Ballad of the Sad Cafe, The
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe is a very depressing story set in the old South, of Miss Amelia, the owner of the delapidated Cafe. The story portrays the severe struggle of everyday life in these hard times. Life itself seems to be almost unbearable. Amelia, a very manly woman, runs a small tobacco plantation. She also runs a still and pays her men with the home-made liquor. One day Lymon Willis, a dwarf, wanders into town. The townsfolk call him the "broke-back". Lymon claims to be Miss Amelia's cousin so she agrees to take him in. Lymon convinces Amelia to fix up the Cafe and open it for business. Everyone begins to frequent the Cafe and they actually find a little happiness in their gloomy existences. That is until they receive word that Marvin Macy, Amelia's ex-husband, is returning to town from his prison term. Marvin is bent on revenge, and returns to town with the sole purpose of ruining Amelia's life. The remaining story leads us through Marvin's wicked rampage.
- Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Kieth Carradine and Carl Hubbert
- Director(s): Simon Callow
- Producer(s): Merchant Ivoery Productions
- Screenwriter(s): Michael Hirst
- Release Date: Tuesday, February 18, 1992
Featured Animal Action
In one scene Amelia and Lymon have gone hunting for their dinner. Amelia spots a turkey in the bush, takes aim and fires. She then goes into the bush and retrieves a large dead turkey. This scene was shot in cuts. There was no turkey in the scene when we see Amelia shooting the gun. A taxidermied turkey was purchased for this scene. Other animal action included a horse being ridden in two scenes, pigs being slopped, horses in a stable, a rooster crowing, a dog walking down the main street and birds flying overhead.