Martin's Day is a 1985 American drama film directed by Alan Gibson. It stars Richard Harris, Justin Henry, Lindsay Wagner, Karen Black and James Coburn.[1]

Martin's Day
Directed byAlan Gibson
Written byChris Bryant
Allan Scott
Produced byRichard F. Dalton
Roy Krost
StarringRichard Harris
Justin Henry
Lindsay Wagner
Karen Black
James Coburn
CinematographyFrank Watts
Edited byDavid de Wilde
Music byWilfred Josephs
Production
companies
United Artists
World Film Services
Distributed byMGM/UA Entertainment Company
Release date
  • February 22, 1985 (1985-02-22)
Running time
98 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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The film follows an escaped convict named Martin who kidnaps a boy, also named Martin, while trying to flee via plane. While on the run the two Martins discover that they have many things in common other than just their name and begin to bond.

Cast

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Production

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Filming for Martin's Day took place in Ontario, Canada during the autumn of 1984,[2][3] and began shortly after Richard Harris completed an eight-city tour of the musical Camelot. The film's script was written by Chris Bryant and Allan Scott.[4]

Release

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Initially intended to release in November 1984,[5] Martin's Day premiered in the United States on February 22, 1985.[6]

Reception

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Critical reception was mixed.[7] The Kansas City Star's Robert C. Trussell expressed disappointment in the film, criticizing the lack of acting chemistry between Henry and Harris.[8] A reviewer for the Austin American-Statesman viewed it as a contender for the year's worst film and noted that the filming was done so quickly after Harris's Camelot tour that his hair still bore traces of the orange hair dye used for his performance as King Arthur.[4]

David Pickering of the Corpus Christi Times was more favorable, praising Harris's acting.[2] Martha Steimel of the Wichita Falls Times was similarly favorable citing Henry's acting as a highlight.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Martin's Day at AllMovie
  2. ^ a b Pickering, David (February 27, 1985). "'Martin's Day' is simple story and a fine movie". Corpus Cristi Times.
  3. ^ a b Steimel, Martha (February 26, 1985). "'Martin's Day' an effort to recapture the past". Wichita Falls Times (Newspapers.com).
  4. ^ a b Taggart, Patrick (February 23, 1985). "Convict film traps Mann, Capital Plaza". Austin American-Statesman.
  5. ^ "A few words with..." Detroit Free Press (Newspapers.com). May 13, 1984.
  6. ^ "Advert for the film premiere". The Salt Lake Tribune (Newspapers.com). February 21, 1985.
  7. ^ Biondo, Anne Marie (February 25, 1985). "'Martin's' stars have seen better days". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  8. ^ Trussell, Robert C (March 17, 1985). "Film drama falls short of promise". The Kansas City Star (Newspapers.com).
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