A magnificent performance from Jessica Lange and a heart-warming love-letter to the theatre.
Lillian Hall has won every award Broadway could possibly give her. She is the last of the grand dames of American theatre, and director David is thrilled to have her in his production of Chekhov‘s masterpiece, The Cherry Orchard. Producer Jane is not so sure, watching her money possibly go down the drain as Lillian struggles with lines. A health check confirms what her assistant Edith suspects: Lillian has dementia. Can she pull off this one last bravura performance?
Director Michael Cristofer has crafted a moving and passionate film which explores ageing, family, and art. Writer Elisabeth Seldes Annacone’s screenplay provides a solid foundation for Cristofer’s work, and some great lines for the stellar cast. The part of Lillian was originally earmarked for Meryl Streep, who would of course have been brilliant as she is in everything. However, Jessica Lange was undoubtedly the better choice for this particular role. There is something unpredictable about Lange: that glorious sense that you never quite know what she is going to do next. Lillian is a role made for her, and she absolutely runs with it. Perfectly cast too is the impeccable Kathy Bates as Edith, Lillian’s long-suffering assistant and friend. Also long-suffering is Lillian’s only child, daughter Margaret. Always coming second to the theatre, Margaret loves her mother, but the relationship is strained. The frankly underused Lily Rabe gives another of her quietly observed performances in this role. Rounding out the great cast is Pierce Brosnan as Lillian’s neighbour Ty. This is a small, delicate, and wonderful role for Brosnan, who can still light up a screen.
Much of the action in The Great Lillian Hall takes place in the theatre, as we watch Lillian, director David (Jesse Williams), producer Jane (Cindy Hogan) and the rest of the cast, put together a production while Lillian struggles with lines, forgets which scene she is in, and sometimes forgets to come to rehearsal altogether. The action and tension in the play is echoed in the film itself, as the two narratives play off each other. In this way it is similar to Hamaguchi’s 2021 Drive My Car, where the rehearsal process drives the narrative of the film. And that was a Chekhov as well.
Along with the main action, Cristofer has chosen to intercut to-camera interviews with the main characters as a documentary is being made about Lillian. These are filmed in black-and-white for some reason. They don’t really add anything to the work, and tend to just play the role of hammering home subtext which we’ve already picked up. The work would have been tighter without them.
Overall, this is a moving and magnificently performed love-letter to the theatre, and to a certain kind of performer, very few of whom are left. It is also a compassionate exploration of ageing in general, and dementia in particular. Most importantly thought, it is a splendid vehicle for Lange who has been criminally ignored over the last few years.
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