Barn Burning (1980)
Ab Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is a Southern tenant farmer whose unrelenting and violent nature proves to be his undoing in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. Snopes sets his employer's barn on fire when he thinks he's been treated unfairly. His son, Sarty, is horrified. Snopes escapes justice for lack of proof, but he and his family are told to move on. No sooner do they move than Snopes is offended by his new rich employer. Torn between trying to win his father's acceptance and his aversion to what his father will do, Sarty must make a decision and act quickly. Adapted by Academy Award winning screenwriter Horton Foote, Faulkner's complex world of class divisions and hostile family relationships comes to life through a boy's attempt to liberate himself from hatred and poverty.
Director: Peter Werner
![]() |
Tommy Lee Jones as Ab Snopes |
![]() |
Diane Kagan as Mother |
![]() |
Shawn Whittington as Sarty Snopes |
![]() |
Carolyn Coates as Aunt |
![]() |
Michael Riney as Brother |
![]() |
Jennie Hughes as Lena Snopes |
![]() |
Julie Kaye Fanton as Donna Mae Snopes |
![]() |
Al Scott as Judge |
![]() |
Tom Royals as Harris |
![]() |
Jimmy Faulkner as Major DeSpain |
![]() |
Jean Pettigrew as Mrs. DeSpain |
![]() |
Thomas Hal Phillips as Justice |
![]() |
James Franks as Blacksmith |
![]() |
Simpson Hemphill as Stranger |
![]() |
Henry Fonda as Self - Series Host (uncredited) |
| Art | Patrizia von Brandenstein | Art Direction |
| Writing | William Faulkner | Short Story |
| Sound | Elizabeth Swados | Music |
| Production | Ken Golden | Associate Producer |
| Camera | Peter Sova | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Jay Freund | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Robert Pusilo | Costume Design |
| Production | Calvin Skaggs | Producer |
| Production | Robert Geller | Executive Producer |
| Writing | Horton Foote | Teleplay |
| Directing | Walter Rearick | Assistant Director |
| Directing | Peter Werner | Director |