Rating: 
Summary: One of the best Stephen King adaptations
Review: Whilst Stephen King is perhaps most famous for his horror novels such as 'The Shining' and 'Carrie', his subtler pieces are equally as good, such as 'Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption' and 'Dolores Claiborne'. Right from the very start the audience is utterly gripped as we see Dolores (Kathy Bates) hovering over her employer (Parfit) with a rolling pin. From then we go forward to the police investigator fronting the investigation into what happened in that house, trying to eke out his revenge for the death of Dolores's husband which he belives she had a part in, and we see Dolores's estranged daughter Selena return (Leigh).What follows are a series of flashbacks and real-time footage until we get the full picture of Dolores's relationship with employer Vera, why Selena left all those years ago and what really happened with her husband. Never has cinematography been used to such a level of excellence as it is in the finale, which uses a stunning solar eclipse as its backdrop. The dreary setting of the present is also contrasted with the brighter, more colourful photography used to show Selena's childhood. The performances all round as spot on, although its the three leading ladies that really give an impression. Kathy Bates as the resilient Dolores gives a performance every bit as good as she did in 'Misery', Jennifer Jason Leigh's just-about-to-crack Selena is utterly compelling and Judy Parfit (who other than this I've only seen playing Lizzie's mother in 'ER') as the snobbish rich woman is especially brilliant as the audience watches her gradually decay. More importantly, this doesn't go down the road of a feminist drama. Although admitedly there are feminist aspects to the movie, its the jealousy, self-loathing and hopelessness that really drives these women. I can't praise this movie enough.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film, though a bit misleading on location.
Review: This is one of the greatest films of the past 10 years, due in large measure to the acting performances of Bates and Jason-Leigh. It's a low-key drama. But that's OK. For the viewers who are tired of juvenile special effects, and paper-thin plots, this is a welcome change of pace. There's actually a story to appreciate, though it's a heart-breaking one. We're witnessing the emotional distance between Dolores and her hurt and resentful, adult daughter. It's not a pleasant experience. But we're made to care about these characters. As the story unfolds, and we learn delicate secrets from 15 years before, the film never bores us with silly side plots, or meaningless gimmicks. Instead, the emphasis is on failed relationships, and missed opportunities. Dolores puts up - temporarily, anyway - with the abuse of her sadistic, self-indulgent husband. Her hands are shriveled, from endless hours, and years, of cleaning her employer's mansion of a house. Do they hate each other? Or is there actually a bond which we can't initially see? Dolores has a tenuous connection with her daughter, who grudgingly travels up to coastal Maine, from Manhattan, to somehow lend support to a mother she hasn't seen in 15 years -- who's ready to be charged with murder. It's a complicated, but intriguing tale which kept me riveted to this movie, wondering how it was all going to develop, and end. I wasn't disappointed. One quibble: While I really admire it, I'm a little dismayed by one aspect of the film. Each time I've seen it, I've appreciated not only the acting and the script, but the fact that it takes place on the coast of Maine. Over the last few years, I've been overwhelmed by the beauty of that place, and enjoy seeing it portrayed on the screen. (e.g. "The Man Without A Face"; "In The Bedroom".) That's what I thought was the case with "Dolores Claiborne". But, according to the credits which follow the film, the whole thing was actually filmed in Nova Scotia. It doesn't take away from film's dramatic power. But I still feel it should have been filmed in Maine, as implied by the script. If you enjoy films with substantive, adult plots, and superb acting, you owe it to yourself to check out this one.
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Summary: dolores clairborne
Review: if you have seen fried green tomatoes, this is another great kathy bates movie.this is a excellent movie, for all wives to watch,kathy deal with a drunking-husband, all the physical abuse she indures married to this man.kathy finds out her husband is having sexually relationship with there teen daughter,kathy sets out to murder her husband without anyone finding out,it a murder mystery,a good story line.kathy bates was excellent this was a very moving movie
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Summary: Delores is the women!
Review: This is one of my all time favorites!
A story of a hard women used and abused by her drunken husband.
Delores works for pennies as a maid for a rich women.
She socks away all her money for her daughter, so she can get out and make a life for herself. Unlike Delores who is stuck in complete misery and heartache.
I love the strong character in Delores and how she fights against all odds to show herself worthy of respect.
I highly recommend the novel as well as the movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Cruel, unforgiving, beautiful
Review: It is a cold, bitter world that sets the stage for "Dolores Claiborne"--a deep-seated cold that is reflected in the bleak winter landscape. Nowhere is the Hollywood lighting, the softening perfection of characters too beautiful to be real. Nor is there the epic drama of a tragedy that is larger than life. The story is small, concerning one family, and the characters are ordinary people. Yet the depth and intensity of this film is unmatched, perhaps even heightened by its narrow focus. Cold is the feeling one gets from the film...The chill between mother and daughter, the truths frozen behind a protective shield. The film is structured in such a way that only pieces of the truth are revealed, a bit at a time, and each piece more ugly than the last. Therein is the genius of the story's structure: it is almost unbearably ugly until the last piece has fallen into place, and then it becomes apparent that the ugly truth is dazzling; it is harsh, cruel, yet at the same time incredibly beautiful. During the entire film this beauty is never articulated until one point near the end; ironically that moment is its one weak link. The acting can hardly be called acting; the artists live their roles to such a degree that they deserve the name. Jennifer Jason Leigh is haunted and haunting as Dolores's daughter,her brittle exterior a mask for deep suffering, her pain consuming her from within. Kathy Bates is so much the character she plays that it is impossible to think of her as an actress. For the genius she brings to this role, she deserves ten oscars. This is recommended to anyone who looks for something deeper than standard Hollywood fare: the story centers on the complexity of human relationships, the underlying beauty of even the deepest darkness. Truly a masterpiece.
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Summary: Hey! A Good Film!
Review: Here's the premise of Dolores Claiborne: it sucks to be a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, with no escape route and no earning power. Duh. It quite amazes me how women, shouting something for decades, provoke no more response than "Yes, Dears," while one man, saying it once, gets everyone's attention. Quite a lot of this film is predictable as a bowl of Wheaties; neck-breaking suspense comes from wondering if these people will ever figure themselves out. Will Dolores realize her daughter is angry because she simply doesn't remember that her father molested her?-- oh, now I've gone and given away the rest of the plot. Well nevermind. Will Selena realize that psychiatrists are like gods-- the fewer the better? This film is so like having coffee with a dear friend. Altogether, you need to see this film. Kathy Bates is so good, I'm mailed her an oat bran muffin, a bottle of vitamins, and a nice warm scarf. I want her happy and healthy, and making films for many years to come. She plays Dolores at two different ages, and yeah, she wears a little face make-up, and some hair-grey, but it's all barely necessarily, because she uses her body to tell us what time it is. We see Dolores sustain a back injury, and the Dolores everafter turns her whole body, and her neck only a little to look sideways; the young, uninjured Dolores turns from the waist with full neck movement. Details like this make you want to go back to the videostore and tell the salesclerk she undercharged you. Julia Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio do not think of things like this. Oh, and she's got a character voice too. I was giggling and clapping my hands in joy like a damm Britney Spears fan. Jennifer Jason Leigh isn't of the same calibre as Kathy Bates, but she's still darned good, and at least she's willing to play unattractive characters, and play them to the hilt. She's a perfect foil for Bates, because she forces the audience to appreciate the depth of Dolores' maternal feelings; Selena is plain nasty, so Dolores is certainly not making sacrifices because Selena has such a delightful personality, or treats her with such respect. Even if you don't watch the film, buy it, and buy it new; let filmmakers know that a film without a car chase or a woman in a halter-top still sells. Please.
Rating:
Summary: Great Stephen King adaptation
Review: This is one of the very rare movies that live up to their original written version --- the novel. Contrary to the usual SK novel, Dolores Claiborne does not have any of the supernatural quirks but is full of hard, painful realities. Kathy Bates is excellent as Dolores!!!
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Summary: Excellent Showcase for Kathy Bates' Acting Genious
Review: Kathy Bates is perfectly cast as the title character, a middle aged woman once acquitted of murdering her husband, then years later again accused of murder. Her young daughter, who had left the small town she had grown up in, now a rookie reporter for a big newspaper, arrives to get the story, but soon realizes that her mother is innocent. At the same time it becomes evident that the initial suspicions of husband-murder may have been justified. -- There are several twists to this story, which easily captivate an audience. Some viewers may be put off by suggestions of incest and disrespect to women in general. Kathy Bates alone makes this film a winner.
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Summary: Women are by far more complex than men!
Review: « Dolores Claiborne » is one of the most beautiful book by Stephen King. But the film, in spite of all the shortcuts it has to use, is even better because of one actress, Kathy Bates. She does not act. She lives on the screen, and that is so rare that it gives to the film the poignancy of real life. It is a rare story too. The story of three women and one man. The mother first who suffers everything for her daughter. She suffers the molesting for her husband because he is the father of her daughter. But yet she gets one day to the point where she can't stand it any more and she puts a stop to it, though it does not change much, except maybe that it makes this father become bent onto vengeance. The daughter who is the apple of the eye of her mother and she is blind to the mistreatment of her mother because she is in love with her father. In love forever, even when this love is exploited by the father to turn the daughter into a surrogate of his wife. She will forget it, full stop, period and that will be all. Till the day she finally remembers. Finally the boss, Vera, a domineering woman who exploits Dolores as if she were a house slave. And yet it is a love story too, the love story of two women who were neglected and wounded by their husbands, the love of two women who managed to cause an accident to get rid of their husbands. The love of two women that are so much alike and yet so different that they are perfect doubles, braindoubles, just like we have bodydoubles in the cinema. The father is limited in his brain. He is an alcoholic. He is his own daughter's molester. Then the story is that of the coming back of the memory in the daughter's head eighteen years later. It is the story of several knots in the mental plots that the lives of these three women are. Vera finally commits suicide because her getting old makes her hate life and become so bitchy that it is unbearable even for herself. Vera begs for Dolores to finish her up and Dolores accepts though she is too late and she cannot perform. Yet this is the prompter of another desire for vengeance in the main inspector of the island who was not able to have Dolores indicted for the death of her husband. And the whole film becomes the defeat of this old vengeful and hateful detective who cannot see human feelings and human actions but through the narrowing glass of his hatred. This trio of women is a rare situation in Stephen King's books, maybe the only one. It is a lot deeper than the women portraits we have in « The Tommyknockers ». It is deeper because it is only human, with no special effects and no aliens. Just plain human beings with their emotions, their fears and their hopes. And Kathy Bates transcend the plot to make it nothing but a voyage into real life. And it is real life indeed. Not a real life we dream of, but a real life we carry in our memory and in our deepest impulses. We know we would do the same thing if we were in those very same situations. And those situations occur everyday in our world. A thrilling psychological journey into the humanity of women for whom death has the taste of life and life the taste of torture. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating:
Summary: Claiborne Holds Firm to the Book
Review: In Taylor Hackford's best film to date Kathy Bates plays the title character and her exquisite performance rivals her own in Misery as the best adaptation of a Stephen King character. After being accused of murder Dolores' daughter, Selena, is summoned to her aid by a mysterious fax, the origins of which are left open to interpretation. Playing Selena if Jennifer Jason Leigh who gives her typical powerhouse performance but tackles it with a less heavy-handed approach. After twety years estranged from her mother, and the past in general, she returns home only to find painful memories and harsh questions from an old adversary, played by the Christopher Plummer and he's a marvel as the investigating officer whose closed eighty-five of the eighty-six homocides he's investigated. The one exception is Dolores' husband whose death was deemed an accident but he believes otherwise. The story unfolds like a finely layered film noir. David Strathairn (here we go again) brings a human touch to the abusive husband who could've fallen into the typical sterotype of film villians in less suitable hands. As you might of guessed the cast is nothing short of a marvel to watch and are helped immeasurably by Hackford's inventive and visually stunning direction. Scribe Tony Gilroy has crafted one of the finest adaptations of ANY novel, showing restraint and sensitivity in downplaying some of the cheesier moments from the book. In doing so he shows respect to the subject matter and maintains the engrossingly steady pace of the film. All in all it's one of the finest, though sadly overlooked, movies of 1995 and should be on every Bates/King/Plummer/Strathairn/Hackford fans must-own list.
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