It is Thanksgiving, 1973, and the climate is changing, politically and physically. As the Watergate scandal unfolds in the background, the inhabitants of New Canaan, Conneticut begin to slip into an existentialist void, wherein social taboos are shattered on whims and the line between adult authority and juvenile irresponsibility is practically nonexistant. Focusing on two families in particular, the Hoods and the Carvers, "The Ice Storm" chronicles a brief period of rapid moral deterioration, as the characters shatter their social "roles" in pursuit of meaning and satisfaction, within an environment turned inwards on itself. As the narrative device of an "Ice Storm" builds up around them, the actions of the characters - including adultery, sexual experimentation, drug use and petty crimes - become increasingly unpredictable and impulsive. Once the "storm" hits, though, reality sinks in, and the severity of their situation becomes all to apparent in its bitter, and resonating aftermath.

To prepare for the film, Ang Lee let the cast members study stacks of magazine cutouts from the early 1970s.

Ben Hood:
The only big fight we've had in years is about whether to go back into couples therapy.

Continuity: Although the exterior of the railway cars shows the Penn Central logo, the interior of the car bears the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) logo.

Written by Frank Zappa
Used by permission of Munchkin Music
Performed by Frank Zappa
Courtesy of Rykodisc