Liberty is a television film which aired on NBC on June 23, 1986.[1] It is a largely fictionalized account of the construction of the Statue of Liberty, which had been completed 100 years earlier.
| Liberty | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical period drama |
| Screenplay by | Pete Hamill (billed as Robert Malloy) |
| Directed by | Richard C. Sarafian |
| Starring | |
| Composer | William Goldstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producer | Paul Pompian |
| Production locations | Baltimore, Maryland Chateau de Ferrières 77164, Ferrières-en-Brie, France Maison Opéra Paris, France Senlis 60300 Oise, France |
| Cinematography | Al Francis |
| Editor | Robert Florio |
| Running time | 180 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | June 23, 1986 |
Plot
Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (Frank Langella) and author Édouard de Laboulaye (Jean-Pierre Cassel) agree to create a monument to present to the United States on behalf of the French people. Bartholdi searches for a model, approaching (and romancing) young woman Jeanne Baheau (Corinne Touzet) for the body of the statue, and deciding to use his mother (Claire Bloom) as a model for its face.
Enlisted to help with its construction are immigrant coppersmith Jacque Marchant (Chris Sarandon), shop owner Seamus Reilly (George Kennedy), and assistant Robert Johnson (LeVar Burton). Marchant falls in love with poet Emma Lazarus (Carrie Fisher), who supplies the sonnet "The New Colossus" for the base of the statue.[1][3][4]
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Chris Sarandon | Jacque Marchant |
| Frank Langella | Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi |
| Carrie Fisher | Emma Lazarus |
| Dana Delany | Moya Trevor |
| Corinne Touzet | Jeanne Baheau |
| George Kennedy | Seamus Reilly |
| Claire Bloom | Madame Bartholdi |
| LeVar Burton | Robert Johnson |
| Jean-Pierre Cassel | Édouard de Laboulaye |
| Remak Ramsay | John La Farge |
| Philip Bosco | Boss William Tweed |
| Alan North | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Max Wright | Alexandre Gustave Eiffel |
| Jean De Baer | Allyse |
| Dennis Boutsikaris | Joseph Pulitzer |
| Walter Gotell | Rabbi Goteyel |
| Angela Bassett | Linda Thornton |
Reception
Reviews of Liberty were generally negative. Jeff Jarvis of People called it "as pretentious as a high school sophomore trying to act like a college freshman."[5] Clifford Terry of the Chicago Tribune described it as "turgid as well as ludicrous, drawing upon the device of meshing fictional and historical characters."[4]
Screenwriter Pete Hamill was unhappy with the finished product, and had his name changed to "Robert Malloy" in the credits.[1]
