Story of movie If These Walls Could Talk : If These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 made-for-cable film, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years apart: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co-written by Nancy Savoca. Savoca directed the first and second segment while Cher directed the third. The women's experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades.
| If These Walls Could Talk | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama Thriller |
| Written by | Susan Nanus I. Marlene King Nancy Savoca Earl W. Wallace Pamela Wallace |
| Directed by | Nancy Savoca Cher |
| Starring | Demi Moore Sissy Spacek Cher Xander Berkeley Hedy Burress Anne Heche Jada Pinkett |
| Theme music composer | Cliff Eidelman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Cher
Demi Moore Suzanne Todd |
| Producer(s) | Martin Ganz Doris Kirch Laura Greenlee |
| Cinematography | Ellen Kuras Bobby Bukowski John Stanier |
| Editor(s) | Peter Honess Elena Maganini |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Production company(s) | HBO NYC Productions Moving Pictures |
| Distributor | Home Box Office |
| Release | |
| Original release | October 13, 1996 |
Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, If These Walls Could Talk became a surprise success and was the highest-rated movie in HBO history. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Miniseries or Television Film.
Screenplay
1952
The 1952 segment deals with Claire Donnelly (Demi Moore), a widowed nurse living in suburban Chicago, who becomes pregnant by her brother-in-law (Jason London) and decides to undergo abortion in order not to hurt her late husband's family. However, abortion at the time is strictly illegal. Claire eventually finds another nurse (C. C. H. Pounder) who provides her the phone number of a woman who can find her someone to perform the abortion. The woman on the phone tells Claire that the only trustworthy abortionist she knows is located in Puerto Rico, and Claire cannot afford the travel costs--with air fare and hotel costs, the total trip would cost about $1000, which is about $9500 in 2018. After a failed attempt to end her pregnancy with a knitting needle, Claire eventually contacts a man who comes to her home and performs a clandestine procedure on her while she lies on top of a kitchen table. Claire finally manages to abort, but dies shortly afterwards due to hemorrhage.
1974
The 1974 segment deals with Barbara Barrows (Sissy Spacek), a struggling and aging mother with four children and a policeman husband who works the night shift, who discovers she must welcome another addition to the family, despite having recently gone back to college. She considers abortion with the support of her teenage daughter (Hedy Burress) but ultimately chooses to keep the child.
1996
The 1996 segment deals with Christine Cullen (Anne Heche), a college student who got pregnant by a married professor, decides on an abortion when he breaks up with her and only offers her money. After consulting with her roommate (Jada Pinkett), she makes an appointment with Dr. Beth Thompson (Cher). However, the abortion takes place during a violent protest, and an anti-abortion protester (Matthew Lillard) walks in on the operation and shoots Dr. Thompson.
1952 segment:
- Demi Moore – Claire Donnelly
- Shirley Knight – Mary Donnelly
- Catherine Keener – Becky Donnelly
- Jason London – Kevin Donnelly
- C. C. H. Pounder – Jenny Ford
1974 segment:
- Hedy Burress – Linda Barrows
- Sissy Spacek – Barbara Barrows
- Xander Berkeley – John Barrows
- Janna Michaels – Sally Barrows
- Ian Bohen – Scott Barrows
- Zack Eginton – Ryan Barrows
1996 segment:
- Anne Heche – Christine Cullen
- Cher – Dr. Beth Thompson
- Jada Pinkett – Patti
- Eileen Brennan – Tessie
- Lindsay Crouse – Frances White
- Craig T. Nelson – Jim Harris
- Matthew Lillard – Protester
- Rita Wilson - Leslie
As executive producer, Moore spent seven years trying to get the film made, until the project was eventually greenlit by HBO. HBO vice president Colin Callender said "I don't believe there's a studio in the world that would finance this picture" and praised Moore and Cher for having the courage to use their celebrity to address the issue of abortion. Cher commented "It took someone with Demi's power and fortitude to have something like this made. Without that power, you couldn't do it. These topics are not on everybody's top 10 list of things to do."
A sequel anthology, If These Walls Could Talk 2, aired in 2000. The subject addressed in it was lesbianism.
- Emmy Awards
- Outstanding Made for Television Movie (nomination)
- Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production (nomination)
- Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special (nomination)
- Golden Globe Awards
- Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (nomination)
- Best Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – Demi Moore (nomination)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – Cher (nomination)
- NAACP Image Awards
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series – Jada Pinkett Smith (nomination)
- National Educational Media Network, USA
- Gold Apple (won)
- Satellite Awards
- Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (nomination)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – Cher (nomination)
- Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards
- Lucy Award (2000) to the Creators and Cast of If These Walls Could Talk and If These Walls Could Talk 2
- in recognition of excellence and innovation in a creative work that has enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television
- Lucy Award (2000) to the Creators and Cast of If These Walls Could Talk and If These Walls Could Talk 2
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