Will There Really Be a Morning?

The White Washed Version Of The Book Of The Same Name This movie retells the story of how actress Frances Farmer Who was declared mentally insane and spent many years in and out of Asylums I think the book is mostly true because Farmer wrote it But she died before it was published and my understanding is they hired a ghost writer to finish the book So I'm not really entirely sure what is or isn't true At any rate whoever wrote the movie definitely added stuff that wasn't in the book at all Mostly what led up to Frances being committed The parts of the movie depicting her time in the asylum stayed pretty true to what was in the book I don't know much about Susan Blakely as a actress other than this movie But she was really convincing as Frances in particular what lead up to Frances having a nervous breakdown I have my problems with the movie Not because it isn't good It's very good for a made for tv movie I just don't like it because they tampered a lot with the story as it was written in the book Watched it on YouTube.

I read the book, which was very compelling and upsetting. This TV film is pretty average. Blakely is a decent actress when she has a good script. She doesn't in this vehicle.

Lee Grant is awful. She always is. She even sports the same wig she wore in The Swarm and Airport 77. In playing Lillian Farmer, one would think her bitter schtick would come in handy. It doesn't.

This film is devoid of over histrionics which plagued other biopics of the era, such as The Jayne Mansfield Story and The Rosemary Cloney Story. Actually that might have helped. Then this movie might have had some camp value. It is best to just watch the 1982 film Frances.

A copy is on YouTube.

I saw this excellent made for TV film when it debuted on CBS in 1983. However, I have not seen it since! It was never (to my knowledge) re-aired on CBS and I have never seen it played on any cable stations (Lifetime, TBS, TNT, etc.) I wish it would be released on DVD or even played on TV instead of sitting on a shelf somewhere. I found this version of Frances Farmers' story to be more detailed, yet less compelling, than the feature film "Frances" but, still good. I read the book "Will There Really Be a Morning?" as well as the book "Shadowlands" I've read all I can find about the life of Frances Framer and I feel this film presented the facts of the story quite well. I remember Susan Blakley's performance was remarkable. I hope to see it again one day or better yet own it!

This was a good movie, but the portrayal of Frances Farmer by Actress Jessica Lange was absolutely worthy of an award. That version of her life is truly a film every aspiring actor should see. "Frances" is one of the most powerful movies I have seen and I highly recommend it.

Having already seen the movie, "Frances," I was delighted to run onto this TV version. And for a television version, it really comes through with much more complex characterization. The relationship between Frances and her Mother is much richer and more complicated than in "Frances." In "Frances," the mother seems to be the villain right from the beginning. However, in the television version, the mother is portrayed as human but flawed. Although I enjoyed both films, I would say "Frances" is definitely written in true broad Hollywood style whereas "Will There be a Morning?" captures the subtleties of a very intricate and complex relationship between this particular mother and daughter.