That Cold Day in the Park

"How far will a woman go? How far will a 32 year-old spinster go to possess a strange, 19 year-old boy?"

1969 1h 47m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 71

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Frances Austen, a young, wealthy spinster, invites a mute teenager into her apartment after finding him freezing in the park next to where she lives. Despite her best efforts, their lack of communication only increases her sense of loneliness, as her possessiveness spirals into frightening new realms.

“How far will a woman go? How far will a 32 year-old spinster go to possess a strange, 19 year-old boy?”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Sandy Dennis
Frances Austen
Michael Burns
The Boy
Susanne Benton
Nina
David Garfield
Nick
Luana Anders
Sylvia
Edward Greenhalgh
Dr. Stevenson
Doris Buckinham
Mrs. Ebury
Frank Wade
Mr. Ebury

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Altman
Writers: Gillian Freeman
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, 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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Altman, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johnny Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Danford B. Greene shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sandy Dennis and Michael Burns and Susanne Benton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How far will a woman go? How far will a 32 year-old spinster go to possess a strange, 19 year-old boy?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Altman directs. László Kovács behind the camera. Johnny Mandel scores. Danford B. Greene cuts. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
257 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
4Directed by Robert Altman, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Johnny Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Danford B. Greene shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sandy Dennis and Michael Burns and Susanne Benton carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "How far will a woman go? How far will a 32 year-old spinster go to possess a strange, 19 year-old boy?".
9IMDB entry: tt0065086 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 71 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "kidnapping", "held captive", "vancouver".

The technical file

Cinematography: László Kovács
Original score: Johnny Mandel
Editing: Danford B. Greene
Makeup / hair: Salli Bailey
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: That Cold Day in the Park (1969)

Also by

Robert Altman

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-01-04
★ 7/10
"Frances Austen" (Sandy Dennis) is having a genteel lunch party with her friends when she spots a young man sitting on a park bench outside amidst an heavy rainstorm. Her guests all leave and she decides to fetch him in to feed, water and dry him off. He (Michael Burns) understands her ok, but he doesn't ever speak as she proceeds to chat (pretty relentlessly) to him before offering him a bed for the night. It isn't long before she is completely obsessed by the attractive young man and he becomes more of a lodger, though with increasingly less freedom to leave her luxurious apartment. When she decides that she might want to look after his sexual needs too, things begin to come to an head - and (a feintly ridiculous) tragedy ensues. The first eighty minutes or so of this are quite intriguing. We see a woman - of ostensibly upstanding character - become increasingly hung up on the young Adonis she has taken under her wing, whilst we also see aspects of the young man's true character that remain unknown to her for much of the film. Robert Altman cleverly and delicately touches on the aspects of infatuation and delusion of "Frances" whilst also eliciting a degree of sympathy for her as we discover that the boy is not the only one being used, here. Burns spends a lot of his time scantily clad, but in quite an effectively non-provocative, almost boyish fashion - and Dennis is on good form as a woman who has lived her life in a gilded cage from which she now craves escape. I did not really like the ending. It seemed a bit lazy and sensational for me. Not that I did really know how it should conclude, or even if it needed a definite denouement at all, but somehow I was rather disappointed with what we were offered..This is still an interesting character study that any fly on the wall might enjoy. I did.

Production companies