Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985)
3.5 of 5 from 48 ratings
2h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Vanessa Redgrave delivers a magnificent performance in this true story dramatisation centring on the aftermath of the notorious 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Most importantly "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" is the powerful and moving story about three loving sisters who are accused of witchcraft. Academy Award winners Vanessa Redgrave, Kim Hunter and Phyllis Thaxter star as the sisters. Redgrave plays Sarah Cloycs, who years after the trials, is seeking to clear the names of her sisters who were executed as witches. The historical basis for this drama is the fact that early in the 1700s the colonial government offered to pay reparations to the survivors of those who had been killed, but only if the relatives could somehow prove that the deceased were not in fact witches. Sarah, in telling the story of her sisters' tragedy, shows the difficulties faced by the accused, who really had no way to defend themselves against the accusations that were supernatural in nature. The film uses actual transcripts of some of the trials as the basis for the dialogue. Redgrave's performance is exceptional, and she does a fine job of portraying how very earthly concerns such as paltry disputes eventually snowballed into a frenzy that saw nineteen people hanged, one old man pressed to death and hundreds of others left to suffer in jail cells. - Actors:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Kim Hunter, Will Lyman, Buffy Baldauf, Les Barden, Hamilton Benz, Barbara Blossom, Judy Braha, Stacey Caplin, Christopher Childs, Jim Chiros, Mara Clark, Bijou Clinger, Bob Colonna, Shay Duffin
- Directors:
- Philip Leacock
- Writers:
- Victor Pisano
- Studio:
- Revelation
- Genres:
- British TV, TV Dramas
