast Music Incorporated Film & TV Awards Film Music Award Thomas Newman Won
Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won [22]
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actor – Drama Tom Hanks Won [23]
Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama Bonnie Hunt Nominated
Bram Stoker Awards Best Screenplay Frank Darabont Nominated [24]
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Screenplay, Adaptation Frank Darabont Won [25]
Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won
Best Film The Green Mile Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Most Promising Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Frank Darabont Nominated [26]
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated [27]
Golden Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Doug Hutchison Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated [28]
MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Male Performance Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated [29]
Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Awards) Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR Mark A. Mangini, Julia Evershade Nominated [30]
Best Sound Editing – Effects and Foley Mark A. Mangini, Aaron Glascock, Howell Gibbens, David E. Stone, Solange S. Schwalbe Nominated
People's Choice Awards Favorite All-Around Motion Picture The Green Mile Won [31]
Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture The Green Mile Won
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won
Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film The Green Mile Won
Best Director Frank Darabont Nominated
Best Music Thomas Newman Nominated
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (Nebula Award) Best Script Frank Darabont Nominated [32]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated [33]
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Green Mile Nominated
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References
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  2. "About the Film". Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  3. Darabont, Frank (Director) (December 10, 1999). The Green Mile (Motion picture). United States: Warner Bros.
  4. Fedschun, Travis (March 4, 2020). "Nashville tornado struck Old Tennessee State Prison, where 'The Green Mile,' 'Walk the Line' were filmed". Fox News. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  5. "The Green Mile - Movie Production Notes...CinemaReview.com". www.cinemareview.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. "15 Things You Might Not Know About The Green Mile". mentalfloss.com. May 14, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  7. Doty, Meriah (September 4, 2012). "Bruce Willis helped Michael Clarke Duncan get his Oscar caliber role". Yahoo! Movies.
  8. Mccourt, Judith (June 22, 2000). "Renters See 'Green' as Hanks Title Breaks Debut Record". videostoremag.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2000. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  9. Wolf, Jessica (April 27, 2001). "Retailers See a Hot Summer of Video and DVD Ahead". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2001. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  10. "The Green Mile (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. "The Green Mile Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  12. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Green Mile" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  13. Ebert, Roger (December 10, 1999). "The Green Mile". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  14. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (December 10, 1999). "The Green Mile". EW.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. Guthmann, Edward (December 10, 1999). "Miles to Go / At three hours, earnest prison drama starts to seem like a life sentence". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  16. Thomson, Desson (December 9, 1999). "'The Green Mile': Above and Beyond (washingtonpost.com)". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  17. Honeycutt, Kirk (November 29, 1999). "'The Green Mile': THR's 1999 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  18. Adams, Derek (June 24, 2006). "The Green Mile". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  19. Collis, Clark (January 8, 2001). "BBC - Films - review - The Green Mile". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  20. Ansen, David (December 12, 1999). "The Executioner's Song". Newsweek. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  21. Lyman, Rick (March 28, 2000). "Oscar Victory Finally Lifts the Cloud for DreamWorks". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  22. "BRAs Winners". Black Reel Awards. February 21, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  23. "Blockbuster Entertainment Award winners". Variety. May 9, 2000. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  24. "Past Bram Stoker Nominees & Winners". Horror Writers Association. 2009. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  25. Clinton, Paul (January 25, 2000). "CNN - Critic's Choice Awards echo Golden Globes - January 25, 2000". edition.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  26. "Liz Ryan and Barbara J. Roche to be Honored for Guild Service and Career Achievement at the 60th Annual DGA Awards -". www.dga.org. December 20, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  27. "Green Mile, The". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  28. Ikard, David; Sharpley-Whiting, T. Denean (2017). Lovable racists, magical Negroes, and White messiahs. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-226-49246-9. OCLC 971130590.
  29. News, Deseret (April 23, 2000). "MTV 'awards' are dubious". Deseret News. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  30. "Sound editors tap noms for best of 1999". Variety. January 12, 2000. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  31. "People's Choice Awards". E! Online. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  32. Smith, Kevin (April 28, 2001). "2000 Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  33. "The 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved June 6, 2020.


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