''The Whole Wide World'' is a 1996 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

produced and directed by

Dan Ireland Daniel Frederick Ireland (May 11, 1949 – April 14, 2016) was an American-Canadian film producer and director.''. In: cinemawithoutborders.com, July 5, 2012 He was the co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival. Biography Ireland was b ...

in his directorial debut. It depicts the relationship between

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

writer Robert E. Howard (

Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leonar ...

) and schoolteacher Novalyne Price Ellis (

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...

). The film was adapted by Michael Scott Myers from Ellis's

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

One Who Walked Alone ''One Who Walked Alone: Robert E. Howard, The Final Years'' is a memoir of Robert E. Howard by Novalyne Price Ellis. Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. published the book in 1986 with an edition of 800 copies. The book was adapted into the film ...

''.

Premise

In 1933 Texas school teacher and aspiring writer Novalyne Price is introduced by friends to

writer Robert E. Howard. A relationship soon develops between the two but it is doomed by personality conflicts and life events, such as the terminal illness of Howard's mother.

Cast

as Robert E. 'Bob' Howard *

as Novalyne Price *

Libby Villari Margaret Elizabeth "Libby" Villari (née Webb; born November 17, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Mayor Lucy Rodell on '' Friday Night Lights''. Her film appearances include '' Boyhood'', ''Infamous'', ''W ...

as Etna Reed Price, Novalyne's mother *

Ann Wedgeworth Elizabeth Ann Wedgeworth (January 21, 1934 – November 16, 2017) was an American character actress, known for her roles as Lana Shields in '' Three's Company'', Hilda Hensley in '' Sweet Dreams'', and Merleen Elldridge in ''Evening Shade''. She ...

as Mrs. Howard *

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career re ...

as Dr. Howard *Benjamin Mouton as Clyde Smith * Michael Corbett as Mayor Booth Adams *Helen Cates as Enid ;Cast notes * Olivia d'Abo was intended for the role of Novalyne Price but was pregnant when shooting began.

Soundtrack

Original music was provided by

Harry Gregson-Williams Harry Gregson-Williams (born 13 December 1961) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and record producer. He has composed music for video games, television and films including the ''Metal Gear'' series, ''Spy Game'', ''Phone Booth'', ...

and his mentor

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

. This was their first collaboration as

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Legacy

When auditioning for the film ''

Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe; it stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by James L. Brooks, it was inspi ...

'', Zellweger met director

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, for wh ...

several times but had trouble convincing him that she could play "a 20-something woman" rather than a girl. This was solved by Zellweger's agent sending Crowe a tape of ''The Whole Wide World''.

Awards and honors

;Nominated *Grand Jury Prize at the 1996

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

*Best Female Lead for Renée Zellweger at the 1997

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...

*Best First Screenplay for Michael Scott Myers at the 1997

12th annual Spirit Awards ceremony - FULL SHOW , 1997 , Film Independent on YouTube
/ref> *Best Film at the 1996 Verona Love Screens Film Festival ;Won *American Independent Special Jury Prize at the 1996

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

*Best Actor for Vincent D'Onofrio (Golden Space Needle Award) at the 1996

*Best Actress for Renée Zellweger at the 1996

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fes ...

*Best Actor for Vincent D'Onofrio at the 1998 Lone Star Film & Television Awards *Best Screenplay for Michael Scott Myers at the 1998 Lone Star Film & Television Awards *Best Cinematography for Claudio Rocha at the 1996 Ft Lauderdale International Film Festival

References

External links

* * *
The Whole Wide World at Barbarian Keep
(Robert E. Howard site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Whole Wide World, The 1996 films 1996 directorial debut films 1996 independent films 1990s biographical films American biographical films American independent films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Dan Ireland Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams Biographical films about educators Biographical films about writers Films based on biographies Films set in 1933 Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas Works about Robert E. Howard Sony Pictures Classics films The Kushner-Locke Company films 1990s American films