An Angel at My Table (1990)
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93% of critics liked it
(15 reviews) -
86% of users liked it
(4,298 ratings)
New Zealand poet Janet Frame is the subject of Jane Campion's biographical drama, which presents a poetically evocative look at the authoress' turbulent life. The film begins with a look at Frame's childhood, showing her as a bright but odd-looking, emotionally fragile young girl with a… More New Zealand poet Janet Frame is the subject of Jane Campion's biographical drama, which presents a poetically evocative look at the authoress' turbulent life. The film begins with a look at Frame's childhood, showing her as a bright but odd-looking, emotionally fragile young girl with a knack for writing. Frame faces great difficulty in adapting to the conventional rural life around her, and her social awkwardness only worsens as she grows older. After she fails in her attempt to become a schoolteacher due to an intense panic attack, she is subject to a psychiatric evaluation and shamefully misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic. Frame is subsequently committed to a mental institution, where she suffers years of unnecessary shock treatments and other horrors. Her salvation comes through her writings, however, which attract the attention of a renowned author who arranges her release. While the nightmare of Frame's institutionalization is presented with great sensitivity and power, Campion and screenwriter Laura Jones, to their credit, refuse to simplify her story to this one pivotal event. Instead, they pay equal attention to Frame's subsequent life, as she slowly adjusts life in the outside world, experiencing literary success and her first romance. Expressive visuals add immeasurably to the total effect, while Kerry Fox's superb performance creates a truly affecting portrait of Frame. Impressively, the film was originally made as a mini-series for New Zealand television, and slightly reedited for a later theatrical release. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jane Campion
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Dec 19, 1990 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Engaging biopic of the shy and introverted New Zealand writer/poet Janet Frame.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
An Angel at My Table is, like many of Campion's films, a tale of the indomitability of the human spirit.
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Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Anyone who can make a more than 2.5-hour biopic about a New Zealand writer feel as quick and fleet as this is clearly doing something extremely right.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Beautifully acted by Fox and splendidly lensed by Dryburgh, Campion's chronicle of novelist Jane Frame admirably steers clear of any biopicture thematic or visual cliche
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Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
radiantly beautiful filmmaking
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Kerry Fox
as Janet Frame
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Alexia Keogh
as Janet Frame as a Child
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Karen Fergusson
as Janet Frame as a child
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Iris Churn
as Mother
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K.J. Wilson
as Dad
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Glynis Angell
as Isabel Frame
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Melina Bernecker
as Myrtle Frame
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William Brandt
as Bernard
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Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
as June Frame
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Colin McColl
as John Forrest
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Martyn Sanderson
as Frank Sargeson
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David Letch
as Patrick
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Peter Dennett
as Mark Goulden
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David McKenzie
as Alan Sillitoe
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Paul Sanchez
as Francesca
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Peter Needham
as Dr. Palmer
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Natalie Ellis
as Aunt Isy
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Eddie Hegan
as Uncle George
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Andrew Binns
as Bruddie
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Melanie Reid
as Melanie
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Willa O'Neill
as Edith
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Karla Smith
as Sybil
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Edith Campion
as Miss Lindsay
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Sassy Acorn
as Audition Girl
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Helene Anderson
as Norwegian Woman
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Cushla Aston
as Borstal Girl
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Billy Atkinson
as Mrs. Morgan
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Geoff Barlow
as Headmaster
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Timothy Bartlett
as Gussy Dymock
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Virginia Brocklehurst
as Rona
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Fiona Brown
as Shirley
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Alison Bruce
as Dora
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Peter Brunt
as Dr. Burt
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Gerald Bryan
as Dr. Crawley
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Julia Calvo
as Spanish Woman on Train
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Mark Clare
as Karl Stead
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Eileen Clark
as Neighbour
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Francene Clark
as Mary
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Anne Cockroft
as Nurse
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Joshua Cole
as June and Wilson's Child
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Francesca Collins
as Baby Jane
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Rod Collinson
as Mr. Niles
- Bohemian Cooper
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Tony Creamer
as Audition Boy
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Melissa Dawson
as Nora Bone
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Donnell Doreen
as Teacher
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Erin Dorricott
as Eunice
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Alistair Douglas
as Headmaster
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Maureen Duffy
as Miss Farnie
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Lillian Enting
as Miss Crowe
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Faye Flegg
as Doctor
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Caroline Flint
as Mrs. Goulden
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Angela Ford
as Turning Girl
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Joan Foster
as Hotel Manageress
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Natasha Gray
as Lesley
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Patrick Griffiths
as Reporter
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Michael Harry
as Colin
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Carla Hedgeman
as Young Poppy
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Ian Hendl
as June and Wilson's Child
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Rachel Hernandez
as Columba
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Ailene Herring
as Teacher
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Blair Hutchinson
as Bully Boy
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Rob Jayne
as Ben
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Fiona Kay
as Marguerite
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Brenda Kendall
as Miss Botting
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Harry Lavington
as Head of Psychology
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Sarah Llewwllyn
as June Frame - as a Child
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Annabel Lomas
as Mrs. Chandler
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Elizabeth MacRae
as Nurse
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Maria Mercedes Marato
as Catalina
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Sharon Marsden
as Katie
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Carlos Martinez
as Spanish Official
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Maria Matias
as Spanish Woman
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David McAuslan
as Bully Boy
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Hamish McFarlane
as Avril Luxon
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Susan McGregor
as June Frame as a Teenager, Pamela
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Erin Mills
as Katherine
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Paul Moffat
as Dis McIvor
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Mark Morrison
as Buddie Frame as a Child
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Jessie Mune
as Janet Frame - as a Baby
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Katherine Murray-Cowper
as Young Isabel
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Celia Nicholson
as Piona
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Jacqueline O'Rourke
as Borstal Girl
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Jim Rawdon
as Wilson
- Diana Rowan
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Dave Scott
as Doctor
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June Shane
as Neighbour
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Timothy Smith
as Edwin Mather
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Caroline Somerville
as Poppy as a Teenager
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Fritha Stalker
as Bridget
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Kelly Stewart
as Rose
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Sheryl Stewart
as Nurse Maitland
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Lorna Storm
as Groovy Girl
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Mark Thomson
as Billy Delaware
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Samantha Townsley
as Isabel Frame as a Teenager
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Joy Trow
as Woman on Platform
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Jessica Wilcox
as Kay Stead
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Eleanor Wragge
as Ruth Sillitoe
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Richard Mills
as Talent Scout
- Faith Martin
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Margaret Gordon
as Neighbor
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David Stott
as Doctor
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Christopher Lawrence
as Buddie Frame as a Teenager
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Gwyneth Hugues
as Matron