Convicts

"Freedom has its price."

1991 1h 33m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 21

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1902, 13-year-old Horace toils on a run-down plantation in rural Texas to buy a tombstone for the father he lost a year earlier. Soll, the crusty old Confederate who owns the plantation and depends on convict labor to keep his farm running, takes a liking to Horace. However, Soll is aging and sinking into senility, making the possibility of Horace ever getting his pay increasingly unlikely. On Christmas Eve, as Soll becomes obsessed with his own mortality, he makes a grand promise... forcing Horace to confront his fear of death and the harsh truths of a decadent society.

“Freedom has its price.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

ScreenPix Apple TV channelSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

ScreenPix Amazon Channel Subscription

Cast

Robert Duvall
Soll Gautier
Lukas Haas
Horace Robedaux
James Earl Jones
Ben Johnson
Starletta DuPois
Martha Johnson
Carlin Glynn
Asa
Calvin Levels
Leroy
Gary Swanson
Billy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Masterson
Writers: Horton Foote
Languages: English

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

35 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jill Savitt 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

Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas and James Earl Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Freedom has its price.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Masterson directs. Toyomichi Kurita behind the camera. Jill Savitt cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

135 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.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Peter Masterson, shot by Toyomichi Kurita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Jill Savitt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas and James Earl Jones carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Freedom has its price.".
8IMDB entry: tt0099300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "plantation", "based on true story", "based on play or musical", "racism".

The technical file

Cinematography: Toyomichi Kurita
Editing: Jill Savitt
Production design: Dan Bishop
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Convicts (1991)

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.