Tender Mercies is a 1983 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life around through his relationship with a young widow and her son in rural Texas. Robert Duvall plays the role of Mac; the supporting cast includes Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin and Allan Hubbard. Financed by EMI Films, Tender Mercies was largely shot in Waxahachie, Texas. The script was rejected by several American directors before the Australian Beresford accepted it.... Duvall, who sang his own songs in the film, drove more than 600 miles throughout the state, tape recording local accents and playing in country music bands to prepare for the role. He and Beresford repeatedly clashed during production, at one point prompting the director to walk off the set and reportedly consider quitting the film. The film encompasses several different themes, including the importance of love and family, the possibility of spiritual resurrection amid death, and the concept of redemption through Mac Sledge's conversion to Christianity.
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| Release date: | March 4, 1983 |
| Directed by: | Bruce Beresford |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 100 Minutes |
| Producer: | Philip Hobel, Mary Ann Hobel |
| Editor: | William M. Anderson |
| Music by: | George Dreyfus |
| Cinematography: | Russell Boyd |
| Screenplay by: | Horton Foote |
| Estimated budget: | $4,500,000 |
| Genre: | Musical |