House Of Ruth is the new film directed by Andrea Arnold and starring Anne Hathaway, Sam Rockwell, Robin Williams, and a host of other top Hollywood stars. The movie follows the exploits of Ruth (Hathaway) as she struggles to raise a family in the 1930s South. She starts out as an alcoholic and abuser, which lead to an episode of suicide attempts and drug use, and her attempts to get help are rebuffed by both the police and the law. Eventually, she begins an affair with her neighbor James, who turns out to be a racist, anti-Semite. Soon, his hatred of Jews will cause him to do horrible things, including murder.
Although there has been much debate over whether House of Ruth in Kingman AZ is a remake of the classic 1948 movie Gone With The Wind or a modern day revisionist interpretation of the original story, many have praised it as a great, heartfelt film with an impressive cast. The film’s strong cast makes it even more impressive: Hathaway and Rockwell both play supporting roles, and Williams also shows up as Jim in one scene, providing some humor to what could otherwise be a very serious film. The plot itself is also strong, featuring the main character’s eventual downfall in a tragic way that makes it a true underdog story. With an excellent screenplay and excellent directing, House of Ruth in Kingman AZ has made a splash at the box office, earning rave reviews from critics who have seen the film.
As you might expect, most of the scenes set in the 1930s were shot in Kingman, Arizona, the town that Arnold grew up in. The exterior shots of the Kingman Mountains were filmed in Kingman and the interior shots of the house where the film takes place were shot in Kingman and the surrounding towns. However, many of the locations in the film were actually shot in Texas, including the house where the film’s main characters spend much of their time. The house itself, named The Red Room, is a real building from the time period, and even has a living room with the same carpeting and furniture that would have been in Kingman years ago. The entire movie was filmed on location, so even if you have never been to Kingman, you will get a real feel of what it is like to live in the area.
