NEW YORK, NY – The first half of the 20th century was a difficult time for women and no one knew that better than Bess Steed Garner. Overcoming tragedy and stereotypes in a fight to claim her own independence, the story of Garner’s perseverance during a time when women’s right were scarce is classically retold in the Emmy® Award-winning miniseries, A WOMAN OF INDEPENDENT MEANS. Originally broadcasted on NBC in 1995, this elaborate six-hour miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (which has, since its original publication in 1978, sold over one million copies) and starring multi-Academy Award® winner Sally Field (“Brothers & Sisters”, Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire), will be available on DVD for lovers of great drama and literary adaptations on July 29 for $29.95SRP, exclusively from A&E Home Video.
NEW YORK, NY – The first half of the 20th century was a difficult time for women and no one knew that better than Bess Steed Garner. Overcoming tragedy and stereotypes in a fight to claim her own independence, the story of Garner’s perseverance during a time when women’s right were scarce is classically retold in the Emmy® Award-winning miniseries, A WOMAN OF INDEPENDENT MEANS. Originally broadcasted on NBC in 1995, this elaborate six-hour miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (which has, since its original publication in 1978, sold over one million copies) and starring multi-Academy Award® winner Sally Field (“Brothers & Sisters”, Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire), will be available on DVD for lovers of great drama and literary adaptations on July 29 for $29.95SRP, exclusively from A&E Home Video.
From a young age, Texas belle Bess Steed Garner always knew how to arrange other people’s lives to suit her needs. Yet, after her beloved husband, Robert (Tony Goldwyn; American Gun, The Last Samurai) suddenly dies of influenza, Bess is faced with the difficult challenges of keeping both his business and her family intact. Despite further tragedy with her oldest son and a second marriage that proves to be far from what she expected, Garner realizes herself as a steel-willed, committed and loving individual who can both attract new loves and still take still take good care of the old ones. Punctuated by the emotional letters she writes, this panoramic miniseries, spanning seven decades and five generations, follows Bess through each stage of her life: from the birth of her three children and the death of her husband to passionate affairs and the anguish of a mother and daughter locked in conflict.
This moving adaptation, providing a compelling portrait of one woman’s strength, courage, defiance and indomitable spirit, sports a powerful ensemble cast including Goldwyn, Ron Silver (“West Wing”, Find Me Guilty), Oscar®-nominee Charles Durning (Tootsie, “Rescue Me”), Oscar®-winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) and Jack Thompson (Leatherheads, The Good German) and captured a 1995 Emmy® Award for Individual Achievement in Costuming in a Miniseries. It was also nominated for Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting.
A&E Home Video, part of the Consumer Products Division of A&E Television Networks (AETN) is a video distributor of non-theatrical programming, featuring collectible DVD editions of the high quality programming from A&E Network and HISTORY™, as well as acquired classic programming. A&E Home Video brings the best of critically acclaimed entertainment presented in award-winning packaging to the special interest category. For more information about ordering these and other titles from the A&E Home Video Collection, call (212) 206-8600 (TRADE ONLY). Consumers please call 1-800-423-1212 (A&E). In addition to placing orders by phone, A&E Home Video products may be purchased over the World Wide Web at ShopAETV.com.
