Lily Dale

"The past is only dangerous when you try to forget."

1996 1h 38m EN

💀

3.7

SKIP

★3.7TMDB · 3

DramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1910, 19-year-old Horace Robedaux, still bitter toward his stepfather, goes to Houston to be reunited with his mother, Corella, and his sister, Lily Dale, following a long estrangement. He has not seen either since he was 12 because his wicked stepfather, Pete Davenport (whom his mother married after his father drank himself to death) believes a boy ought to be self-reliant.

“The past is only dangerous when you try to forget.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Mary Stuart Masterson
Lily Dale
Sam Shepard
Pete Davenport
Stockard Channing
Corella
Tim Guinee
Horace Robedaux
John Slattery
Will Kidder
Jean Stapleton
Mrs. Coons
Sean Hennigan
Card Player
Chamblee Ferguson
Drummer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Masterson
Writers: Horton Foote
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "The Orphans' Home Cycle" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Masterson, shot by Don E. FauntLeRoy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Rodgers Melnick. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael N. Knue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mary Stuart Masterson and Sam Shepard and Stockard Channing carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The past is only dangerous when you try to forget.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0116884 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Masterson directs. Don E. FauntLeRoy behind the camera. Peter Rodgers Melnick scores. Michael N. Knue cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

130 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "The Orphans' Home Cycle" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Peter Masterson, shot by Don E. FauntLeRoy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Peter Rodgers Melnick. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Michael N. Knue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mary Stuart Masterson and Sam Shepard and Stockard Channing carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The past is only dangerous when you try to forget.".
8IMDB entry: tt0116884 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "small town", "texas", "based on true story", "based on play or musical".

The technical file

Cinematography: Don E. FauntLeRoy
Original score: Peter Rodgers Melnick
Editing: Michael N. Knue
Production design: Barbara Haberecht
Costume design: Jean-Pierre Dorléac
Makeup / hair: Jeanie L. D'Iorio
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Lily Dale (1996)

Part of

The Orphans' Home Cycle

CORRECT VIEWING ORDER: (1) Convicts (2) Lily Dale (3) Courtship (4) On Valentine's Day (5) 1918 // The Orphans' Home Cycle is a 3-part drama written by Horton Foote. Each of the three parts in the trilogy comprises three one-act plays: The Story of a Childhood (Part 1), The Story of a Marriage (Part 2), and The Story of a Family (Part 3). The focus is on Horace Robedaux (inspired by Foote's father) and Elizabeth Vaughn (inspired by Foote's mother) at the turn of the 20th Century to the beginning of the Depression, following Horace through three decades, as "seen through three generations of three families." Some of these plays were made into movies, released individually and not in order.