Pushing the Boundaries: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) 4K Restoration
- Tue, Aug 20
- Wed, Aug 21
Director: Robert Benton Run Time: 105 min. Rating: PG Release Year: 1979
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Howard Duff, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Meryl Streep
Country: United States
Language: English
The 1970s: Pushing the Boundaries
A Film Center retrospective on the most groundbreaking films to come out of the 1970s.
About the film:
Winner of five Academy Awards, Kramer vs. Kramer is a groundbreaking drama about the heartbreak of divorce and the struggle between work and family.
Young husband and father Ted Kramer loves his family—and his job, which is where he spends most of his time. When he returns home late one evening from work, his wife Joanna confronts him and then leaves him, forcing Ted to become the sole caregiver to their six-year-old son. Now, Ted must learn to be a father while balancing the demands of his high-pressure career. But just as Ted adapts to his new role and begins to feel like a fulfilled parent, Joanna returns. And now she wants her son back.
“a perceptive, touching, intelligent film about one of the raw sores of contemporary America, the dissolution of the family unit.”
—Dale Pollock, Variety
About the filmmaker:
Robert Benton is an American filmmaker from Texas. He began his professional career as a literary writer, working in editorial at Esquire Magazine as well as penning two novels and a children’s book. During his time at Esquire, Benton met David Newman. The pair went on to write Extremism: A Non-Book together, as well as the musical It’s a Bird . . . It’s a Plane . . . It’s Superman, before going on to write the critically acclaimed Bonnie & Clyde (1967), which garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Story and Screenplay in 1968. In 1984, Benton wrote and directed Places in the Heart, for which he earned the 1985 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) is Benton’s most critically successful film, garnering nine Academy Award nominations and five wins: Best Picture, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and Adapted Screenplay.
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