Roughing It (2002)

A teenaged Mark Twain travels to the American West during the "Gold Rush" days in search of fortune and his destiny.

Director:

Charles Martin Smith

Writers:

Steven H. Berman, Mark Twain (book)

Stars:

Robin Dunne, James Garner, Adam Arkin

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Dunne	...	Young Samuel Clemens
James Garner	...	Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Adam Arkin	...	Henry
Eric Roberts	...	The Foreman
Ned Beatty	...	Slade
Adam Storke	...	Seth
Charles Martin Smith	...	Platt
Jill Eikenberry	...	Livy Clemens
J.D. Nicholsen	...	Higbie
Wayne Robson	...	Mr. Ballou
Blu Mankuma	...	Johnston
Winston Rekert	...	The Stranger
Greg Spottiswood	...	Orion Clemens
Stephen E. Miller	...	Higgins
Brian Stollery	...	Beamis

Storyline

A teenaged Mark Twain travels to the American West during the "Gold Rush" days in search of fortune and his destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

two part tv movie

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Taglines:

Mark Twain. Rebel. Writer. Legend.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Egy önéletrajz vázlata

Filming Locations:

CL Ranch - 45001 Township Road, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Larry Levinson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

185 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Jewel Staite plays Twain's daughter, whose name appears as Susan Olivia Clemens. In fact, Twain's daughter Susy's full name was Olivia Susan Clemens.

User Reviews

Best of its kind

Of the (usually 3 hour long) made-for-TV miniseries/movies released on DVD under the "Hallmark" imprint, this is the only one worth watching - and it is VERY worth watching.

Yes, it is overlong, and the faithful-adaptation approach to the source material loses inspiration toward the end. But on the whole this is humorous, touching, and as enigmatic in parts as Twain's original narrative. Twain came from a small town in a part of the country already proud of its traditionalism - he discovers the American West to be substantially a different planet, and we see this through his eyes - partly thanks to some marvelously cinematic camera-work.

Twain's character - among the greatest of the enigmas in the narrative

• is also at issue, Was he cowardly lion? Brilliant poker player?

Prospector kept from realizing dreams of wealth by pure dumb luck - or just dumbness? Or was he indeed one of the wisest of 19th Century writers, learning from experience and brave enough to present it 'warts and all'? Allowing the story to be about both Twain himself and the American West he discovered is the chief among many charms of this film.

Recommended.