That Cold Day in the Park main backdrop
That Cold Day in the Park main poster

That Cold Day in the Park

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6.7/10 • 57

1969-06-081h 53m

DramaThriller

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

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.

Directors
Robert Altman
Editors
Danford B. Greene

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Sandy Dennis

    Sandy Dennis

    Frances Austen

  2. Michael Burns

    Michael Burns

    The Boy

  3. Susanne Benton

    Susanne Benton

    Nina

  4. David Garfield

    David Garfield

    Nick

  5. Luana Anders

    Luana Anders

    Sylvia

  6. Edward Greenhalgh

    Edward Greenhalgh

    Dr. Stevenson

  7. Doris Buckinham

    Doris Buckinham

    Mrs. Ebury

  8. Frank Wade

    Frank Wade

    Mr. Ebury

  9. Rae Brown

    Rae Brown

    Mrs. Parnell

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jan 4, 2023

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.

Media

  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster
  • That Cold Day in the Park poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$500,000.00
Revenue
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Keywords
based on novel or bookkidnappingheld captivevancouverhouse guestpark benchhuman pettaken captive