''The Stone Boy'' is a 1984 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Christopher Cain Christopher Cain (born October 29, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Cain was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1969, he married Sharon Thomas, and adopted her two sons, Roger and Dean. The couple's daughter Krisin ...

and starring

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

Frederic Forrest Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (born December 23, 1936) is an American actor. Forrest came to public attention for his performance in ''When the Legends Die'' (1972), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising N ...

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

Wilford Brimley Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the l ...

Linda Hamilton Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. She played Sarah Connor in the '' Terminator'' film series and Catherine Chandler in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–1990), for which she was nomina ...

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and ...

and

Jason Presson Jason Presson (born August 31, 1971) is a former American child actor, best known for his role of Darren in the 1985 movie ''Explorers'', alongside Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. Career His debut came in 1984 with the film '' The Stone Boy'' pe ...

. It is based on the 1957 short story " The Stone Boy" by American author

Gina Berriault Gina Berriault (January 1, 1926 – July 15, 1999), was an American novelist and short story writer. Biography Berriault was born in Long Beach, California, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. Her father was a freelance writer and Berriault took ...

Plot

The Hillerman family copes with the aftermath of the death of one of their children in a hunting accident.

Cast

... Joe Hillerman *

... Arnold Hillerman *

... Ruth Hillerman * Susan Blackstone ... Nora Hillerman *

... Eugene Hillerman *

... Andy Jansen * Cindy Fisher ... Amalie * Gail Youngs ... Lu Jansen *

... George Jansen *

Mary Ellen Trainor Mary Ellen Trainor (July 8, 1952 – May 20, 2015) was an American character actress best known for her roles as LAPD psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods in the '' Lethal Weapon'' films, newscaster Gail Wallens in '' Die Hard'' and '' Ricochet'', ...

... Doris Simms *

... Eva Crescent Moon Lady *

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

... Petrified man at carnival ( cameo)

Production

Principal photography began on June 28, 1983. Filming took place in and around the area of

Cascade, Montana Cascade is a town in Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 600 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2020 had a population of 84,414. Cascade was incorporated in ...

where the Hillerman farm is located. The Hillerman Ranch had been abandoned for years, so the crew had to paint, furnish the house and groom the yard before production began. Filming was also conducted in the town of Cascade, including at Hillside Cemetery, Cascade's Sportsman's Club, and the local park for a carnival sequence. More than 200 local area residents were hired for stand ins and speaking roles. Next they traveled to

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

to begin filming in the city, at a local truck stop just north of town, the bus station, and a saloon. Reshoots were frequently required because of problems and delays. Production wrapped in late July and early August 1983.

Release

''The Stone Boy'' was released on April 4, 1984 in New York and in select cities. It was pulled from movie theaters after a week. It grossed $261,033 in its run.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, it has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average of 6.5/10.

Home media

''The Stone Boy'' was released on video by CBS Fox Video. The DVD was released by Anchor Bay on May 17, 2005.

References

External links

* * 1984 films 1984 drama films American drama films Films scored by James Horner Films about families Films based on short fiction Films produced by Joe Roth Films shot in Montana 20th Century Fox films Films directed by Christopher Cain 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{1980s-drama-film-stub