It really says something when a TV station like the Hallmark station can fund a better, more emotional and memorable film than 99% of the tripe that passes for entertainment today in the movie theaters. This little movie has real heart and class. Please seek it out and watch it.
I loved the picture. Filmed on location in Virginia (not Massachusetts where it is supposed to take place), and even showcasing a wonderful re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg, and a charming, believable cast, it just captivates you immediately and you are drawn into its time travel plot device without any problem. It's probably most similar to "Somewhere In Time" that way, which was also lovely to look at, and boasted those period locations and authentic dress.
Campbell Scott was superb as Scotty, who buys an antique desk complete with old love letters addressed to a "mystery man" from the 1860's. Jennifer Jason Leigh was lovely as Elizabeth Whitcomb, and you feel for her character all the way. When she stops on the stairs and reaches out for Scotty (more than 100 years away from her in distance in the future), I cried. It was so bittersweet.
Estelle Parsons was great as Scotty's mom, always nice to see her. She's such a natural actress. Daphne Ashbrook was also excellent as Scotty's fiancé, who unfortunately gets hurt as the growing relationship between Scotty and Elizabeth develops. She shows a real vulnerability here and doesn't behave revengefully. Wonderful.
If I would change anything I would have had the film end with the grave scene, and not with the girl and her dog, to do otherwise is to suggest that Scotty won't be as faithful to Elizabeth as she was to him.
10 out of 10.
Addition: And to the commentator janeellen, above, who was critical of my review, I would add that even if the story was trying to suggest reincarnation, it doesn't work, and it makes the story less poignant to insist on it. Just as with cloning, no one is EXACTLY the same person or being, or has EXACTLY the same SOUL. So for Scotty to go off at the end with the modern girl and her dog, a girl without the same 19th century sensibilities or soul as Elizabeth Whitcomb, is a disappointment.
Scotty should stay just as true to the memory of ELIZABETH through the years, as she remained true to him until her death. That would have been the PERFECT ending.
I loved the picture. Filmed on location in Virginia (not Massachusetts where it is supposed to take place), and even showcasing a wonderful re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg, and a charming, believable cast, it just captivates you immediately and you are drawn into its time travel plot device without any problem. It's probably most similar to "Somewhere In Time" that way, which was also lovely to look at, and boasted those period locations and authentic dress.
Campbell Scott was superb as Scotty, who buys an antique desk complete with old love letters addressed to a "mystery man" from the 1860's. Jennifer Jason Leigh was lovely as Elizabeth Whitcomb, and you feel for her character all the way. When she stops on the stairs and reaches out for Scotty (more than 100 years away from her in distance in the future), I cried. It was so bittersweet.
Estelle Parsons was great as Scotty's mom, always nice to see her. She's such a natural actress. Daphne Ashbrook was also excellent as Scotty's fiancé, who unfortunately gets hurt as the growing relationship between Scotty and Elizabeth develops. She shows a real vulnerability here and doesn't behave revengefully. Wonderful.
If I would change anything I would have had the film end with the grave scene, and not with the girl and her dog, to do otherwise is to suggest that Scotty won't be as faithful to Elizabeth as she was to him.
10 out of 10.
Addition: And to the commentator janeellen, above, who was critical of my review, I would add that even if the story was trying to suggest reincarnation, it doesn't work, and it makes the story less poignant to insist on it. Just as with cloning, no one is EXACTLY the same person or being, or has EXACTLY the same SOUL. So for Scotty to go off at the end with the modern girl and her dog, a girl without the same 19th century sensibilities or soul as Elizabeth Whitcomb, is a disappointment.
Scotty should stay just as true to the memory of ELIZABETH through the years, as she remained true to him until her death. That would have been the PERFECT ending.