The film chronicles Farmer 's life from her days as a high school student , her short lived film career in the 1930s , her institutionalization for alleged mental illness in the 1940s , her deinstitutionalization in the 1950s and her appearance on '' This Is Your Life '' . '' Frances '' was released theatrically on December 3 , 1982 by Universal Pictures . Lange 's performance was unanimously praised and has been cited by many ( including her ) as her best performance . At the 55th Academy Awards , it received two nominations for Lange and Stanley as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively
55th Academy Awards
55th Academy Awards
Frances (film)