THE GRASS HARP was a novel by Truman Capote, based (in part) on his a youth, living with a pair of aunts in a southern town. Here his narrator hero is orphaned at an early age, and he is raised by his father's cousins (Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie). Spacek is the actual head of the family, running four prosperous businesses in the small town, such as the town department store and town hotel (complete with Presidential suite). She is a humorless, hard working woman, as opposed to her sister, who is a loving, free spirited type, who (with her friend and assistant (Nell Carter) collects herbs for a patent medicine remedy for "dropsy". Edwin Furlong (and, earlier, Grayson Frick) play the hero of the film, Collin (the narration is by Boyd Gaines). The hero quickly finds himself in love with Laurie, and just respectful towards Spacek. As he grows up, he finds himself defending Laurie's reputation (she is seen as quite eccentric). The town people also fear Spacek, but rather openly dislike her.

Walter Matthau is retired Judge Cool, a sensible elderly man who "good" people consider a nut (he openly admits that there was nothing wrong with a true love affair between a white man and an African-American woman which led to the white man being run out of town). Matthau is having problems in his home with an unsympathetic grown son and the son's wife. Matthau's wife has died years before. Others in this well cast film include Jack Lemmon as a Dr. Ritt from Chicago, whom Spacek brings back home - and whom accidentally sets in motion the delayed rebellion of Laurie and the others against Spacek's stiff and respectable regime. Joe Don Baker plays the local chicken rancher/part-time sheriff (who hates having to cow-tow to Spacek). Charles Durning is the local minister, who is out for only respectable religious leaders (with Bonnie Bartlett as his equally stuffy wife). Mary Steenburgen is the religious threat - an unmarried mother of twelve who has a mobile revival tent in the back country, but whom is pretty likable for all one's questions about her revivalism. Sean Patrick Flannery is Riley, a young man who lives unconventionally, but whom turns out to be a pretty good friend to Collin. Roddy McDowall (in one of his last roles) plays Amos, the local barber.

Basically Capote uses his characters to punch holes in what "nice, conventional" small town people believe is proper behavior. Spacek is the leader of these people, who believe in organized Christianity, hard work and business, and straight-laced morality. Laurie, Matthau, Carter, Flannery, Steenburgen, and Furlong are all believers in doing what is natural, and from the heart. So as they begin working together they become a model and a danger for the "nice people". But as the tale progresses, the nice people find that what they believe in does not emotionally satisfy them. Indeed Spacek suffers several losses in the course of the film that she never expected.

Charles Matthau, Walter's son, directed this (very nicely - it is one of the best ensemble movies of recent years). It was also a rarity in the 1990s decade of Matthau-Lemmon films. Whereas GRUMPY OLD MEN, GRUMPIER OLD MEN, OUT TO SEA, and THE ODD COUPLE II were all comedies, this film is dramatic and the two actors only shared one scene (with Roddy McDowall in his barber shop) in the film. Also, Lemmon's character is less likable than usual in this film.

The title, by the way, refers to a statement by Laurie's character about how the grass gives off a music like a harp, which is actually the voices of all the people who ever inhabited the earth. It becomes a running metaphor in the film up to the conclusion.

I was really surprised that The Grass Harp turned out to be the great film that it is. The book by Truman Capote is one of my favourites and I didn't think that it would work as a film.

It has been cast perfectly with Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie beautifully bringing to life the Talbo sister's Verena and Dolly respectively. Special mention too should be given to Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon & Roddy McDowall. All the cast are really quite terrific.

Great attention has been made to period detail and the film has a glorious soundtrack.

Full marks to the screen writers who have adapted the spirit of Capote's novel. And last but not least to Charles Matthau for his sensitive direction. A must see film shamefully overlooked on its first release.

Young director Charles Matthau assembled a fine cast in The Grass Harp, a film based on young Truman Capote's memoirs of living and growing up in small town Alabama in the Thirties and Forties. I have no doubt that his father who has a supporting role here persuaded a whole load of his friends to take roles in this. Nothing wrong with a little nepotism in a good cause because a beautiful film was the result.

Young Grayson Fricke goes to live with a pair of spinster aunts, Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek and their maid Nell Carter after being orphaned around the age of 10. He grows up to be Edward Furlong and it is their eyes that follow the action we see in The Grass Harp.

The film concentrates on a certain summer when Piper Laurie who is the kind, loving, and somewhat eccentric aunt has invented a special tonic that Sissy Spacek who lives only for the money she hoards tries to get her to market it. Encouraging her in this is Jack Lemmon a fancy conman from Chicago.

Rebelling against the pressure, Laurie goes to live in an old tree-house and Furlong, Carter and a motley crew of others join her. This kind of behavior just ain't tolerated in Alabama even now, let alone back then. What happens is the rest of the story.

Although this is listed as a Lemmon-Matthau collaboration, in point of fact the leads here are Spacek, Laurie, and Furlong. Both of these guys have some memorable supporting roles with Matthau as a retired judge and Lemmon the conman. They have one scene in Roddy McDowall's barbershop where Matthau is correctly sizing Lemmon up for what he is. This is the only time I recall Lemmon playing a villain except for an early live television broadcast where he was John Wilkes Booth.

Mary Steenburgen is truly special here. She plays a woman of easy virtue who's been pumping babies out for over a decade. She comes to town as a revival preacher and the good folks are upset that such a person is doing the Lord's work. The local minister Charles Durning actually has sheriff Joe Don Baker confiscate the love offerings. Seems like Baker gets a lot of dirty jobs as sheriff.

Remember this is based on Truman Capote's memoirs and there is a gay subtext here. Sean Patrick Flannery plays the local bad boy who more than anything else the budding gay Furlong wants to be friends with. He's not quite understanding his feelings and small town Alabama at that time he's not got any place to go for guidance. When Steenburgen and Flannery become an item, Furlong is at first resentful. And hopefully Flannery is the last in a long list of men for Steenburgen, but I kind of doubt it.

You can tell by the cast you're in for something special in The Grass Harp.