''Midwives'' is a

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, starring

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Briti ...

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cro ...

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as ...

Alison Pill Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television ...

and

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award no ...

. It was directed by

Glenn Jordan Glenn Jordan (born April 5, 1936) is a retired American television director and producer. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jordan directed multiple episodes of ''Family'' and helmed numerous television movies, several based on real persons as divers ...

. The film is based in the 1997 novel ''

Midwives A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; con ...

'' written by

Chris Bohjalian Chris A. Bohjalian ( hy, Քրիս Պոհճալեան) is an Armenian-American novelist and the author of 20 novels, including ''Midwives'' (1997), '' The Sandcastle Girls'' (2012), '' The Guest Room'' (2016), and ''The Flight Attendant'' (2018). ...

. It was Lifetime's 100th Original Movie and had the highest rating in the network's history.

Plot

Sibyl Danforth, a midwife in rural Vermont, is charged with manslaughter in the death of one of her patients.

Cast

as Sibyl Danforth *

as Stephen Hastings *

as Rand Danforth *

as Constance 'Connie' Danforth *

as Cheryl Visco

Reception

Midwives got most favorable reviews from critics and was nominated for "Best Motion Picture Made for Television" in the

6th Golden Satellite Awards The 6th Golden Satellite Awards were given on January 19, 2002, at the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry) – Karl Malden Spec ...

, but lost for ''

The Day Reagan Was Shot ''The Day Reagan Was Shot'' is a 2001 American made-for-television film drama film directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and co-produced by Oliver Stone. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Haig and Richard Crenna as Ronald Reagan, and co-stars Mi ...

''. Sissy Spacek was nominated for a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

in the category of "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries" and a

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

in the category of "Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television", but lost both to

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

in '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows''.

References

External links

*
Midwives at Moviefone

Midwives at TCM

Midwives at British Film Institute
2001 films American television films 2000s English-language films {{US-tv-film-stub