Movies with a Polygamy Twist
Submitted by SiteMod on Sat, 05/13/2006 - 08:33.
Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)
Genre: Crime / Comedy
Michael Lynch is Dublin's most notorious criminal, his brazen robberies making him the bane of the Gardaà and a hero to his fellow working class city Northsiders. When not playing happy families with his two wives - sisters Christine and Lisa - and his children, Lynch is busy plotting elaborate heists, thinking as much about the showmanship of it all as he is the loot involved. On his case is Garda Noel Quigley, his determination to convict Lynch slowly turning into an obsession. Inevitably, a showdown looms.
Directed by ..... Thaddeus O'Sullivan
Kevin Spacey.... Michael Lynch
Linda Fiorentino....Christine Lynch
MPAA: Rated R for language, some violence and sexuality.
movies with a polygamy twist.
Wow! I never realised there were so many movies which have polygamous characters. I have my own short list, which I shall post here in a little while.
Here we go:
Michael Palin's Sahara (2003?) Documentary TV series. In one episode, Michael meets a man who has plural wives.
Colombo "Murder a self portrait"
This episode of the TV detective series centered around a successful artist who lives in a beachfront house with three wives. One is found on the beach, apparantly drowned.
Rita, Sue, and Bob Too (1987)
UK. Two Bradford babysitters have an affair with anolder man.
The English Harem (2005) UK
A young women who lives in a poor part of London gets a job as a waitress in a Persian restaurant. She bbecomes the restaurateur's third wife. The character drawing is noteworthy--the aristoccratic restaurateur comes across as a better man than those who opopose him.
Enemies: a LOve Story (1989)
Based on a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer. A jewish man is living in post war New York with his wife. They met during the war, when she--a polish peasant girl--saved him from the nazi's. His first wife died during the war, he believes. He now works as a salesman, and has a mistress. One day, he learns that his first wife is still alive, and has come looking for him. Is this polygamy? What on earth is he to do? A bitter-sweet tale.
The Captain's Paradise (1953) UK
Classic British comedy. Alec Guinness plays a sea captain who does the Gibraltar--Casablanca run, and has a wife at each end.
The Missionary (1982) UK
Michael Palin plays a 1900's missionary who has returned to London from Africa. He is commissioned by a wayward aristocratic lady to open a Home for Fallen Women. Inevitably, the women all fall in love with him, so he finds himself with a harem without really wanting it. One of the best comedies I have seen in years.
Veera(1994)
Tamil language romantic comedy set in Southj India. A young man, engaged to the village musician's daughter, goes to Madras to work, to pay off debts. While there he hears that flash floods have overwhelmed his village, and his fiancee killed. Urged on by his mother, he proposes to the boss's daughter. But then, the original fiancee--who is still alive--comes looking for him. Left with no alternative, he marries both.
Bruce Parry's Tribe (2005?) UK
Documentary TV series about tribal life. One episode featured an elder of the New Guinea Kombai tribe--Kiambo by name--who has three wives. Theyt live in a tree house.
The Window (2006?) UK
A nigerian taxi driver who livews in a one bedroom apartment in Peckham (a suburb of London), tries a little polygamy. A sharply observed and humorous 30 minute feature which was recently broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the "Coming Up" series. Written by Funke Oyebano, directed by Paloma Baeza.
Sharing a Husband (2005)
Read about this one on an internet site. This is an indonesian feature directed by Nia Dinata, which looks at three polygamous marriages.
Raise the Red Lantern
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) China/Hong Kong
Chinese title: Da Hong Denglong Gaogao Gua
This movie is set in 1920's China, when the days of Cina's greatness were past, and the "brave new world" of Communism had not yet dawned. Chinese actress Gong Li plays Songlian, a 19 year old lovely, who becomes a wealthy man's fourth wife. She goes to live with the other wives in Master Chen's sprawling palace. But all is not well in this polygamous household. The wives all look out for themselves, instead of pulling together in a loving way, as sister-wives should. One of them, for example, is described by a rival wife as having "the face of a buddha and the heart of a scorpion". Master Chen (played by Ma Jingwu) is no better: he enjoys the favors of his wives, but without understanding what is going on in his household. Zhang Yimou, who directed this, also wrote the screenplay, based on Su Tong's 1989 novel "Wives and Concubines". This is a gorgeous and memorable work: but few people in China saw it. The chinese government banned it. The original novel is worth reading too.
The Substitute Wife
The Substitute Wife
Directed by
Peter Werner
Writing credits
Stan Daniels
Genre: Drama
In Nebraska, in pioneer days, a woman who knows she is going to die asks a prostitute to replace her with her husband and four children in order to make it possible for them to keep their family farm. When the wife does not die, the decide to keep the family together.
Farrah Fawcett.... Pearl
Lea Thompson.... Amy Hightower
Peter Weller.... Martin Hightower
a better movie
A better movie about the same real life criminal was called simple "The General" and had several great actors including john vaught...The best part is when the cops, trying to get a rise out of him say "which sister did you fu*k last night?" He simply replies "Yours"
TNT Movies ~ Joseph (excellent movie)
Joseph (1995)
The story begins in Egypt, in the marketplace of Avaris where Joseph is sold as a slave to Potiphar, the Pharaoh's Chief Steward. Joseph, the favored son of the patriarch Jacob, was given into captivity by his own envious brothers. A tireless and highly productive worker, Joseph wins his master's trust and is named steward of Potiphar's household. However, Joseph also unwittingly arouses the lust of Potiphar's wife. Luring him into her room one day, she orders Joseph to give her pleasure. But Joseph prefers punishment, even death, to betraying his master. As he flees from the room, the desperate woman tears off Joseph's garment and brandishes it as proof of her violation. As Potiphar questions him, Joseph begins to narrate the story of his past, a tale of suffering and hardship. We flash back to the time when Jacob and his family settled near the town of Schechem. It is a brief and unhappy stay, for when Jacob's daughter Dinah is ravished by the young prince of Schechem, Jacob's sons decide to exact revenge with a bloodbath - despite an agreement reached between Jacob and the Schechemites. As Jacob and his family flee, Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, dies while giving birth to Benjamin. A few years elapse, and Jacob's older sons become increasingly resentful of their father's preference for Joseph. When Joseph turns seventeen, his father has a wonderful colored coat made for him, which further excites the jealousy of the brothers. When Joseph is sent to a distant pasture one day to look after his brothers, they seize him, tear off his coat, throw him into a dry well and, the following day, sell him as a slave to traders on their way to Egypt. This is how he enters the service of Potiphar. Despite his doubts about his wife's version of the "rape", Potiphar has Joseph jailed to vindicate his wife publicly. In prison, Joseph is assigned to attend two high court officials who are suspected of having stolen a bracelet from the Pharaoh. Tormented by dreams, the men ask Joseph for help. Joseph tells the cup-bearer that he will be reinstated, and the chief-baker that he will hang. Two years later, the cup-bearer remembers Joseph when the Pharaoh is unable to obtain from his priests a rational interpretation of two anguishing dreams. Joseph is summoned and predicts that after seven years of plentiful harvest, Egypt will suffer seven years of famine. Convinced, the Pharaoh appoints Joseph as his chancellor and gives him a beautiful Egyptian woman as his wife. Joseph immediately begins to put aside a fifth of the country's harvest. After seven years a murderous famine strikes, driving people from nations near and far to come to Egypt to buy grain. Among the famished, Joseph recognizes his brothers. Testing them to see if they have changed, Joseph is satisfied and reveals his identity. Finally reunited with his beloved brother Benjamin and his father Jacob, Joseph reconciles with his family, and the Pharaoh invites them to settle in Egypt as overseers of his livestock.
Ben Kingsley....Potiphar
Paul Mercurio.... Joseph
Martin Landau....Jacob
Lesley Ann Warren...Potiphar's Wife
Alice Krige....Rachel
Dominique Sanda ....Leah
Directed by...Roger Young
Awards: Won Emmy. Another 5 nominations
Review
Author: jerry Parks (jeryrom828@aol.com) from Lexington, KY
As a teacher of ancient history with an earned doctorate in Biblical theology, I must compliment the producers of 'Joseph' for doing the impossible: staying faithfully true to Biblical text, and holding the attention of young and old alike for three hours.
'Joseph' captures the power, pathos, and splendor of the greatest of Bible characterizations--Joseph, the hated brother, becomes not only lord over his entire family, but the second most powerful man in the ancient world. Ben Kingsley, as he did in 'Moses', and Martin Landau (as Jacob) steal the show, but Paul Mercurio does an admirable job as the main character. Vincenzo Nicoli is outstanding as the vengeful brother Simeon, and, as the last to confront the powerful Joseph--now his savior, Nicoli does nothing less than reduce us to tears.
The film is also true to the many nuances of Egyptian and Hebrew history, which most audiences would neither notice, nor care to notice; yet, such nuances prove highly effective! To note the Egyptians' penchant for cleanliness, and to depict Joseph's famous coat as not necessarily 'many colored' shows the expert research which went into this film.
Although some explicit (though historically accurate) sexual scenes must be screened from the very young, this film captures not only the drama and climactic ascension to a powerful emotional conclusion, but also the characterization of moral goodness so extant in Joseph. I watched 'Joseph' with my middle school students, and as they busily synthesized their thirty or so 'characteristics of a role model' into an essay, one of them asked why there were no such heroes today. The question at once revealed not only the impression this film made, but also the perceptive dearth of role-models in our modern society.
Though including a few anachronistic liberties (such as Joseph's "My God, my God..." paraphrase of Christ's cry from the cross, 'Joseph' is a winner! It is THE best of the TNT series, of which only 'Jacob' was a flop. Kudos for the direction, musical score, and casting directors; they are well-deserving of the awards which this film has earned. To quote Potifer: "...what matters most is the truth", and 'Joseph' delivers it with Biblical reverance and Hollywood expertise. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TNT Movies - Jacob (excellent movie)
Jacob (1994)
The story of Jacob in the Old Testament. The movie begins at the birth of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. The movie travels through Jacob meeting Rachel but ending up married to Leah and Rachel and then with handmaids Zilpah and Bilhah bear a total of 12 sons, and the daughter Dinah. The movie shows Jacob's name being changed to Israel and ends with the reconciliation with Esau.
Matthew Modine....Jacob
Lara Flynn Boyle....Rachel
Sean Bean....Esau
Joss Ackland....Isaac
Juliet Aubrey....Leah
Irene Papas....Rebekah
Giancarlo Giannini...Laban
Directed by...Peter Hall
TNT Movies ~ Abraham
Abraham (1994)
The Old Testament story of Abraham and the trials he endures. Commanded by God to lead his family to the promised land of Canaan with the promise that if he does so, his descendants will become a great and numerous tribe. His obedience, as well as that of his children and grandchildren, is severely tested as they prove their faith to God.
Richard Harris .... Abraham
Barbara Hershey .... Sarah
Maximilian Schell.... Pharaoh
Vittorio Gassman.... Terah
Carolina Rosi.... Hagar
Directed by
Joseph Sargent
Awards: Nominated for 3 Emmys.
Also known as The Bible: Abraham
Three of Hearts
Three of Hearts (1993)
After her female lover leaves her, a nurse hires a male escort to seduce the lover and then break her heart so she will return. As the escort begins to win her over, however, he begins to fall in love and questions his task and the direction of his life. Meanwhile, an acquaintance has gotten out of prison and seeks to put a hurt on the escort, blaming him for his prison sentence.
William Baldwin.... Joe
Kelly Lynch....Connie
Sherilyn Fenn....Ellen Armstrong
Directed by...Yurek Bogayevicz
USA:R
As a side note - this movie has some great music in it :-)
Summer Lovers
Summer Lovers (1982)
A young American couple go to the Greek islands for the summer and are dazzled by the beauty and the uninhibited people surrounding them. The young man meets and begins an affair with a French woman, an archeologist working on a dig. The young American woman discovers this and goes to confront the other woman. The French woman is quite taken with the American woman's photographic work, and the three become very close.
Peter Gallagher....Michael Pappas
Daryl Hannah....Cathy Featherstone
Valérie Quennessen.... Lina (as Valerie Quennessen)
Directed by...Randal Kleiser
USA:R
Trivia: Darryl Hannah's character remarks that when she was little she wanted to be a mermaid. Two years later Darryl Hannah starred as a mermaid in Splash (1984)
Quotes: Lina: Jealousy doesn't show how much you love someone, it shows how insecure you are.
Micki And Maude
Micki + Maude (1984)
TV reporter Rob Salinger is married to Micki, but because she's always busy working, they hardly ever spend time together. One night at which he got stood up by Micki again, Rob meets cellist Maude and they soon get romanticly involved. When it turns out Maude is pregnant with his baby, Rob decides to marry Maude. When he's on the verge of telling Micki, she tells him she's pregnant, so he doesn't have the heart to leave her, but he marries Maude anyway. Now married to two pregnant women who don't know about each other, Rob has a busy time taking care of both and keep them from finding out.
Directed by...Blake Edwards
Dudley Moore .... Rob Salinger
Amy Irving .... Maude Guillory Salinger
Ann Reinking .... Micki Salinger
USA:PG-13
There are 2 movies I didn't
There are 2 movies I didn't see here. One is the 19th wife. A silly Lifetime Movie based loosely off of the Ann Eliza Young book. It's available in HD and has one of the Greys Anatomy ladies in it. It is a FLDS based story set in modern times with flashbacks to 1850s.
Then there is the Duchess and The Dirtwater Fox. I haven't watched it yet, but I heard about it's Mormon/Polygamy link and I got it last week on Amazon. Here is the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074441/
Other than that, there is more I am not thinking of because it is over 100 degrees!