The Claim
Synopsis
California 1849. The snowbound goldfields are littered with countless hopefuls rushing to make their fortune. Among them are the poor Irish immigrant Daniel Dillon, his wife Elena and baby daughter, Hope. Lost in a blizzard, exhausted and starving, they stumble upon a lonely hut with a sign above which reads 'Thy Kingdom Come'.
Fuelled by drink and a lust for gold, Dillon sells his wife and child to the prospector who lives there, in exchange for a gold claim.
Twenty years later Elena and Hope return to the pioneer settlement of Kingdom Come. Although rough and tough, the town is prosperous and Dillon is now a wealthy man of considerable authority, having as his mistress the local madam, Lucia.
The Claim is an epic story against the backdrop of American history in the making. This is a world of sweeping snowbound landscapes, goldmines, rowdy saloon bars and the racket and bustle of a pioneer town.
Hard times where jealousy and rejection take their toll and where one momentary lapse of weakness, twenty years earlier brings, a final and terrible retribution.
Based on Thomas Hardy's 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'.
Details
- Year
- 2001
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 120 mins
- Format
- 35mm Kodak
- Director
-
Michael Winterbottom
- Producer
- Martin Katz, Alexis Lloyd, Andrea Calderwood
- Editor
- Trevor Waite
- Screenwriter
- Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Director of Photography
- Alwin Kuchler
- Sound
- George Tarrant
- Composer
- Michael Nyman
- Principal cast
- Wes Bentley, Milla Jovovich, Nastassja Kinski, Peter Mullan
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Kingdom Come Productions
Contact: Andrew EatonC/O Revolution Films Ltd.
10 Little Turnstile
London WC1V 7DX
UK
T 020 7242 0372
RevFilms@msn.com
Sales Company
United Artists
T 020 7333 8877
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
The Trip to the Northern Lights
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Year: 2026
THE TRIP TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS is the fifth series of the multi award-winning British TV series THE TRIP. Steve and Rob have both reached a landmark age of 60 and have been invited by The Guardian to explore the spectacular, wild landscapes of Scandinavia. The rugged, moody North marks a departure from the sunny invitation of past Trips, where they will be greeted by huskies on snow-capped mountains and feast on sustainably sourced delectable foods. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026
Shoshana
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Year: 2023
Two Brit police officers, Thomas Wilkin and Geoffrey Morton, hunt for charismatic poet and Zionist freedom fighter Avraham Stern in 1948 in the lead-up to the partition of Palestine. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2023 - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2023
The Trip to Greece
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Year: 2020
Following from THE TRIP, THE TRIP TO ITALY and THE TRIP TO SPAIN, and back for their fourth cinematic travelogue, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon cinematic travelogue, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan head out together on a Greek excursion inspired by Homer’s 'The Odyssey' -and, naturally, fuelled by sharp-witted banter and the best Werner Herzog impressions imaginable. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2020 - Spotlight Narrative - World premiere