Driving Miss Daisy (2014 film)

Driving Miss Daisy is a filmed performance of the 2013 Australian theatrical production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry starring Angela Lansbury as Miss Daisy, James Earl Jones as Hoke and Boyd Gaines as Boolie, which was produced as a 2014 film by Broadway Near You (New York) in association with Umbrella Entertainment (Australia).

Production background

The Australian tour of the Broadway production of Driving Miss Daisy performed to sold-out audiences in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from February 9 to June 16, 2013.^[1] James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines, who originally starred in the play's 2010 Broadway revival and subsequent 2011 West End transfer (opposite Vanessa Redgrave), both reprised their Broadway roles for the Australian tour.

This performance of Driving Miss Daisy was filmed with six cameras in high-definition video during the play's five-week sold-out run at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, Australia from April 5 to May 12, 2013. A local crew was used for the six-camera shoot and Melbourne-based independent company Soundfirm completed all post-production – picture and sound.^[2]

The production of Driving Miss Daisy, directed for the stage by David Esbjornson and directed for the screen by Peter Ots, was filmed by New York's Broadway Near You in association with Australia's Umbrella Entertainment and produced by Jill Bilcock and Richard Moore. The play was produced for the Australian stage by John Frost by special arrangement with Jed Bernstein and Adam Zotovich. The creative team included John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design), Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting Design), Wendall K. Harrington (Projection Design), Christopher Cronin (Sound Design) and Mark Bennett (Composer).

Synopsis

Miss Daisy Werthan (Angela Lansbury) is a widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in mid-century Atlanta who is deemed too old to drive by her son Boolie (Boyd Gaines). He then hires Hoke (James Earl Jones), an African-American man to serve as her chauffeur, and what begins as a troubled and hostile pairing soon blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all the societal boundaries placed between them.

Cast

• Angela Lansbury as Miss Daisy Werthan
• James Earl Jones as Hoke Colburn
• Boyd Gaines as Boolie Werthan

Release and broadcast

Theatrical run

On May 25, 2014, a special one-off screening of Driving Miss Daisy: The Play followed by a live onstage Q&A session with Angela Lansbury, was broadcast by via satellite from the BFI Southbank in London to over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom. The screening was presented by Omniverse Vision in association with BFI Southbank.^[3]

Driving Miss Daisy was released in a limited theatrical engagement in more than 500 movie theaters across the United States and Canada from June 4 through June 10, 2014, presented by Screenvision in association with Broadway Near You.^[4]

On August 2 and 3, 2014, Driving Miss Daisy was screened at Village Cinemas in Melbourne, Australia, featuring the Q&A session with Angela Lansbury beamed in from London, followed by an Australian-wide limited release.

Fathom Events and Broadway Near You also presented special screenings of Driving Miss Daisy in U.S. cinemas nationwide for a one-night only event on Thursday, May 14, 2015. Of the stagecast of his Pulitzer Prize winning play being released in cinemas, playwright Alfred Uhry said, "Every playwright dreams of having a perfect rendition of his play last forever. I am blessed to have it happen for me with this production of Driving Miss Daisy." ^[5]

Television broadcast

Driving Miss Daisy was broadcast nationwide on PBS stations as a presentation of the Great Performances series on Friday, July 17, 2015 at 9 pm.^[6]

Critical review

The Australian stage production was met with critical acclaim. In its 5 star review, The Herald Sun said, "It is a privilege to witness the consummate professionalism and fine acting of two of America's stage and screen royalty, Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones". The Sydney Morning Herald critic raved, "I have never been happier jumping out of my chair and applauding wildly, while wiping away moisture from my cheeks". The Sydney Season praises: "With a cast whose reach transcends generations and whose successes are multitudinous, it is impossible to approach this play without the highest of expectations, and it does not, for a moment, disappoint".^[7]

DVD release

On August 4, 2015, Driving Miss Daisy was released on DVD in Region 1 by PBS Distribution, available for purchase exclusively through the official PBS website at ShopPBS.org.^[8] It was later made available for purchase via Amazon.com as of September 29, 2015.

References

External links

• Official website
• Driving Miss Daisy at the Internet Movie Database
• Driving Miss Daisy: Great Performances at the Internet Movie Database