The Pilot's Wife

I liked the picture very much and realized at the end that it was not being filmed in Ireland but in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, the site of the real, disastrous Swiss Air Flight crash several years ago. I have pictures that I shot in exactly the same spot which features the light house which you can see as they zoom in on the crash site at the end of the movie. The end credits did not include any of the actual location sites or credit giving to any of the establishments where they did the filming.The ending was a bit abrupt without mention of what happened to the character played by Scott Campbell. All in all, however, it was better than most of this type of story.

This movie was aired this week in the UK one afternoon and made for enjoyable and compulsive viewing. The story was good and all the talent worked well and I was impressed how slick was the direction and editing in telling the story. American movies work to high production values and this was no exception, very slick and watchable, but seeing what was supposed to be Ireland and London destroyed the credibility of the movie, the magic was gone. Why? I've looked at the credentials of the Producer, Director, and Art Department and they're all seasoned fine professionals, so I'd love to know why so many continuity errors were allowed in the final cut. Was is ignorance? or was there a budget problem? Somebody please tell me! Well if you think I'm being picky, here goes - Nova Scotia may look like Ireland but buildings are in stone or brick. The harbour looked nothing like Ireland, more like Norway.The Canadian registered helicopter wouldn't be working in Eire, they've got their own. A liberal dose of gaffer tape could have converted the "C" into a "G" making it a British aircraft, that would have been credible. Irish military trucks do not wear North American plates. No British Police force uses American cars or vans. The Irish Police are called the GARDA and that is displayed on their police cars which are current models with Eire plates, not like the old model England registered Range Rover used in the story. Come on guys, its a different country! The black Rover model she drove to Malin Head (and which had been parked in the London street)is a rare 1950's model, was she supposed to have rented it? Driving on the left looks OK but the double yellow lines in the centre of the road scream WRONG! Over here they mean No Parking and are at the side of the road. It seems as if the Art Department didn't know, and didn't bother to check for continuity errors, while the Director could have covered most of these sins with tighter shots. All of this adds up to a big lack of professionalism. There were many other small errors which it wouldn't be fair to include, there has to be a balance. I have only mentioned the real howlers that spoilt the story. Someone somewhere on this movie didn't care and let the team down. Getting the correct information in pre-production wouldn't have been a cost issue to this production, so there you go, only get 6 out of 10 - must try harder!

If you're a big fan of C Lahti - see this - her face is wonderful, catching myriad emotions with depth & grace.

The rest of it is lame - low plot, leads that die, ideas not followed through, unsatisfying characters going half-way, no pay off.

Campbell Scott, while easy on the eyes resorts to two tones - one flat & the other flatter.

Supporting cast has little to work with in the way of story, development or location. There is nothing redeeming about any of the film except for Lahti's acting.

You'd be better off browsing in the romance section of the used book store.

I quite liked this film, apart from the later UK 'setting' and how the story skirted close to glorifying the IRA. Christine Lahti portrayed a strong character whose life fell apart not once, but about three times, whilst discovering the truth about the death - and life - of her pilot husband. And Glasgow-born Kirsty Mitchell was strangely compelling as Muire ('M-yoo-ire', as Lahti's character stumbled with). I felt like the film should have ended a scene or two before it actually did, and I don't know what Lahti's character established by visiting Ireland, but the rest of the story kept me hooked. I also admired how an obvious scene was avoided, in the hotel room between Kathryn and the union rep (is that what he was? Did he turn out to be some kind of government agent in the end? Not sure). The contrast between the wife's broken memories of her husband - shining his shoes, waving goodbye in full uniform, playing happily with the daughter - and the uncovered truth was dramatic and well filmed. The London and Ireland 'locations' (in Halifax, Nova Scotia) were tired and the stuff of American mythology - did somebody in the pub actually say 'Guv'nor'? - but that was the only real failing. I'll definitely read Anita Shreve's novel, to compare the two versions. The comments on airport security and terrorism did not escape deeper consideration either, after last year's tragic events.

in the title role of a pilot's wife who must contend with his sudden mysterious death overseas. His plane went down, and she is besieged by officials and airline PR executives, all anxious to learn the truth, for their own varied interests. Campbell Scott is also very good as airline company man who follows Lahti to London. She hopes to clear her husband's name, but what she finds there only creates even greater turmoil.

Without giving away the twist, suffice to say her family in Massachusetts, her daughter, and her perceptions that her marriage was a happy one are challenged, and met with adversity. She handles this at first, incredulously (an amazingly underplayed performance by Lahti, reflecting shock and betrayal).

Written by Anita Shreve, the story takes the twist of the storyteller, (in this case Lahti) and her own personal story. She does not care about terrorism or what the peripheral facts of the case were. She lost her husband, and the facade she thought was her family. 8/10.