A Mother's Gift (1995) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jerry London

Writers (WGA):

Bess Streeter Aldrich (book)
Earl Hamner Jr. (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

16 April 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Nancy McKeon	...	Margaret Deal
Adrian Pasdar	...	William Deal
Lucy Deakins	...	Isobelle as an adult
Jeremy London	...	John Deal as adult
Max Wright	...	Herman Mandelbrot
Judith Hoag
Randle Mell
Beata Pozniak	...	Kristine Reinmuller
Adam Storke	...	Ed Matthews
James Prince	...	Henry Lutz
Gail Cronauer	...	Maggie
Tim Simek	...	Erland
David Denney	...	James
Daniel Gullahorn	...	Dennie
Helen Cates	...	Isobelle McKenzie

Also Known As:

A Lantern in Her Hand

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Hallmark Entertainment

Soundtrack:

The Lady of the Lea

Skip the movie, read the book.

When I didn't realize that one of my favorite books, A Lantern In Her Hand, was being made into a movie until I saw it on TV. This is another case of an adaptation that strays too far from the book and with a few changes could have been an original story. The movie doesn't do justice to the book at all. Nancy McKeon was the wrong choice for Abby. She's a great actress but not right for this part. Some of the decisions they faced as a family and a couple were changed, altering the dynamics between the characters.

My advice is to stay away from the movie and go read the book and the sequel, which is "A White Bird Flying."