Mrs. Soffel (1984) User Reviews

Dead Man Running

[skullislandsurferdotcom · 5/10 · 18 August 2011]

Somewhere between BADLANDS and DEAD MAN WALKING lies MRS. SOFFEL, a time-period melodrama about a warden's Christian wife, played by a wistful Diane Keaton, who, while handing out bibles on death row, gets enamored with a slick, handsome folk hero, a young Mel Gibson soon to be hanged with younger brother Matthew Modine.

Whether it's true love, or the fact Gibson's character (who sounds strangely like Eric Roberts) has a way of conning naïve women, the underlying passion between the polar opposites, with the gray prison bars between them, is an engaging buildup to the inevitable escape and, during the final act the trio: Keaton, Gibson and Modine, ride a sled through the snowy winter with Terry O'Quinn's posse on their tail. The romantic aspect is somewhat thin – if Gibson resembled an everyman prisoner, would we have a film at all? But the direction, gorgeous cinematography and apt performances provide a spellbinding combination of style and substance, although there's more of the first than the latter.

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A Very Lose Version of the truth

[obrien88 · 5/10 · 24 September 2007]

As a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, I can tell you the movie is not at all like the true story. The screen writer crafted this into a fictional romance. First of all, Ed Biddle never wrote the poem too Mrs. Soffel. Ed wrote the poem to a clergyman's daughter in the back of a book. Second, Ed cold blooded killed Detective Patrick Fitzgerald in a raid on his apartment in the Hill district.He shot Fitzgerald twice in the heart. The murder of grocer Kahney was a secondary thing. Third, Ed played Mrs. Soffel like an Irish harp. Ed never loved Mrs. Soffel. Even Jack said so after they were recaptured. That's right no one died in the snow. Ed and Jack bled slowly to death in a cell in the Butler City jail. As they say it's never a good idea to kill a cop. Strangely enough Detective Charles "Buck" McGovern who had one line in the movie became the most successful character in the movie--elected twice as a commissioner of Allegheny county.

Kate Soffel

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 27 June 2006]

Kate Soffel, the wife of the Allegheny County jail warden, is a woman whose married life appears to be lacking the warmth and love that might have brought her together with Peter Soffel, in the first place. When we first meet her, she appears weak, recovering from an unknown ailment. She is willing to continue her Christian work, distributing bibles to the inmates in her husband's jail.

She gets interested in Ed Biddle, a handsome young criminal who is serving time, together with his brother, Jack. It's easy to see why this meek and somewhat shy woman falls deeply in love with the prisoner. He is what her husband is not. When Ed Biddle asks her to help them escape, she is happy to comply. In her mind, Ed represents freedom from her dull life. Kate, who appears to be a loving mother, doesn't mind throwing all away when she falls in love.

Nothing goes right as the plan is put in practice. Kate, Ed and Jack are doomed from the start; in the few days she spends time with her new lover, Kate finds a bliss she never knew. She throws away all her responsibilities aside to go with the brothers into an unknown territory, hoping to escape to Canada. In the end, Kate is alone as she must pay for her actions.

Gillian Armstrong, a feminist director, seems attracted to strong female characters, as it's the case in this picture. This is a story based on a true incident in the Pittsburgh of the beginning of the 20th Century. Although Ms. Armstrong has succeeded in presenting interesting women, her Kate Soffel, seems the right person to bring to the screen since she has a personality that recalls other strong women the director has examined before.

Diane Keaton, an actress whose choice of roles in comedies, and light fare, have been her trademark, here shows a range most viewers didn't know she had. As Mrs. Soffel, she is full of lust and a passion that only a criminal, Ed Biddle, awakens in her. Ms. Keaton's work is the best excuse to see the film. Mel Gibson is effective as the criminal Ed Biddle in one of his rare dramatic roles. Matthew Modine gives a restrained performance. Edward Herrmann, Trini Alvarado, Jennifer Dundas, Terry O'Quinn, Maury Chaykin, are seen among the supporting roles.

"Mrs. Soffel" came and went without much fanfare, but it's worth a look because of the powerful combination of Gillian Armstrong and Diane Keaton and the interesting cinematography by Russell Boyd.

Not one of Mel Gibson's best

[laurraine · 6/10 · 27 June 2006]

I skimmed the other comments before writing this one in case I'd missed something, but I think my initial lukewarm reaction to the film, which I saw on Turner Classic Movies, is the one I'll stick with.

I tuned into this movie because of Mel Gibson and also because I also happen to like Matthew Modine and Edward Hermann.

One commenter said something about the director liking strong female characters, but I didn't see Mrs. Soffel as being strong. Yes, she was unfortunate to be born at a time when women were basically seen as appendages to men. Her husband was not terribly understanding. As the movie opens, she is ill. Then she seems to undergo a miraculous recovery after being bedridden for months. My interpretation of this is that she had probably been suffering from a depressive episode. Yes, Mrs. Soffel is weak. Instead of doing something positive to stir her out of her situation, she falls prey to a criminal, who, admittedly, may not have been all bad. I suppose she had formed some sort of romantic image of Ed Biddle. And perhaps he also had a romantic streak. Both characters are shown to be not at all realistic in the way they see life.

I also found the film rather slow-moving, especially at the beginning. I almost stopped watching. Overall I found, though there were some touching emotional moments, especially at the end, that the movie lacked much of a plot and the characters lacked depth. With such a weak script, I think it would be difficult for me to see much for the actors to have worked with and cannot praise their performances. I wouldn't consider the movie to have been a complete waste of my time, but I couldn't really recommend it.

A stunning movie

[contact356 · 6 November 2004]

This is a visually beautiful movie bringing the story along in with obvious and subtle references.

The title character is a trapped woman. The 'noblesse oblige'of being the warden's wife coupled with her own frustrations and frailties makes her life intolerable. She loves her children; she hates her life.

Here, she becomes intrigued by a prisoner in her husband's jail. He appeals to her imagination as well as her sensibility as a woman. She finds a soul-mate in their exchanges as she pretends to read-him-to-reform from bible passages. She flees with him and is willing to die with him to keep from returning to her unbearable life.

This is based on a true story. But it is a telling of the story of women, most of whom until the last 25 years or so, had little choice but to marry and to identify themselves in terms of their husbands. Their identity was not their own; their choices had to be appropriate to their marriage station; they were judged by how well they maintained husband's well being and their children's achievements.

While much has changed in women's lives, vestiges of the past still do exist. The references to "baking cookies" in the 2004 presidential campaign signals this.

Mrs. Soffel represents the lives of women over time. She desperately seeks the love and freedom that her standing in life denies her. This has been a common women's theme.

Lovely.

[suzy q123 · 7/10 · 9 July 2001]

This one was a nice surprise, I hadn't seen it when it first came out, so I rented it and enjoyed it thoroughly. Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson carry the day in this true tale of a wardens wife who falls for a prisoner. Matthew Modine does a fine job as Mel Gibsons brother, and the entire cast is fine. It's beautifully shot in Pittsburgh, and there is a languid quality about it that I found alluring. Well done all around.

Australian cinema personalities rarely sparkle in America

[JuguAbraham · 7/10 · 6 December 2002]

Australian director Gillian Armstrong makes great films with strong women characters--her earlier Australian film "My brilliant career" being a perfect example. I watched "Mrs. Soffel" because of my admiration for Armstrong and found that "Mrs. Soffel" could not hold a candle to "My brilliant career" even though American actress Diane Keaton was admirable compared to the Australian actresses in the latter.

Armstrong had the talented Australian cinematographer Russel Boyd (who was responsible for the seminal works of Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford) once again to work with. While Armstrong and Boyd used justifiably darkened interior shots, I had problems seeing anything for long periods and had to rely on the soundtrack!

Armstrong loves to develop the female characters but leaves the male characters totally undeveloped (Mr Soffel and Jack Biddle). This is one reason I prefer the works of Weir and Beresford over Armstrong--even though her latent talent cannot be ignored. It is amazing to see Soffel's daughter getting equal or more prominence in the script than Mr Soffel towards the end.

Mel Gibson has made a name for himself by directing "Braveheart," but I give more credence to his acting phase in Australia ("Tim", "Mad Max", etc.). I am convinced that he is a director's actor--doing well with good directors. In "Mrs Soffel" Armstrong has evidently invested time with Diane Keaton, who carries the film. Gibson only lends support to her thanks more to the script than his acting capabilities.

Most of the fine tribe of Australian filmmakers of the Seventies have drifted to the US to become richer and gain international recognition--but their work in Australia in the Seventies remains unsurpassed.

Secretive romance at a 1901 Pittsburgh prison

[barryrd · 7/10 · 26 August 2012]

Mrs. Soffel is one movie with a fine cast that I missed in the 1980's so when I saw this move as a $2 DVD, I snapped it up. It is a period drama and romance with interesting sets depicting Pittsburgh in 1901 and the prison for death row brothers, Ed and Jack Biddle. They are befriended by Diane Keaton, as Mrs. Soffel, the well-meaning wife of a prison warden played by Ed Hermann. The Biddle brothers are Mel Gibson and Matthew Modine as Ed and Jack Biddle. They are likable and good-looking and far from the image of hardened criminals, thus winning the hearts of working people, women especially. Mrs. Soffel is a Christian activist, who visits them with Bibles in hand trying to comfort them. She is a bright, middle class woman with a hard-working, responsible husband and three children. But Mrs. Soffel, who suffered from depression, is not content. Diane Keaton portrays a woman of her time who wants to go beyond her comfort zone and live a meaningful life. Thirty eight at the time of the movie, Keaton's age is about right to portray Mrs. Soffel, who is reaching middle age with her children getting older but she is a passionate woman whose own husband is focused on his career. Mrs. Soffel falls deeply in love with Ed Biddle. No small matter for a woman of her time. Both Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson were clearly chosen for their star appeal. Gibson is 10 years younger at 28, so this makes the romance more scandalous for the early 1900's and possibly titillating for a modern audience. As a period drama, it falls short because the romance gets the upper hand. Nevertheless, the prison sets, the on-location train travel and views of the horse drawn sled in the countryside are quite effective. I did like Matthew Modine as Jack Biddle, the less mature but more fun-loving younger brother. Mel Gibson cares deeply for his brother and wants him to be spared the noose; he feels it's his fault. He also is the true romantic who falls head over heels for Kate, Mrs. Soffel, writing poems about her and showing as deep an affection as he can behind the bars that separate them. Ed Hermann gives a good performance as Mrs. Soffel's husband, a man who performs his roles as husband and father, while awkwardly carrying on as prison warden.

Escape at Allegheny.

[twhiteson · 3/10 · 23 September 2023]

"Mrs. Soffel" tells the story of a real-life 1902 Pennsylvania jailbreak that was eerily similar to the one that occurred at New York's Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015. In both cases, a female affiliated with the prison helped two male convicts escape because of romantic attachment. (The NY one was dramatized as both a 2017 TV movie "New York Prison Break" and a 2018 drama series "Escape at Dannemora.")

Although calling itself a "true story," the film takes many liberties with the truth in order to tell its trite tale of a warden's wife "Mrs. Soffel" (Diane Keaton) who escapes her "suffocating" life by running into the arms of condemned killer "Ed Biddle" (Mel Gibson). It's the usual cinematic claptrap of how adultery can be "empowering/liberating" for frustrated housewives.

The real Mrs. Soffel threw away her husband, family, and freedom to take-up with an inmate whom she knew for barely a few weeks. That's not rational behavior but this film attempts to portray it as done for "deep love between soulmates." Yeah, right.

The film also attempts to portray the Biddle brothers, Ed and "Jack" (Matthew Modine) as possible victims of injustice due to their being sentenced to death for murder on the word of an accomplice. The film doesn't mention that murder occurred during a home invasion with the Biddles and their accomplice being caught chloroforming a mother and child by the father/husband who was then shot and killed trying to stop them. That's felony-murder and the Biddles were bad guys. Also, even if they didn't swing for that murder, there is no question Ed was going to swing for killing a detective trying to apprehend him. The Biddles were clearly desperate to escape the hangman because they knew they were guilty. So, charming Ed went to work on the gullible and stupid Mrs. Soffel, and, boy, did he find an easy mark.

Trying to turn these two despicable men and ridiculous woman into sympathetic figures was absurd. I found NOTHING sympathetic about Soffel. She's a horrible person: a selfish fool and a hypocritical cheat. All that bible-thumping and she broke the commandments as soon as a handsome face showed her some attention. Imagine her being your mother? Her poor children. Of course, her husband (Edward Herrmann) is shown as a cold fish which is supposed to make what she does "understandable." No, it doesn't.

I despise films that attempt to justify immoral, illegal and horrible behavior on the part of its "protagonists" in the name of striking a blow for "freedom" or "The Sisterhood" or against "The Patriarchy" or "The System" or whatever. And this is one of those films.

Takes Some Believing Despite Being A True Story

[slightlymad22 · 6/10 · 28 December 2016]

Continuing my plan to watch every Mel Gibson movie in order, 8 come to his second American movie of 1984 Mrs Sofel.

Plot In A Paragraph: Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) develops a friendship with Ed Biddle (Mel Gibson) a convict sentenced to death for murder, when she reads the bible to him.

A movie like this won't have hurt Gibson with female audiences, even though it failed to make a dent at the box office.

The movie almost seems like a showcase for Gibson at times, as with the exception of Keaton, nobody else (including Matthew Modine and Edward Herman) are giving anything to allow them to shine despite both being central to the plot.

It's a sad movie, but despite being "a true story" it takes a lot of believing!! How much of it was true and how much was dramatised I have no idea, but I'd say give it a watch and form your own opinions.

In my worthless opinion, I'd say it's worth watching once.

Mrs Sofel didn't break the top 100 grossing movies of the year.

Plays almost like a Harlequin novel

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 15 May 2023]

(1984) Mrs. Soffel DRAMA/ SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Starring Mel Gibson as prisoner, Ed Biddle and Diane Keaton as Kate Soffel that was supposedly based on fact. That happened in 1901 centering on those two characters unusual love affair. 'The Biddle Brothers' of Ed (Mel Gibson) and his brother, Jack (Mathew Modine) are sentenced to death because of another former criminal's testimony, which this guy claims he saw the brothers shoot and kill a defenseless store clerk. Except that these claims are made by a convict who already has a criminal record. And since out of the many robberies the Biddle Brothers had done together, their had never been a recorded incident where someone had been killed as a result of those robberies, so it's more probable than not that it had never happened. Anyways, Mrs. Soffel is married to the warden of this particular prison where all she does is hand out bibles and blankets to all the inmates. At first, she doesn't believe Ed (Gibson) when he tells her that him and his brother are innocent in regarding a clerk's death, but as a result of putting one her daughters into bed, her daughter informs her as a result of saving newspaper clippings that it's more probable than impossible that 'the brothers' may be innocent. Ed then strike up an emotional attraction with Mrs. Soffel since she's not getting any from her impotent husband anymore, which her marriage seems to be lifeless. As viewers witness they sleep in separate rooms and act like husband and wife in principal only. And it was during that time, she of course does her best to prevent this death penalty to occur. Although, I liked both Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton's performances, the story structure is somewhat dull and predictable. For it was obvious the film is clearly arguing against the death penalty, solely for this reason is that the accused might be innocent. And this message was mentioned like in the first half hour before it drags and prolongs the movie by showcasing the two characters of Keaton and Gibson becoming intimate with one another, something one can get from a Harlequin novel. And that is boring which forced me to use the fast forward button on many scenes while playing.

One of the best American films of the 1980's

[Rigor · 9/10 · 25 January 2005]

This is one of the best American films of the 1980's. It is based on the true story of the wife of the Allegheny County Jail warden, Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) who falls in love with a sexually alluring working class inmate, Ed Biddle (Mel Gibosn) in turn of the century Pittsburgh and plots to help him and his brother, Jack (Matthew Modine) escape. Director Gillian Armstrong and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner brilliantly decided to deal with the story in an elliptical and indirect way. We aren't telegraphed anything. We don't know if the Biddle's are innocent. We don't really understand why Kate falls in love with Ed. We aren't directly told why Kate is so disappointed in her life. The filmmakers takes this personal story and turns it into a progressive feminist mood poem. It is extraordinary to see a post 1970's American film this complex and this progressive.

Diane Keaton gives a remarkably complex and nuanced performance. The film is almost unimaginable with her in the leading role. Early in the film she communicates the torment and longing of Kate in a way that warrants comparisons with the greatest acting of the silent cinema. We see the depression and desperation in Kate's face in a way that rivals Maria Falconetti in Dryer's THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and Lilian Gish in Victor Sjöström's THE WIND and D.W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOM'S. One of the remarkably subversive aspects of the film is its relationship to Kate's Christianity (which becomes particularly pointed watched in the contemporary context and thinking about Mel Gibson's PASSION OF THE Christ fundamentalism). She is a bit scary creeping about the prison trying to sell doomed men on a faith that will set them free. The suggestion is that it is this same faith, or more precisely the way Christianity is used as a structuring device of patriarchy, that has trapped Kate into her own life sentence. When she becomes aroused by Ed everything shifts, she looks different, some kind of remarkable radiance shines forth from Keaton's face. Her bible lessons become a pretext for sexual release. She literally makes love to Ed through the bars with his brother nearby, which adds a remarkable charge of voyeurism to the proceedings.

Mel Gibson has never been photographed more sensually then in this film. There is a scene late in the film, in which, he is lying in bed with the sunlight playing on his face that in which his beauty is almost angelic. He's photographed and contextualized the way male directors have often shot young classically beautiful women (think of Julie Christie in David Lean's Dr. ZHIVAGO, Joseph Losey's THE GO BETWEEN, or Donald Cammell's DEMONSEED or Faye Dunaway in Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN or Sydney Pollock's 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR). Armstong also allows Gibson's sense of humor to peek out to suggest layers to this character. We never totally trust Ed, yet we root for him or at least root for Kate's vision of him.

The cinematography by Russell Boyd is exceptionally original and the production design emphasizes the grimy oppressive nature of an industrial town. this was actually a critique of the film at the time of its release. It was too dark, mainstream reviewers said. Well actually its historically accurate. Pittsburgh was so soot filled and grimy that the street lights had to stay on all day long! This is the great environmental tragedy of the industrial revolution. Armstrong uses this look for strong dramatic effect and creates a kind of mood poem here that reminds me of the best work of Antonioni and of Werner Herzog remarkable NOSFERATU. Like in that great film we can never quiet situate ourselves, the oppressive dim look of the film suggests we might be in a kind of waking nightmare. Is the environment part of Kate's psychic and physical affliction? Who could be happy or healthy living in this kind of relentlessly dismal environ? When we finally leave Pittsburgh Boyd and Armstrong present us with some of the most lovingly photographed images of sun and snow in American cinema. The viewer so ready for these brighter images that they alter our the way we connect to the story.

That this film was neither a critical nor a commercial success is a tragedy for the contemporary Hollywood cinema. Its failure became one of the many excuses for the overwhelming turn to the banal cookie cutter cinema that Hollywood is known for today. One hopes that cinephiles everywhere will reclaim ambitious films like MRS. SOFFEL as an example

Love or lust?

[sabina-pace · 6/10 · 20 August 2005]

oh the power of sex with a young piece of stuff (Mel Gibson) when you are a 35 year old woman with an unloving, ungrateful, old and ugly husband! i, also, chanced on this film when little other viewing was on. i could easily have changed channel,as the beginning of the film was uninspiring, but i was interested to see Mel Gibson in one of his early roles, in which he looks much younger than the 28 years he was at the time. i was surprised not to have seen the film, Mrs. Soffel, before, it has been around since 1984. Mel is not one of my favourite actors, but he does a good job with the role of a hot,charming guy, and believable performance in persuading Mrs. Soffel to help him escape prison. well, what a waste it would be to hang him! the film helped me to understand why so many women fall for and marry convicted murderers with life sentences. sexual chemistry can go right to a woman's head! i did wonder if reality kicked in for Kate Soffel (brilliantly played by Diane Keaton) when the sheriff's men started to chase and shoot at them! or are we to believe her life before was so dreadful she would rather die? ladies, the moral is, keep well away from temptation, before it is too late. the film had the makings of being a real weepy, and i was prepared to get the tissues out, but the script was not verbally in-depth enough to stir my heart. i wept buckets at Mel Gibson's performance in Braveheart. maybe if the ending had been more heart rendering this film would have had more attention. still, worth watching for two good acting performances. a film for the girls. female writer.

slow moving

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 25 September 2023]

It's 1901 Pittsburgh. Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) is the wife of prison warden Peter Soffel (Edward Herrmann). Ed Biddle (Mel Gibson) and Jack Biddle (Matthew Modine) are brothers on death row for murder although they claim to be innocent. Kate befriends Ed. It grows into a romance and she helps them escape.

This is based on a true story. It doesn't always make it compelling. I can do with a lot less of the courting in the first half. It is terribly boring and terribly long. It takes an hour before they escape. The escape and the fugitive stages have a bit more tension which this movie sorely needs. As for the romance, it's hard to know Ed's true feelings until they become fugitives on the run. Keaton and Gibson do try to generate some heat at that point. It's a 50-50 proposition. It feels more like a romance novel. The most compelling scenes happen in the last five minutes. It is a very long slough to get there.

This is the first American accent Mel Gibson used on film.

[tomligon · 10 April 2002]

Mel Gibson's performance in "Mrs. Soffel" is superb in any event, but viewed in the context that it is the first time he played an American character on film, that his brother was played by American actor Matthew Modine, and that the film was based on a true story of two men from Pittsburgh, it is an even greater achievement.

brothers escape prison, with help

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 2 February 2020]

Diane Keaton is the warden's wife, and helps the Biddle brothers escape from jail. based on a true story. Keaton had already made a bunch of films with woody, and would make some more. Co-stars Mel Gibson and Matt Modine. The warden's wife falls for one of the brothers and runs off with them when they escape from jail. at the start of the film, she has strong religious beliefs, and uses that to comfort the prisoners, but along the way, she seems to lose her faith. so now the search is on! no big surprises. its pretty good. they paint the warden's wife as a little loopy, and they take some liberties. Directed by ozzie Gillian Armstrong.

Suffocating in a snowstorm and can't breathe

[evening1 · 7/10 · 28 September 2023]

"God was telling me He's not going to let me die!

No one would have taken alienated warden's wife Kate (Diane Keaton) for a rebel. But with the arrival of brothers Ed and Jack Biddle, sentenced to hang for murder, she takes radical steps to set all three of them free, if only for one night of pleasure.

Ms. Keaton turns in a powerful performance as a repressed housewife who married too young, quickly had a gaggle of kids, and only later discovered that she despised her spouse.

The outlaws, played by a decade-younger Mel Gibson and Matthew Modine, are desperadoes wanting to chose their own manner of execution. "You're our only friend," Ed tells Kate, who is seduced by a finger-touch through bars and a request for saws. (One can't help but wonder whether New York's notorious Dannamora escapees of 2015 studied this film!)

This story from turn-of-the-20th-century Pittsburgh was intriguing to me partly because I grew up in the Steel City, passing the medieval-inspired 1889 jail and its Bridge of Sighs on my trips downtown. I enjoyed being transported to my city's horse-and-buggy days.

The cinematography here is wonderful, managing to convey both intimacy and distance in the same interactions. I was entirely drawn in by the story that unfurls within the prison's forbidding granite walls.

Look up the Biddle boys on Wikipedia and read of a significantly more sordid rap sheet. But this is the movies, and such discrepancies don't bother me. This film is great for psychological interest, suspense, and wintry atmospherics. Ah, for the days of sleigh rides!

A Mosaic of Drama and History: Mrs. Soffel (1984)

[Hildebrando_Martins_Almeida · 7/10 · 16 October 2023]

After watching the movie 'Mrs. Soffel,' my experience was marked by the director's penchant for frequent and slow panning shots in all directions - sideways, upwards, and downwards. While the intention was likely to highlight visual elements and details, this approach often makes us lose precious seconds in scenes that, frankly, seem superfluous. If someone were to add up all these seconds, they might be surprised by the amount of precious minutes wasted throughout the film.

It's worth noting that some of the prisoners from Allegheny County Jail served as extras and background artists in the movie, adding historical authenticity to the production. Gillian Armstrong made use of the Allegheny County Jail, contributing to a sense of realism and immersion in the story.

Furthermore, it's worth mentioning that 'Mrs. Soffel' faced challenges at the box office, grossing considerably less than its budget. With a budget of $11 million and a box office revenue of only $4,385,312, the film didn't achieve the expected success.

Regarding the actors' performances, it's notable that Mel Gibson had not yet reached the peak of his talent at that time. His performance, while competent, doesn't stand out in the same way as in later films. On the other hand, Diane Keaton, with her experience and maturity as an actress, delivers a solid and captivating performance, as characteristic of her career.

The real story behind the film is equally intriguing. The Biddle brothers suffered gunshot wounds during the escape attempt, with Jack described as 'riddled with bullets.' The tragic outcome, with the death of the Biddle brothers, brought a wave of excitement and even local celebrity status to them, with thousands attending, some believing in their innocence. Their bodies were buried in Calvary Cemetery on February 5, 1902.

Kate Soffel, after recovering from her injuries, was sentenced and served a two-year sentence, which was later reduced to five months due to her good behavior. Her husband divorced her, and her life took twists and turns after the incident.

In summary, 'Mrs. Soffel' is a movie that, despite its challenges in execution, offers an intriguing glimpse into a historical chapter and presents the complexity of human relationships and moral choices in a unique context.

Who Wouldn't Fall For Mel Gibson?

[TheFearmakers · 4/10 · 28 September 2023]

Based on a true story of two death-row-imprisoned brothers about to be hanged, and then rescued by the warden's wife... the titular character played by a classic-melodrama-suited Diane Keaton... these convicted killers have very little interesting about them, while the leader, played by Mel Gibson, looks like... well... a young Mel Gibson (opposite Matthew Modine), who just about any woman would fall for...

And being a likeable, wink-at-rebellion movie-rebel countered by a bullying guard, there's absolutely no edge (or glory) to his performance that would, in a better film, provide Gibson a possible Oscar nomination... he simply plays it too safe and affable here, as does the director...

Who painted a deliberately bleak canvas nicely recreating turn-of-the-century rural America in its mahogany landscapes, dire factories and the actual prison...

But what's here is more a Harlequin Romance montage than either an effective prison-plot-escape thriller or true story that needed telling: because MRS. SOFFEL is more whispered than spoken, and soon after, forgotten.

A big disapointment

[Orgelist · 5/10 · 1 August 2003]

I'm not a big fan of Mel Gibson (his politics, especially), but I thought that his performance was the only thing that made this film bearable. It ran for just over an hour an a half, but it seemed like more than a week to me. I did not believe the love affair, even thought it is based on a true story; the wife must have had some other issues with her husband besides her illness (which was never defined in the movie.

Get a pizza and watch a wrestling match!

Ignored, overlooked, forgotten. And why?

[ecjones1951 · 8/10 · 26 June 2006]

"Mrs. Soffel" is a wonderful movie I have seen many times, but the last viewing was so many years ago I'm watching it right now on TCM.

I'm a sucker for movies whose main characters suddenly, inexplicably make a decision which goes against everything they seem to embody, or at least that which the viewer has come to know about them. That Kate Soffel's story is a true one makes it all the more intriguing.

In early 20th-century America, the lot of a wife, even that of a well-to-do-man and mother to lovely children, was a lonely, empty, barren existence. In a wealthy household with servants, there was very little meaningful work for the mistress of the house to do every day.

Even the layers upon layers of clothes Victorian women wore served no practical purpose except to restrict movement and render their wearers merely decorative. Express your opinions and you got packed off to visit relatives in hopes that maybe the change of scenery would "do you good." There were millions of avenues for creative expression and enterprise that were simply cut off for women.

Good minds went to waste. Souls shriveled and died.

Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) was the wife of a prison warden in Pittsburgh at the turn of the last century. She served as something of a missionary to the prisoners, giving them Bibles, holding prayer readings with them and hoping to guide them towards remorse and redemption. She never expects to fall in love with one of the inmates. But fall she does, for the charming Ed Biddle (Mel Gibson), who along with his brother Jack, (Matthew Modine) are in jail on murder charges.

Kate is suffocating; the Biddles are desperate. Prone to fits of melancholy and depression, plagued with fears that she is not a good mother and that she has failed her husband -- whom she has come to learn she really doesn't know very well -- Kate, like so many women of her era, is desperate for something to end the tedium, the frustration, the despair. She is a perfect candidate for the dangerous voyage she helps plan and sets out on with the Biddle brothers.

"Mrs. Soffel" raises many ethical and moral issues, among them the divergent path Kate takes from her religious teachings, and the Biddle brothers' guilt or innocence. It can be appreciated equally on one or more levels, but it remains a remarkably restrained depiction of emotions and passion that are anything but.

True, it's a true story, but HOW true?

[Anonymous_Maxine · 9/10 · 26 February 2003]

I can't say that I am entirely familiar with the events portrayed in Mrs. Soffel beyond what I read about it in William Coles' novel, `Another Kind of Monday' (except that it was based on a book called `The Biddle Boys and Mrs. Soffel,' by a man named Arthur Forrest, who wrote for small, trashy magazines around the turn of the century, similar to The National Enquirer, magazines which were not very accurate but were packed with information), so I'm not entirely sure how much of the film is a presentation of true events and how much was glamorized for the pulp magazines and glamorized again for the movie. What I do know is that the movie is based on true events, and as a loose adaptation of reality, I think it succeeds pretty well.

Mrs. Soffel is the wife of a prison warden who is supervising the sensational case of the Biddle boys, two disarmingly attractive and charming boys who are sentenced to hang for a murder that they claim to have never committed and that the movie never tells us for sure whether they did or not. Since she takes on the task of being the divine counsel of the boys while on Death Row (meaning she reads certain Bible verses to them to keep them calm), she is in close contact with them for an extended period of time and, as is to be expected with a criminal good looking enough to be portrayed by Mel Gibson, she falls in love with one of them. This is the foundation of the whole premise of the movie, but if you're already wondering how a God-loving wife of a prison warden could possibly fall in love with a convicted murderer on Death Row, let me just transcribe here a poem that he wrote for her while in prison:

`Just a little violet from across the way

Came to cheer a prisoner gimmeattahere in his cell one day.

Just a little gimmeattahere flower sent be a loving hand,

As a kindly meaning that true hearts gimmeattahere understand.

God has smiled gimmeattahere upon it and the sender gimmeattahere fair,

And soon that little gimmeattahere token, wrapped in hand so gimmeattahere neat,

Rests quietly in the gimmeattahere grave,

For which a heart that's true gimmeattahere does beat.'

Very sweet, and since it's Mel Gibson, this honest woman doesn't realize or even consider the possibility that he wrote the poem during a sudden abundance of free time in an effort to get close to her and inspire her to help them escape.

I have a particular fondness for movies that show people cleverly escaping from prison (and/or bravely enduring it, both of which Paul Newman does in Cool Hand Luke and, even better, Papillon), so I though the idea of sawing through the prison bars and holding them in place with candle wax was brilliant, and the escape was wonderfully pulled off. There are a lot of people who criticize the film for doing little more than making a comment on women's roles at the turn of the century (and as many others who criticize it for almost making such a comment and then not making a real commitment to any specific point of view). I don't really think that something like this should be held against the movie, because it makes you THINK about women's roles at the turn of the century. There is a very distinct value to movies that make just enough of a statement about something in order to get you to think about it and come to your own conclusion.

Kate Soffel, the title character, is stuck in a marriage to a man with whom she is not necessarily unhappy as much as she just disagrees with his moral character, convinced that he does not take the content of his profession seriously enough beyond just the fulfillment of his duties. She knows that she is a subordinate to him, which is why, after she protests the hanging of the Biddle Boys (this is just a little nickname that I made up for them…) he suggests that she go away for a while to clear her head, to which she responds, `Go ahead and write to Elsie, or your mother, or wherever you want to send me.' Later, there is a fire in Ed Biddle's cell (the one she falls in love with), and Mrs. Soffel screams for the guards to come, and they drag him out of his cell barely saving his life. As they are dragging him away to the infirmary, Ed chokes to Mrs. Soffel, `You should have let me die,' to which she responds, `I won't.'

She's already made up her mind about what she's going to do.

The escape itself is wonderfully entertaining, even though clearly contrived. It's more than a little convenient that the prison is absolutely silent (apparently the Biddle Boys are the only prisoners in the entire place), and there is a nice booming sound anytime an approaching guard enters for a periodic walkthrough, slamming a heavy steel door on his way in and on his way out. They might as well have had a bell for the guard to ring to warn them anytime he was coming. He also runs his nightstick across the bars as he passes through one time (interrupting Ed's and Jack's frantic sawing), foreshadowing a discovery of their plan, although such a discovery never happens. But things like this do not take away much from the movie as a whole, because the important scenes work so well.

(spoilers) Just before the escape, Ed suggests to Mrs. Soffel that it might be helpful to them if they had guns, and she gets angry, refusing immediately to the request and, as she says, `You think you can sweet-talk me into anything!' forgetting that she is saying this to a prisoner through bars that he and his brother have been able to saw through, using saws that she provided for each of them. Evidently he CAN sweet-talk her into anything! It is also a wonderful scene when the warden is faced with the task of explaining where his wife is at a press conference concerning the escape of the Biddles.

Again, back to the fact that the movie doesn't take an immediately discernable standpoint on women's issues, it at the very least does not present flat characters. There is a scene after the escape where the movie introduces the possibility that she doesn't after all, want to go with them. Ed jumps off the train that they have hitched a ride on, and Mrs. Soffel is hesitant, first telling Jack to go first (hinting that she may just stay on the train and be rid of them forever once he jumps), but ultimately she goes with them, accepting her fate as she leaps from the moving train.

If the movie does not make a specific comment on women's role at the turn of the century, it most certainly does make a strong comment about the flaws of law enforcement. The film, as is to be expected, ends with the Biddles lying in snow soaked in their own blood and Mrs. Soffel in prison, but as the Biddles lie there dying, one of the men goes to fire the final shot to kill Ed but is stopped by a fellow officer, who puts his hand on the man's arm and says, `Leave him be, he can't hurt nobody no more.' Given the fact that the Biddles are likely innocent, the slow-motion panning shot of all of the heavily armed men who just gunned down a couple of young brothers fleeing for their freedom and their very lives makes you wonder who is really hurting who.

As a side note, I would also like to mention that this is one of those extremely valuable films that Mel Gibson made before the Lethal Weapon series turned him into a Rambo-style Hollywood badass, doomed to make one goofy action film after another, which vainly tries to capture the success of the excellent Lethal Weapon movies (which was, as all series' are, a diminishing one from the first film, although the rate of descent was not as precipitous as many other series I've seen, like Austin Powers) and, to a lesser extent, the Mad Max films. Another of his meaningful early films to check out is the staggering anti-war film Gallipoli, which stands with Mrs. Soffel as one of the most effective dramas he's ever made. Bravo.

~*Underestimated Beauty*~

[Tanechka · 10/10 · 29 March 1999]

"Mrs. Soffel", a movie much overlooked in the mid 1980s, deserves a reevaluation at present. With the advent of so many successful period films, "Mrs. Soffel" can be seen as a predecessor of sorts. The movie, a true story filmed on location in Pittsburgh, PA, is one of exquisite beauty and restrained passion. The emotions evoked by it are comparable to those produced by the more modern "The Age of Innocence" and "The Remains of the Day". The doomed couple, played by Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson have an extraordinary chemistry which smolders throughout the entire film. In addition, the cinematography is beautiful (for something filmed in 1984, it's almost remarkable how effective the atmosphere is!). Do not look towards this movie if you are seeking unbridled romance or breath taking action. The rewards of "Mrs. Soffel" are far more cerebral.

what she did for love

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 14 February 2013]

Diane Keaton is "Mrs. Soffel" in this 1984 dramatization of the Buck McGovern and the Biddle Brothers story.

Keaton plays the wife of a prison warden (Edward Herrmann) in 1901 Pittsburgh. The Biddle Brothers, Jack (Matthew Modine) and Ed (Mel Gibson) are in prison and are going to be hanged for murder. In this version anyway, due to their youth and Ed's good looks, the boys are folk heroes more on the style of the James Brothers, and crowds of mostly women gather at the prison each day with gifts, trying to get in to see Ed.

As a dutiful wife, Mrs. Soffel brings Bibles to the prisoners and reads to them. Married at 17, she has four children and a stuffy husband, and over time she finds herself attracted to Ed and believing the brothers to be innocent of their crimes. She is also opposed to hanging. Ed talks her into helping with an escape, but when it's carried out, he wants her to come along. Though she resists at first, Ed wins, and she goes on the run with Ed and Jack, leaving her husband and family behind.

Diane Keaton, with the help of an excellent script by Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia, The Painted Veil), paints a portrait of an unfulfilled woman who, with Ed, finds freedom and adventure. She does fall in love with Ed, but by helping him escape, she's exerting some of her own power.

Remember the days when Mel Gibson was a gorgeous hunk with a wife and a bunch of kids, appearing on Saturday Night Live and making great movies? Yeah, it was years ago. Given that so much has happened to him in the past decades, it was almost difficult to watch him. He gives a wonderful performance, though I think his character was in the script and not the real Ed. In the film, Ed falls in love with Mrs. Soffel; in real life, he undoubtedly just played on her sympathies and used her, as he would have used any woman if one of them had been able to visit him in prison.

"Mrs. Soffel" captures turn of the century Pittsburgh with beautiful cinematography and the excellent direction by Gillian Armstrong keeps the story moving.

A poignant story.

****Spoilers here **** In real life, Ed does shoot Mrs. Soffel at her request as she realizes she will not be going back to her family; she survived, went to prison for a time, and when released, she opened a seamstress shop. Her husband had resigned his position and taken the children to live in Ohio. She died several years later.

The real main character of this case is Buck McGovern (Terry O'Quinn) who has a minor role here. The capture made his career and he went on to great things.

Diane and Mel mix it up

[regina989 · 4 January 2001]

Continuing my survey/reevaluation of Mel Gibson movies (well, somebody has to do it), I give this one 3 stars out of 4. If I were giving stars. Anyway...beautifully photographed, nicely-directed film of warden's wife (Diane Keaton) in 1901 Pittsburgh, in contact with death-row inmate brothers (Mel and Matthew Modine). Diane's in static marriage with warden Edward Herrmann and four kids; goes to death row to read Bible passages to cons...one in particular...! Mel's waiting' on a hangin' while the darling of local starry-eyed schoolgirls lamenting the handsome con's apparent fate. Diane and Mel strike sparks in this period romance. Film is slow-moving in first half, but stick with it.