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A PROMISE TO CAROLYN
REVIEWS
Please choose one to jump to that review:
DAILY VARIETY: "A Promise to Carolyn TV Review"- January 15, 1996
NEW YORK TIMES: " 'A Promise to Carolyn' is better than average"- January 16, 1996
"Burke and Kurtz help TV movie rise above the usual banality"- January 16, 1996
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A Promise to Carolyn Filmed in Dallas by the Kaufman Co. in association with Citadel
Entertainment. Executive producer, Paul A. Kaufman; co-executive producer, Scott Swanton; producer. Michael 0. Gallant; director, Jerry London, writer, Swanton; camera, Billy Dickson; editor, Benjamin A.
Weissman, production designer, Derek R. Hill; sound, Skip Frazee; music, Laura Karpman. Cast: Delta Burke, Swoosie Kurtz, Shirley Knight, Grace Zabriskie, Lawrence
Monoson. Casey Biggs, Alexa Vega, Jane Goold, Bill McKinney, Steve Shearer, Morgana Shaw, David Denney, Melanie Haynes, Madylin Sweeten, Allison Ritter, Jessica Ritter, Liz Piazza Kelley, Tim Simek Gail Cronauer, John Davies.
Delta Burke and Swoosie Kurtz deliver vivid perfs as Texas sisters avenging the years ago murder of their sibling in "A Promise to Carolyn," a harrowing
story of child abuse and its aftermath. Jerry London shrewdly directs Scott Swanton's script, which has detailed characterizations and only a pinch of false sentiment.
Flashbacks to 37 years ago show the three young sisters getting passed between their mother and aunt before ending up with their father and his sadistic wife, Jolene (Morgana Shaw, and Shirley Knight in the present). Kay (Kurtz) has never forgotten Jolene's wrenching brutality, but Debra (Burke) who, ironically, now runs a day care center has blocked it out to a
degree. The powerful enactment of the torture campaign against the girls my be too much for some viewers. Guilt over Carolyn's "accidental" death still dominates their lives. Resolve
to pursue the matter hardens at the holidays as fragile Debra wants Carolyn's forgiveness and salty Kay seeks revenge: "I want to see Jolene swinging from a damn rope.
Referring to both women's checkered pasts, Debra sums up one aspect of her reluctance: "Who's gonna give a damn now ... especially about a couple of white trash sisters like us?"
A sympathetic detective trusts their memories and gets the district attorney's attention. After Debra relives the murder under hypnosis, charges are brought and the toddler's body is exhumed.
Emphasis isn't on legalities but on Debra's ability to remember, forgive herself and honor Carolyn. While the decision to point up Debra's struggle is justified, the psychology isn't subtle: Shots of Debra's face are held too
long, and the movie almost gets lost in her vulnerability. Burke is a refreshing telepic heroine. Those finding her performance too childlike will be outnumbered by those who identify with her unglamorous
persona. Kurtz, who never flags, complements Burke. Shaw, in cat glasses, is chilling as the younger Jolene, and Knight is lurid as step mommy dearest.
Television Review
January 16, 1996
By John P. McCarthy
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'A Promise to Carolyn' is better than average What's so good about "A Promise to Carolyn," CBS at 9, is that it is plausible, terrifying and heartbreaking. And while it may be guilty of some
typical TV-movie flashback excesses, the fact-based drama will send chills up and down your spine. Swoosie Kurtz ("Sisters") and Delta Burke ("Designing Women") costar as
white trash sisters who, 40 years after the fact, come to grips with the fact that their 2 year-old baby sister Carolyn was murdered by their abusive stepmother (played by Shirley Knight and by Morgana Shaw in flashbacks). Kurtz's character, 5 at the time of the assault, has always had doubts about her sister's death. Burke's character, who was only 3 when she
witnessed the killing, has blocked out all memory of the incident. With the help of a therapist, however, she unlocks the past. Confronting their horror together, they set out to convince prosecutors to
reopen the decades old case. They find a sympathetic detective and an assistant district attorney determined to see justice done. It's a little distracting to see Kurtz as a coarse, cigarette smoking Texan.
Burke, however, is well cast as her sister. Both sisters have had lifelong emotional problems (and why not) that cloud their credibility. That they
get it together to fulfill this "Promise" is a strong part of the story. The flashbacks are tough to watch as all three children are repeatedly
belted and screamed at. But the visceral scenes make you better feel the torment the sisters have lived with. "A Promise to Carolyn" packs an emotional punch. But you'll feel good when
these sisters finally get what they want.
By JOHN MARTIN
Burke and Kurtz help TV movie rise above the usual banality I hate to admit this, but I usually cringe when made-for-TV preview
tapes arrive. Most of these movies are simply mawkish offal. With titles such as "The Cold Heart of a Killer," "Deadly Whispers," "A Killer Among Us," "Deadly Pursuits"
and "Deadly Vows," these cheesy quickies usually star Lisa Hartman Black, Donna Mills, Kate Jackson, Lindsay Wagner, Cheryl Ladd or Victoria Principal as the (pick one) fiancée, wife, ex-wife, estranged wife,
mistress, neighbor or would-be victim of some guy "with a dark secret." These flicks are usually "based on the true story" or "ripped from today's headlines." They come slathered
with panting teasers like "A strange woman says she's having an affair with your husband and he wants you dead. He denies everything. Who's telling the truth and when do you start running for your life?" Followed by: "Suspense has never been this sexy!" A steady diet of this stuff will rot your brain. No kidding. It's TV; it could happen. The two other standard movie
topics are "disease du jour" and children in peril. The latter is the more gripping. There's nothing like danger threatening a helpless kid to push all the right emotional buttons and sell that soap.
But every once in a great while a tasty little morsel will drop on the plate. Not exactly a feast fit for the video gourmand, but a satisfying tidbit nonetheless. Such a bonne bouche is
"A Promise to Carolyn," airing tonight at 8 on CBS and KTHVTV, Channel 11. Know up front that this is a disturbing movie dealing with abuse and the death of a child. But what separates this effort
from the typical smarmy reality based fare is fine acting, economical writing and an especially creative use of the flashback. Delta Burke ("Designing Women"), Swoosie Kurtz ("Sisters") and
Shirley Knight ("Indictment: The McMartin Trial") turn in bravura performances in this teleplay. "A Promise to Carolyn" deals with psychological demons and the horror of repressed memories
as they surface. Burke and Kurtz portray Debra Harper and Kay Wilbanks, sisters tormented by the 1955 childhood death of their 2 year-old sister, Carolyn. The scene stealing Knight plays their sinister and abusive stepmother,
Jolene. As adults, the sisters decide to, put an end to years of denial and convince the district attorney to reopen the case. Executive producer Paul Kaufman says the movie, based on actual
events in Stillwater, Texas, took four years to produce and 11 was an emotional and magical experience." The movie was filmed near Dallas. Side note: Kurtz announced last week that this would be the last
season for "Sisters." The show, currently airing at 9 p.m. Saturdays on NBC, has been on since May 11, 1991.
January 16, 1996
By Michael Story
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[A Promise to Carolyn][Dangerous Intentions][The Disappearance of Vonnie] |