Lange is fierce and fearless, gritty and elegant. As Frances falls deeper into disarray and gets dragged into a hellish institutionalized existence, Lange is wild and unencumbered without ever leaning on too much showiness. Everything she does in painfully. A great performance is no guarantee of a great film, but Clifford crafts a fully realized work worthy of the force of nature at its core. He builds scenes beautifully, shadowing them with the rupturing moods of his title character.

Not nearly as bleak as it sounds, this film works because Lange understands this character from the inside out, and never lets her become melodramatic or weak.

Takes awhile to get going but holy fuck. Jessica Lange was amazing.

Jessica Lange is marvelous !

Frances is slow in spots and it shows its age but, I can see why Jessica Lange and Kim Stanley were both nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes for their roles. Sam Shepard is equally wonderful in this and deserved recognition. The story is tragic and beautiful. I can see why Kurt Cobain became obsessed with this icon. She was way ahead of her time and her spirit got crushed by her own family - the same way his did.

Lange at her best! Tragic and heartrending at times it tells the story of the contract player Frances Farmer whose trials with a domineering mother combined with free spiritedness and a lust for life collides with the times in which she lives in.

Startling and tragic. Easily Lange's best work. Highly recommended.

If not for Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, this would easily be the best female acting of the decade.