In the book, the quote is "Six pins, not four!"

At the risk of sounding like I'm queening out (especially here): I hold this movie, and everything in it very close. "Dolores Claiborne" is my favorite Kathy Bates film, and also happens to be her personal favorite role.

They filmed in Nova Scotia from April to late July,1994. All of the darker, colder present-day content was filmed first, and on Kodak film, which produces very cool footage.

The crew then switched to Fuji film (which photographs much warmer), to capture the visually sunny past. This wasn't the first time this had been done, but the attention to detail pleases me greatly, because it really did make all the difference.

The transitions in "Dolores Claiborne" are some of my favorite moments in any movie. They are at once beautifully and cleverly executed. Joe's entrance (a ghost wanders in the front door, bringing the past with him), and the smashing window are excellent. But my favorite is actually a simple one that occurs early, before the opening credits:

Dolores drops Vera's marble rolling pin in the entryway of the Donovan house (breaking off part of the handle), which rolls across the hardwood floor into camera, blacking out the scene.

The camera then immediately reveals to the under/backside of a passing (away from the camera) New York Times truck in the streets of Manhattan, leading to Selena's introduction. It's supported both visually: with the relative weighty mass of the marble pin and the large truck, and by sound: the fantastic grinding of the marble against the wooden floor crescendos as it reaches the camera, culminating in the sounds of NYC traffic. Not groundbreaking, but well-done. I love that sort of thing.

And don't forget the transition after a drunk Selena attempts to leave, but is thwarted when her car is stuck in a ditch. The mist-filled red shot is kind of unexpected, but it's gorgeously striking and is one of the more atmospheric moments in the movie.

"Dolores Claiborne" also features my favorite Danny Elfman score. But I've never found so much as a print interview with him speaking on it. His orchestrator Steve Bartek once commented in an interview that "it was all strings", but it was essentially in passing.

I sometimes fantasize about interviewing Elfman and not even acknowledging the Burton stuff, in the same way no one outside of film score fans ever acknowledges this one. Although, it would be churlish of me, because I love his work on "Batman Returns", and "Beetlejuice".

I collect all kinds of film music, and have the full deluxe version of his "Claiborne" score on my phone. I hear parts of it at least several times a week. I'm currently looking into the possibility of having Elfman sign a copy for me. I'll just be sure not to embarrass myself in the communication, the way I am here.

It isn't a perfect film, but it still inspires me thirty years later. At some point in the next year and a half, I'm going to see the locations in person (I've always had an affection for seaside towns and Nova Scotia anyway), and would love to someday own a few of Dolores Claiborne's costumes and props.

Bonus: actress Ellen Muth, who portrayed Young Selena, shares my birthday.

A tiny, but rare behind-the-scenes morsel at the link, just because.