Kramer vs. Kramer

Name: Kramer vs. Kramer
Genre: Drama
Released: 1979-12-07
Duration: 1 h 45 min
Rating: 7.8
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff

There are three sides to this love story.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Timing: 1:45 (105 min)

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7.8/10
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All about film

Video 19

Photo 63

Actors and characters

Watch film Kramer vs. Kramer — 'How Do I Look?' 'Terrific'

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Photo 63

Release date

1979-12-07

Country

United States

Production

Columbia Pictures, Stanley Jaffe Productions

Genre

Drama

Budget

$8 000 000

Revenue

$106 260 000

Website

Director

Robert Benton

Actors

Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff, George Coe, JoBeth Williams, Bill Moor, Howland Chamberlain, Jack Ramage
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Stanley R. Jaffe

Operator

Néstor Almendros

Composer

John Kander

Artist

Paul Sylbert

Audition

Shirley Rich

Editing

Gerald B. Greenberg
All team (38)

Short description

Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

What's left behind the scenes

Dustin Hoffman worked extensively with Justin Henry on every scene. They discussed them at length until Henry began to feel more relaxed and natural.
The amusing scenes with JoBeth Williams nude were optically darkened to avoid an R rating. Nevertheless, the “undarkened” version is often broadcast on television channels.
James Caan turned down the role of Ted Kramer that was offered to him.
Every time Billy (Justin Henry's character) cries, it's not acting, but genuine tears. Before filming each such scene, the director asked Justin to remember some sad event.
Dustin Hoffman offered Joan Lunden the role of Ted's one-night stand after seeing her on a live broadcast of 'Eyewitness News' (WABC). Upon learning that the role required nude scenes, Lunden turned it down.
The famous ice cream scene, where Billy pleads with his father to skip lunch and go straight to dessert, was entirely improvised.
Shortly before filming began, Dustin Hoffman himself went through a divorce. This is why he brought many personal aspects and dialogues into the film. Director Robert Benton even offered Hoffman to become a co-writer, but Dustin declined.
Initially, Meryl Streep auditioned for the role of Ted's one-night stand, a role that eventually went to JoBeth Williams. When Kate Jackson declined the role of Joanna (due to a contract with the series "Charlie's Angels"), Streep was offered the part.
The woman whom Hoffman unexpectedly kisses at the party is Ingeborg Serenzen, a former Miss Norway who had also appeared in Playboy.
The first version of the film was 43 minutes longer than the final cut and included additional scenes with Jane Alexander, JoBeth Williams, and a landlord character who was subsequently removed.
Antonio Vivaldi's "Mandolin Concerto" plays during the opening credits.
Dustin Hoffman suggested Joan Lunden play the role of Ted's one-night stand after seeing her on a live broadcast of "Eyewitness News" (WABC). Upon learning the role involved nude scenes, Lunden refused the part.
Meryl Streep originally auditioned for the role of Ted's one-night stand, which eventually went to JoBeth Williams. When Kate Jackson turned down the role of Joanna (due to her contract for the series 'Charlie's Angels'), the part was offered to Streep.
Meryl Streep wrote the courtroom speech for her character herself, as she was completely dissatisfied with the original version.
Jane Fonda declined the role of Joanna Kramer.
The famous ice cream scene, where Billy pleads with his father to skip lunch and go straight to dessert, was entirely improvised by Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry. Director Robert Benton liked the scene so much that he immediately decided to keep it in the film.
Meryl Streep wrote the speech delivered by her character in court herself, as she was completely dissatisfied with the original version.
The film "Kramer vs. Kramer" reflected the cultural shift that occurred in public opinion in the 1970s (the period of the second wave of feminism in the United States), when the ideas of "fatherhood" and "motherhood" were reversed.
Jane Fonda turned down the role of Joanna Kramer.
The scene between Hoffman and Streep in the restaurant was shot on location at a New York City restaurant. A photo from the filming of the movie still hangs on the wall of that restaurant, right next to the table where the scene was shot.
Robert Benton advised cinematographer Nestor Almendros to base the film's visuals and color palette on the paintings of Piero della Francesca. David Hockney's work also inspired Almendros to create a realistic look, for which he used light sources in rooms and any available light in exteriors.
Dustin Hoffman worked very closely with Justin Henry on every scene. They discussed them at length until Henry began to feel more relaxed and at ease.
The woman Hoffman unexpectedly kisses at the party is Ingeborg Sørensen, a former Miss Norway who also appeared in Playboy.
Shortly before filming, Dustin Hoffman went through a divorce himself. This is why he brought many personal aspects and dialogues into the film. Director Robert Benton even offered Hoffman a co-screenwriter credit, but Dustin declined.
Robert Benton advised cinematographer Nestor Almendros to use the paintings of Piero della Francesca as the basis for the film's color palette.
Robert Benton advised cinematographer Nestor Almendros to base the film's color palette on the paintings of Piero della Francesca.
The scene between Hoffman and Streep in the restaurant was filmed on location in one of New York's restaurants. A photograph from the film's shooting is still hanging on the wall of this restaurant, next to the table where the scene was filmed.
James Caan turned down the offered role of Ted Kramer.
The first version of the film was 43 minutes longer than the final version and contained additional scenes with Jane Alexander, JoBeth Williams, and the landlord character, which was later removed.
The humorous scenes featuring a nude JoBeth Williams were optically darkened to avoid an R rating. Nevertheless, the 'undarkened' version is often broadcast on television channels.
The film is based on Avery Corman's novel "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1977).
Meryl Streep wrote the speech delivered by her character in court herself, against the advice of the film's director/screenwriter Robert Benton. She explained this by saying she was completely dissatisfied with the originally written version of the speech.
The film is based on the novel 'Kramer vs. Kramer' (1977) by Avery Kohnsman.
Every time Billy (Justin Henry's character) cries, these are not fake tears, but real ones. Before filming each of these scenes, the director asked Justin to recall a sad event.
The famous ice cream scene, where Billy begs his father to skip lunch and go straight to dessert, was completely improvised.
During the opening credits, Antonio Vivaldi's "Concerto for Mandolin" plays.