''Far and Away'' is a 1992 American

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

romantic

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

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 ...

directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

and

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

. This was the last cinematography credit for

Mikael Salomon Mikael Salomon (born 24 February 1945) is a Danish cinematographer, director and producer of film and television. After a long cinematography career in Danish cinema, he transitioned to the Hollywood film industry in the late 1980s, earning tw ...

before he moved on to a directing career. The music score was by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

. It was screened out of competition at the

1992 Cannes Film Festival The 45th Cannes Film Festival took place from 7 to 18 May 1992. French actor Gérard Depardieu served as jury president for the main competition. Swedish filmmaker Bille August won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for a second time ...

. Cruise and Kidman, who were married at the time, play Irish

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

seeking their fortune in the 1890s

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, eventually taking part in the

Land Run of 1893 In U.S. history, the Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Outlet Opening or the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet in the Oklahoma Territory's fourth and largest land run. It was part of wha ...

. This was

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

's final film before his death the following year.

Plot

In 1892 Ireland,

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...

s work land they could never own and pay unfairly high rents to their wealthy landlords. Joseph Donnelly dreams of owning his own land. After his father dies, their family home is burned down by their landlord Daniel Christie's men, due to unpaid rent. Joseph travels to Daniel's home to kill him in revenge, but he only injures himself. Daniel's wife, Nora, and his daughter, Shannon, nurse Joseph back to health so that he can be hanged for the attempted murder. Nora tries to mold Shannon into a refined lady, but Shannon often rebels. She reveals to Joseph that she aspires to go to America, where land is being given away. When Joseph tries to flee the Christie home, he gets into a confrontation with Stephen Chase, the Christies' financial manager, who challenges him to a duel. The next morning, Shannon runs away from home, convinces Joseph to come with her as her servant and protector, and saves him from the duel. On a ship bound for America, Shannon and Joseph meet Mr. McGuire, who confirms Shannon's story about land being given away in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. He adds that they will have to travel a thousand miles to get there and must claim their desired land in a race. Shannon divulges that she has a collection of silver spoons that will cover the expenses needed to get to Oklahoma. Upon their arrival in Boston, McGuire is shot in the street, and Shannon loses her spoons. Mike Kelly, an Irish

ward boss An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

, finds jobs for Joseph and Shannon and gives them a room to rent. Joseph also becomes a regular in

bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (also known as bare-knuckle or bare-knuckle fighting) is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands. The sport as it is known today originated in 17th-century England and, although ...

matches at Kelly's club to make extra cash. Over the following weeks, Joseph and Shannon struggle to earn money and adapt to their new living situation. Romantic tension flares between them, especially after Grace, a dancer at Kelly's club, shows interest in Joseph, making Shannon jealous. One night, Joseph discovers that Shannon has gone to Kelly's club to dance

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

and earn extra money. When he storms in to take her home, Kelly and the other Irishmen there beg him to fight an Italian contender, promising to split the two-hundred-dollar winnings with him if he triumphs. Joseph is winning the fight until he notices one of his backers groping Shannon. He pushes through the crowd to free her but is pushed back into the ring, where he is defeated by a

sucker punch A sucker punch (American English), also known as a cheap shot, coward punch, one-punch attack, or king-hit (Australian English), is a punch thrown at the recipient unprovoked and without warning, allowing no time for preparation or defense on t ...

while distracted. As payback for the loss, Kelly and his men take all of the money the couple had saved and throw Shannon and Joseph out into the streets. Cold and starving, the pair stay in a seemingly abandoned house. They share a tender moment and a kiss before the owners of the house return and chase them away, shooting Shannon in the back. Joseph, knowing the Christies are looking for her in Boston, brings Shannon to where they are staying. Deciding she will be better cared for by them, he leaves despite his feelings for her, heading west to the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

and finding work laying train track. Months pass, and one day he sees a wagon train. Knowing it is headed for Oklahoma, Joseph abandons the railroad and joins the wagon train, arriving in time for the

. Joseph finds Shannon, Stephen, and the Christies already in Oklahoma. Stephen, having seen Joseph talking to Shannon, threatens to kill him if he goes near her again. During the landrace, Joseph outpaces everyone, catching up to Shannon and Stephen. But before Joseph can plant his claim flag, a fight breaks out between him and Stephen, ending with Joseph being crushed by Stephen's horse. Shannon runs to Joseph's side and rejects Stephen when he objects to her actions. Joseph professes his love for Shannon and seems to die but is revived when she reciprocates his love. They then drive his flag into the ground and claim their land together.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Montana for business reasons, but the

Oklahoma Historical Society The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma dedicated to promotion and preservation of Oklahoma's history and its people by collecting, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge and artifacts of Oklahoma. ...

was involved in its production. Imagine Production Co. toured the areas around Montana for a week. They visited different areas before selecting

Billings, Montana Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...

. Ron Howard, whose film ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English), backdraught (British English) or smoke explosion is the abrupt combustion, burning of superheated gases in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a windo ...

'' was in the stages of being released in theatres at the time, arrived in Billings to begin the groundwork for the film. One site outside of town was a ranch, which was going to be used to film the Oklahoma Land Rush scene. Working titles for the film included ''The Irish Story'' and ''An Irish Story''. Principal photography began in Montana on May 28, 1991. After several weeks of preparation, the cast and crew filmed the Oklahoma Land Rush scene on July 7, 1991. Eight hundred riders and extras, nine hundred horses, mule, oxen, and two hundred wagons were used on a quarter-mile wide set. Nine cameras were used to film the action sequences. During the filming of the scene, four people broke bones and one horse died. Cruise's boxing match was filmed at the Billings Depot. Local area residents were used as extras for the sequence.

American Humane The American Humane Society (previously American Humane), is an American animal welfare organization founded in 1877 that works to rescue, care for, and protect animals by taking action wherever and whenever they are in need. It was previously ...

reported that "The production company not only met American Humane's Guidelines, but went that extra mile to ensure both the physical and mental wellness of the animals." After filming wrapped in Billings, the cast and crew traveled to

Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, to complete filming.

Ardmore Studios Ardmore Studios, in Bray, County Wicklow, is Ireland's oldest film studio. It opened in 1958 under the management of Emmet Dalton and Louis Elliman. Since then, it has evolved through many managements and owners. It has been the base for man ...

in Wicklow was used to film interior sequences, and the streets of Boston were filmed in Dublin. It was the first film shot in Panavision Super 70 and the first film to be shot in

70mm 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...

in a decade since ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

'' (1982). The

Arriflex 765 The Arriflex 765 is a 65 mm movie camera created by Arri in 1989. History The camera was conceptualized by Otto Blaschek, who had already engineered the Arriflex 35BL and the 35 III, for which he won the "Scientific and Engineering Award" of t ...

camera was also used, as the camera was capable of 100

frames per second A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (co ...

which was used for

slow-motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

shots during the Oklahoma land rush scene.

Soundtrack

The music to ''Far and Away'' was composed and conducted by

. The score, a mixture of traditional Irish instrumentation and conventional orchestra, prominently featured performances by the Irish musical group

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

and a revision of the song " Book of Days" composed and performed by

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

. The soundtrack was released on 26 May 1992 through

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

and features 19 tracks of music at a running time of just over 67 minutes. Selections from the soundtrack have been featured in the trailers for various films including '' Rudy'' (1993), '' Getting Even with Dad'' (1994), '' Circle of Friends'' (1995), ''

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction film, science fiction adventure film directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and written by Musker, Clements and Rob Edwards (screenwriter), Rob Edwards. Produced by Walt Disney ...

'' (2002) and ''

Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...

'' (2006). # "County Galway, June 1892" (1:55) # "The Fighting Donellys" (2:18) – featured performance by

# "Joe Sr.'s Passing/The Duel Scene" (4:41) # "Leaving Home" (1:55) # "Burning the Manor House" (2:43) # "Blowing Off Steam" (1:31) # "Fighting for Dough" (2:02) – featured performance by The Chieftains # "Am I Beautiful?" (3:38) # "The Big Match" (5:56) # "Inside the Mansion" (4:24) # "Shannon is Shot" (4:06) # "Joseph's Dream" (3:08) # "The Reunion" (3:50) # "Oklahoma Territory" (2:12) # "The Land Race" (4:56) # "Settling with Steven/The Race to the River" (4:08) # "Joseph and Shannon" (3:14) # " Book of Days" (2:53) – composed and performed by

# "End Credits" (6:35) – featured performance by The Chieftains La-La Land Records released a remastered 2-CD set in March 2020 as a limited edition of 3500. This release includes alternate cues as well as previously unreleased score components. # County Galway, June 1892 2:01 # The Fighting Donnellys+ 2:22 # Joe Sr.'s Passing** 2:22 # The Village Burns* 1:56 # Leaving Home 2:02 # The Barn/Running Away* 4:32 # The Duel Scene+ 3:02 # This is My Destiny* 1:12 # Burning the Manor House 2:50 # Am I Beautiful? 3:43 # Blowing Off Steam 1:36 # Fighting for Dough +2:07 # My Own Man* 1:15 # Into the Bath* 1:37 # The Big Match 6:02 # Banished* 3:40 # Inside the Mansion 4:30 # Shannon is Shot 4:13 # Day Dreaming 1:13 # Joseph's Dream 3:13 # The Horseshoe* :35 # The Reunion (Film Version) 2:57 ''Score Presentation (cont'd)'' # Oklahoma Territory 2:17 # The Land Race 5:03 # Race to the River 1:51 # Settling with Stephen** 3:09 # Joseph and Shannon 3:22 # End Credits+ 6:43 ''Total Score Presentation:'' 1:21:53
''Additional music'' 28:28 # Joe Sr.'s Passing (Alternate)** 1:37 # The Barn (Alternate)* 2:41 # My Own Man (Alternate)* 1:14 # The Big Match (Alternate)** 5:24 # Oklahoma Territory (Film Version)** 2:17 # The Land Race (Alternate)** 5:01 # Joseph and Shannon (Alternate)** 3:21 # End Credits (Alternate)**+ 6:47 Total (2-disc) Time: 1:50:30

Release

''Far and Away'' was released on May 22, 1992, in 1,583 theaters, 163 of which were in 70mm.

Home media

The film was originally released on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

and

laserdisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

with it then released in the United States on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

in May 1998 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. It was first released as a

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

disc and HD download package on March 4, 2014, with one extra feature, a theatrical trailer.

Extended cut (TV broadcast)

For its airing on channel

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

in March 1995, the network reinstated 35 minutes of deleted scenes to fill two two-hour blocks over two nights. The 170 minute version has never been official released on home media.

Reception

Box office

The film, which cost $60 million to make, earned $13 million in its first weekend at the box office and stumbled at the box office, making only $58 million in the United States and Canada. It was the third highest-grossing film in Ireland with a gross of £0.8 million. It grossed $79 million internationally for a worldwide total of $137 million.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

the film has an approval rating of 51% based on reviews from 39 critics. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Handsome and simplistic, ''Far and Away'' has the beauty of an American epic without the breadth." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

it has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 49 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film a grade "A" on a scale of A to F.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

praised the film's cinematography while criticizing its script:

Todd McCarthy Todd McCarthy (born February 16, 1950) is an American film critic and author. He wrote for '' Variety'' for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined ''The Hollywood Reporter'', where he subsequently served ...

of ''

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), ...

'' called it "handsomely mounted and amiably performed but leisurely and without much dramatic urgency." Hal Hinson of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote: "''Far and Away''... is the director's attempt to step into the cinematic shoes of directors John Ford and David Lean. And, certainly, he's stepped into something with this sprawling, old-fashioned melodrama." Writer Tony Parsons called it "a stinker of a picture...which was far and away the worst film I have ever seen." The film was nominated for a

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song The Razzie Award for Worst Original Song was an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst song written for a film in the previous year. The following is a list of recipients and nominees of that award, along with the film ...

for the song "Book of Days".

References

External links

* *
''Far and Away''
at TomCruise.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Far And Away 1992 films 1992 romantic drama films American adventure drama films American romantic drama films American boxing films Films directed by Ron Howard Films produced by Brian Grazer Films produced by Ron Howard Films scored by John Williams Films set in Ireland Films set in Boston Films set in Oklahoma Films set in 1892 Films set in 1893 Films set in the American frontier Films shot in the Republic of Ireland Films shot in Montana Universal Pictures films Imagine Entertainment films American Western (genre) films 1992 Western (genre) films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films Films set in the Ozarks Films about landlords Irish-American mass media English-language Western (genre) films English-language romantic drama films