''Redwood Curtain'' is a 1995 American dramatic

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

created by

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

, and directed by

John Korty John Korty (June 22, 1936 – March 9, 2022) was an American film director and animator, best known for the television film ''The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' and the documentary ''Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids ...

based upon the 1993

Broadway play Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

of the same name by

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...

. Starring

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyi ...

Debra Monk Debra Monk (born February 27, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and writer, best known for her performances on the Broadway stage. She earned her first Tony Award for the 1993 production of ''Redwood Curtain'' and won an Emmy Award for sev ...

and

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

, the film debuted on ABC on April 23, 1995.

Background

''Redwood Curtain'' was filmed in Santa Cruz,

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. The film was adapted by Ed Namzug and based upon Lanford Wilson's 1993 play of the same name. Hallmark brought Debra Monk, who was part of the original stage production, to the telefilm to reprise her role of Geneva Riordan.

Premise

In her search for her biological father, an

Amerasian An Amerasian may refer to a person born in Asia to an Asian mother and a U.S. military father. Other terms used include War babies or G.I. babies. There are also those who may have mothers in the U.S. military or have Amerasian ancestry through th ...

piano

prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

comes to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

's redwood forests to an area populated by Vietnam veterans unable to reintegrate into society.

Cast

as Lyman Fellers *

as Geri Riordan *

Catherine Hicks Catherine Mary Hicks (born August 6, 1951) is an American actress. She played the character Annie Camden on the long-running television series '' 7th Heaven''. Other roles included Dr. Faith Coleridge on the soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' (1976–1 ...

as Julia Riordan *

as Laird Riordan *

as Geneva Riordan *

Shirley Douglas Shirley Jean Douglas (April 2, 1934 – April 5, 2020) was a Canadian actress and activist. Her acting career combined with her family name made her recognizable in Canadian film, television and national politics. Early life Douglas was born A ...

as Schyler Noyes * Vilma Silva as Zenaida * Joy Carlin as Mrs. Cole * Steven Anthony Jones as Nate Stone * Jarion Monroe as Leon Shea * Cab Covay as Mad John * R. Blakeslee Colby as Reverend Grant * Jonathan Korty as Dennis McCaw

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted that the original stage play was a "spookily amorphous affair", and that it included an "edgy, funny performance by Debra Monk." Of the television film, they called it a "ponderous, cliche-riddled adaptation", with a performance by Monk that suffered in her character having her "spirit drained". Conversely, they commended director

in his drawing "a nicely restrained performance out of

Awards and nominations

* 1995,

Cinema Audio Society Award The Cinema Audio Society Awards are an annual awards ceremony given by the Cinema Audio Society that honor outstanding achievements in sound mixing. These awards have been presented by the Cinema Audio Society since 1994. The competition is open ...

nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Movie of the Week, Mini-Series or Special * 1995,

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special

References

External links

''The Redwood Curtain''
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{John Korty Films set in the 20th century Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Asian-American films Films set in forests Films set in California Films shot in California 1995 television films 1995 films 1995 drama films American films based on plays 1990s English-language films Films directed by John Korty