Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) USA
Kramer vs. Kramer Image Cover
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Director:Robert Benton
Studio:Sony Pictures
Producer:Richard Fischoff, Stanley R. Jaffe
Writer:Avery Corman, Robert Benton
Rating:4
Rated:PG
Date Added:2006-03-27
ASIN:B00005MEOU
UPC:0043396048584
Price:$24.95
Awards:Won 5 Oscars. Another 31 wins & 15 nominations
Genre:Marriage
Release:2001-08-27
IMDb:0079417
Duration:105
Picture Format:Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
Sound:Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Languages:English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
Features:Anamorphic
Dubbed
Subtitled
Robert Benton  ...  (Director)
Avery Corman, Robert Benton  ...  (Writer)
 
Dustin Hoffman  ...  Ted Kramer
Meryl Streep  ...  Joanna Kramer
Jane Alexander  ...  Margaret Phelps
Justin Henry  ...  Billy Kramer
Howard Duff  ...  John Shaunessy
George Coe  ...  Jim O'Connor
JoBeth Williams  ...  Phyllis Bernard
Bill Moor  ...  Gressen
Howland Chamberlain  ...  Judge Atkins
Jack Ramage  ...  Spencer
Jess Osuna  ...  Ackerman
Nicholas Hormann  ...  Interviewer
Ellen Parker  ...  Teacher
Shelby Brammer  ...  Ted's Secretary
Carol Nadell  ...  Mrs. Kline
Summary: Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, Kramer vs. Kramer remains as powerfully moving today as it was when released in 1979, simply because its drama will remain relevant for couples of any generation. Adapted by director Robert Benton from the novel by Avery Corman, this is perhaps the finest, most evenly balanced film ever made about the failure of marriage and the tumultuous shift of parental roles. It begins when Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) bluntly informs her husband Ted (Dustin Hoffman) that she's leaving him, just as his advertising career is advancing and demanding most of his waking hours. Self-involvement is just one of the film's underlying themes, along with the search for identity that prompts Joanna to leave Ted with their first-grade son (Justin Henry), who now finds himself living with a workaholic parent he barely knows. Juggling his domestic challenge with professional deadlines, Ted is further pressured when his wife files for custody of their son. This legal battle forms the dramatic spine of the film, but its power is derived from Benton's flawlessly observant script and the superlative performances of his entire cast. Because Benton refuses to assign blame and deals fairly with both sides of a devastating dilemma, the film arrives at equal levels of pain, growth, and integrity under emotionally stressful circumstances. That gives virtually every scene the unmistakable ring of truth--a quality of dramatic honestly that makes Kramer vs. Kramer not merely a classic tearjerker, but one of the finest American dramas of its decade. --Jeff Shannon