Promises in the Dark (1979)
A remarkable film about the most disturbing subject of all.
118 min
A young doctor, Alexandra Kendall, seeking change while recovering from a recent heartbreak, moves from Chicago, Illinois to Hartford, Connecticut. She joins the West Hartford medical practice of Dr. Walter McInterny, a doctor approaching retirement age. 17-year-old Elizabeth "Buffy" Koenig is a precocious student at West Hartford's William Hall High School. Her boyfriend Gerry is a football player at Hall High. While Dr. McInterny is away on vacation, longtime patient Buffy hurts her leg while harmlessly kicking a soccer ball during Gerry's nearby football practice. At the hospital, Dr. Kendall finds that not only is the leg broken, but the bone was also weakened by cancer. Dr. Kendall treats Buffy and the two develop a bond that extends beyond the doctor-patient relationship; Dr. Kendall is drawn to Buffy's humor and raw honesty.
- Release date
- November 2, 1979
- Country of origin
- United States
- Budget
- $5,000,000
Cast
- Marsha Mason as Dr. Alexandra Kendall
- Ned Beatty as Bud Koenig
- Susan Clark as Fran Koenig
- Michael Brandon as Dr. Jim Sandman
- Kathleen Beller as Buffy Koenig
- Paul Clemens as Gerry Hulin
- Donald Moffat as Dr. Walter McInerny
- Philip Sterling as Dr. Frucht
- Bonnie Bartlett as Nurse Farber
- James Noble as Dr. Blankenship
Crew
- Jerome Hellman · Director
- Loring Mandel · Writer
- Jerome Hellman · Producer
- Leonard Rosenman · Composer
- Adam Holender · Cinematographer
- Bob Wyman · Editor
- Lynn Stalmaster · Casting director
- Walter Scott Herndon · Production designer