Reviews & Ratings for
Fire in the Dark (TV) More at IMDbPro »

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
that's what you are to me. it's a compliment., 31 October 2002
Author: petershelleyau from Sydney, Australia

Lindsay Wagner is Janet, the daughter of Emily Miller (Olympia Dukakis) a 75 year old former teacher who is becoming less independent as she gets older. A broken hip, the death of her best friend Henny Dutton (Jean Stapleton), and a burglary where she confronts the thief all contribute to Emily's deteriorating spirit. Janet takes her mother to live with her family, but things aren't easy.

Wagner doesn't shy away from the challenge of Dukakis or Edward Herrmann as her failed brother Robert, even if she doesn't look like a relative of either and their theater backgrounds make their acting choices larger than Wagner. However their bigness works for their characters who have more dimension than Janet who is arrogant superiority and anger shrouded in martyrdom. Wearing her hair partly tied in a bun to suggest her control and intellectualism, Wagner is best when chiding her husband Richard (Ray Wise) about his inability to serve food at a party that she has prepared. A scene when Emily and Janet look at a retirement home shows the difference in mugging between Dukakis and Wagner, with Dukakis underplaying her horror and Wagner wide-eyed reacting to Dukakis.

The teleplay by David J Hill explains the title as what Emily's deceased husband Arthur (George Hearn) says she means to him, and Hill opens with the scene that he concludes with, so the outcome is telegraphed. Character delineation is evident in an exchange between Janet and Emily, where Janet tells her `I'm trying to help you' and Emily replies `Right into the next world'.

Director David Jones may have gone overboard with Dukakis' aging makeup, it's a shame Stapleton is killed off so quickly, and he uses black and white footage for Emily's flashbacks which turn to color by the end.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Fire in the Dark Provides Plenty of Sparks ****, 26 August 2009

Author: edwagreen from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Excellent film dealing with 2 sisters who are living together. Olympia Dukakis is ailing and as a result has literally become afraid of life and is housebound. On the other hand, Jean Stapleton, as Henny, is the live-wire in every sense of the word.

Naturally, given the oddities of life, Henny, who drives a car, and wears two shamrocks coming down her ears, drops dead in the kitchen of an apparent heart attack, one evening.

Henny's sudden death brings added urgency to the problem. What is to become of the Dukakis character?

The film is an excellent one as it deals with trying to cope with those who are ill among us, their fears, tribulations, and their inability to connect to the rest of the world. The problems of nursing homes are well discussed.

While not the fondest of subjects, this film is a tribute to the difficulties and surprises that life has in store for us. Yes, it's always the sick one who seems to go on and on. We're dealing with writing that is so true to life. We're also dealing with educated people confronting the aging process. Dukakis is outstanding in the role. She conveys the fears that ailing, elderly people have. So much is true, especially the beginning of illness brought on a broken hip. We see sibling rivalry where a brother feels that he wasn't loved as much as his sister. Edward Herrmann and Lindsay Wagner, portray teachers caught up in this rivalry. A sad, compelling film, it is one that should definitely be seen.

Add another review

Related Links