''Sweet Hostage'' is a 1975 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

based on the novel ''Welcome to Xanadu'' by Nathaniel Benchley. The film stars Linda Blair and

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

. It was filmed in

Taos County, New Mexico Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,489. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory. Taos County com ...

. It was featured in ABC's Friday Night Movie series. Film and television critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

rated the movie as "Average" in his biennial ratings guide ''TV Movies''. In his capsule review, Maltin said "the performances by Sheen and Blair almost made this talky adaptation of the Nathaniel Benchley novel worthwhile". The film was only a moderate success in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

, and failed to generate the type of provocative press which was then-standard for a Linda Blair movie.

Synopsis

In this made-for-television drama, a 31-year-old fugitive mental patient who quotes poetry kidnaps an illiterate, underage girl from a nearby farm and forces her to go to a lonely mountain cabin. There he teaches her to read and, ultimately, she succumbs to

stockholm syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition or theory that tries to explain why hostages sometimes develop a psychological bond with their captors. Emotional bonds can possibly form between captors and captives, during intimate time together, ...

. He eventually kills himself during a shootout raid to save the girl, who reunites with her parents.

Cast

* Linda Blair as Doris Mae Withers *

as Leonard Hatch * Jeanne Cooper as Mrs. Withers * Lee de Broux as Sheriff Emmet * Bert Remsen as Mr. Withers * Dehl Berti as Harry Fox * Al Hopson as Mr. Smathers * William Sterchi as Hank Smathers * Roberto Valentino De Leon as Juan * Michael Eiland as Tom Martinez * Mary Michael Carnes as dry goods clerk * Don Hann as liquor store proprietor * Ross Elder as hospital attendant * Chris Williams as man in bungalow

DVD

''Sweet Hostage'' was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2011, as a Region 1 MOD DVD made available through Warner Archive Collection.

References

External links

* {{Lee Philips 1970s American films 1975 films 1975 romantic drama films 1975 television films American romantic drama films American television films Films about kidnapping Films based on American novels Films based on works by Nathaniel Benchley Films directed by Lee Philips Films shot in New Mexico

Synopsis

Cast

DVD

See also

References

External links