ALONE

ALONE Hume Cronyn, James Earl Jones, Chris Cooper (1997, Fox Lorber, unrated, $89.98) Horton Foote has not lost his knack for small-screen storytelling. A leading TV playwright of the '50s, he returns in this Showtime film with a typically understated drama set in Texas. The movie thrives on his gift for creating small talk, graceful and flavorful, always sketching in just a little more of the big picture. The picture here is of a financially strapped clan clutching at the promise of an oil strike on the old family farm. As the farm owner, Cronyn gives the best of the many good performances, a subtle portrayal of an aging widower, eager to help his desperate relatives while also grappling with his own sorrowful memories. A-

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