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How to Make an American Quilt
Synopsis
A young woman at a crossroads in her life finds herself receiving plenty of advice from her older and wiser counterparts in this drama. Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder) is a graduate student trying to finish up her doctoral thesis on women's folk art while deciding if she should marry her fiancé Sam (Dermot Mulroney); she's not sure if she's ready to settle down, and suspects that Sam is unfaithful to her. Needing time to sort things out, Finn chooses to spend the summer with her grandmother Hy (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt Gladys Jo (Anne Bancroft). Hy and Gladys Jo are avid quilters, and with a group of their friends, they work on a special quilt for Finn's wedding; as the women work together, they share stories of their lives, and Finn finds herself learning as much from hearing them talk as she does from her schoolwork. Finn also receives a visit from her free-spirited mom Sally (Kate Capshaw) and finds herself infatuated with a good looking young man who lives nearby. Maya Angelou plays one of the quilters, as do Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, and Alfre Woodard. How to Make an American Quilt was the directorial debut of Jocelyn Moorhouse, and was based on a novel by Whitney Otto that itself began as a doctoral thesis.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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Full Credits
  • Director:
    Jocelyn Moorhouse,
  • Writer:
    Whitney Otto, Jane Anderson,
  • Producer:
    Midge Sanford, Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford,
  • Cinematographer:
    Janusz Kaminski,
  • Editor:
    Jill Bilcock,
  • Executive Producer:
    Deborah Jelin Newmyer, Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes,
  • Cast:
    Anne Bancroft, Winona Ryder, Alfre Woodard, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons,
  • First Assistant Director:
    Sergio Mimica-Gezzan,
  • Second Assistant Director:
    Sean Hobin,
  • Co-Producer:
    Patricia Whitcher,
  • Supervising Sound Editor:
    Terry Rodman,
  • Camera Operator:
    Mitch Dubin,
  • Script Supervisor:
    Leslie Park,
  • Production Coordinator:
    Kris Nielsen,
  • Production Sound Mixer:
    Russell Williams II,
  • Sound Editor:
    Richard Burton,
  • Makeup Artist:
    Lynne K. Eagan, Mindy Hall,
  • Production Design:
    Leslie Dilley,
  • Screenplay:
    Jane Anderson,
  • Casting:
    Mary Vernieu, Risa Bramon Garcia,
  • Costume Design:
    Ruth Myers,
  • Music Supervisor:
    Tim Sexton,
  • Hairstylist:
    Janine Rath, Robert L. Stevenson,
  • Key Grip:
    Jim Kwiatkowski,
  • Key Makeup Artist:
    Valli O'Reilly,
  • Music Editor:
    Bill Bernstein,
  • Thanks:
    P.J. Hogan, Jerry Molen,
  • Special Effects Supervisor:
    Martin Becker,
  • Stunt Coordinator:
    Dan Bradley,
  • Key Hair Stylist:
    Candace Neal,
  • Set Decoration:
    Marvin March,
  • Unit Production Manager:
    Patricia Whitcher,
  • Second Unit Director:
    P.J. Hogan, Leslie Dilley,
  • Original Music Composer:
    Thomas Newman,
  • Special Effects:
    Martin Becker,
  • Novel:
    Whitney Otto,
  • Post Production Supervisor:
    Martin Cohen,
  • Art Direction:
    Ed Verreaux,
  • Post Production Coordinator:
    Erica Frauman,

Technical specifications

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