Liar's Moon

Liar's Moon is a 1982 film directed by David Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Hoyt Axton. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1940s Texas—a working-class teen and the banker's daughter who elope to much strife. Texas band Asleep At The Wheel provided multiple songs for the film.[3]

Liar's Moon
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Fisher
Written byBilly Hanna
Janice Hanna
Produced byDon P. Behrns
StarringMatt Dillon
Cindy Fisher
Christopher Connelly
CinematographyJohn Hora
Edited byChristopher Greenbury
Music byRay Benson
Production
company
Hanna Productions
Distributed byCrown International Pictures
Release date
  • September 10, 1982 (1982-09-10)
[1]
Running time
106 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.2 million[2]

Synopsis

In 1940s east Texas, Jack Duncan, a high school graduate from a blue-collar family, falls in love with Ginny Peterson, who has just returned to town from four years of boarding school. Ginny's father Alex is the town's wealthy banker and was formerly high school sweethearts with Jack's mother, Babs. However, Alex strenuously objects to Ginny's relationship with Jack. At the end of the summer, Jack and Ginny elope in Louisiana—where 17-year-olds can marry without their parents' permission. Jack gets a job in the oil fields while Ginny earns money for household work in the boarding house they now live in.

Alex hires private eye Ray Logan to find the couple. Meanwhile, Ginny learns she is pregnant. Before she can tell Jack, her doctor contacts her previous physician in Texas and reveals that she and Jack share the same father. Upon hearing this upsetting news, Ginny asks Lora Mae Bouvier, a resident in the boarding house who works as a prostitute, to direct her to a midwife who provides illegal abortions.

While Ginny goes to find the provider, the doctor gets an update from Texas that the couple aren’t actually related as Jack’s mother had his birth records changed out of spite when Ginny’s dad dumped her. Ginny goes ahead with the back-alley procedure, which goes badly and results in complications. Jack manages to find Ginny and she is taken to a hospital. Jack enters the hospital room, where Ginny tells him, "I bet there's a liar's moon out tonight", and the film ends with her survival implied.

Alternate ending

Two different endings were filmed and distributed. In the original ending, Ginny dies from complications after the unsafe abortion.[4] This ending was deemed too dark for test audiences, and the happier ending where Ginny lives was screened in some theaters.[5] Cable TV airings have shown both the more positive ending or the original ending, depending on the television channel. VHS copies of the film also included both endings.[6]

Cast

Production

According to the making-of featurette on the film's Blu-ray release, Billy Hanna wrote the screenplay with his daughter Janice, "drawing on his own experiences growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in Illinois."[7]

The film was shot in and around Houston, Texas.[1] It was Broderick Crawford's last film after 45 years and one of Matt Dillon's earliest films.[8] Liar's Moon was choreographed by Patsy Swayze.[9]

Critical response

In retrospective reviews, critics said Liar's Moon is "highlighted by some fresh young performances",[10] but "veers into an abyss of melodrama in the final reel."[11]

Home media

On February 8, 2022, the MVD Rewind Collection released the film in a high definition Blu-ray edition, which includes making-of featurettes and the alternate ending.[12]

References
  1. "Liar's Moon". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  2. "The Unstoppables". Spy. November 1988. p. 90.
  3. "Liar's Moon (1982) Soundtrack and Movie Music - The 80s Movies Rewind". www.fast-rewind.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  4. "Liar's Moon". ANSIRH.org. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. "Liar's Moon (1980)". Scopophilia. June 16, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  6. Zabel, Christopher (April 8, 2022). "Liar's Moon Blu-ray Review". www.doblu.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  7. Morgan, Sarah (March 22, 2022). "Liar's Moon (1981) – Film Review". On: Yorkshire Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  8. Danna, Corey (April 6, 2022). "Blu-ray Review: 'Liar's Moon' is a Surprisingly Dark Romance (MVD Rewind Release)". HorrorGeekLife. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  9. Kelly, Devin (September 18, 2013). "Patsy Swayze, mother of Patrick Swayze, dies at 86". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  10. Brady, Leo (April 29, 2022). "Liar's Moon- Blu-ray Review". A Movie Guy. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  11. Avella, Frank J. (February 14, 2022). "Liar's Moon". EDGE Media Network. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  12. "MVD Rewind Collection: Liar's Moon, Digging to China, Baja, and Amnesia Detailed for Blu-ray". October 18, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
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