Under the Greenwood Tree (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I stumbled across this delightful gem of a film recently: as everything I've ever read & seen of Hardy is quite tragic, I was expecting quite the same from this...boy, was I in for a surprise! This light-hearted romance comes from the usually gloom & doom Thomas Hardy pen: well-acted & filmed, this movie is a nice treat...
When Fancy Day returns to Mellstock to care for her father & teach the local schoolchildren, she creates quite a stir: the townspeople don't quite know what to make of this educated girl & the parson's plans to replace their beloved choir with her playing of the "harmonia" (organ). Pretty soon the sweet & beautiful Fancy has attracted the eye of three men: a poor but handsome carrier, a rich but crass farmer and a gentlemanly but superior parson. Her father urges her to marry well, but Fancy wants to follow her heart: will true love win out in the end?!
For those of you worried about content, it is kept to a few stolen kisses between an unmarried couple; there is also some time when a young man is in the river with his shirt off & he & a young lady steal a kiss. There is some mild carousing, as a few of the townsfolk show up to the church a bit tipsy on cider.
I was quite impressed by this film: I kept waiting for the dark, depressing side of Hardy to come out & almost couldn't believe that the tone of the film seemed to be upbeat most of the time. Surprisingly, the film stayed on the happier side & ended quite nicely: I love Hardy's other stories, but it is quite refreshing to see that he was not always doom & gloom, and could pen such a sweet & spirited tale as this!! Highly recommended!

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In a small village in the south of England, Dick Dewy, a handsome working man, falls in love with Fancy Day, a newly arrived schoolteacher from a wealthy family who happens to be the village beauty. But other, richer men also want to win the hand of Fancy. There's Farmer Shiner, a wealthy landowner, and Reverend Maybold, the decent young vicar. Who will win Fancy's hand? And even if she agrees to marry Dick, will her father consent to the marriage? This charming, timeless story of rural life gave Thomas Hardy his first real taste of success, and with its rustic setting and moving tale of young love, it weaves a spell that still entrances today.

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Heart and Souls (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie revolves around one question "What one thing, if you did it, would've made a difference in your life?"
It is a good question for all of us to consider in the course of our daily lives. In this movie, four people die prematurely in a bus accident - OK, four people plus the bus driver whose mind was preoccupied with sex and instead of watching where he was driving, he swerved off the bridge. All of these four people had some unfinished business, so they remain earthbound. They find themselves attached to a body of a kid and stick around until he's all grown up. Not knowing at first what to do, or the reason for them being earthbound, they are attempting to be of help to the kid, but seeing that they are causing him more problems than help, they stop interfering with his life and mind their own business, still wondering why are they stuck.
Eventually, it is revealed to them that they were still earthbound so that they could resolve one thing that would've made a difference in their lives. Now, the challenge begins, because it is not just a matter of doing the thing, but about overcoming inner obstacle, and having guts to follow one's heart. After all, that is what life is about, that is what every day is about - having the courage to follow one's heart, having the courage to listen to one's soul - and in this movie it is a team-spirit of one individual helping another to do that one thing that would've given meaning to his life, that would have left him enriched and empowered in some way, that would've justified the reason he had the body in the first place. One may here also developed a new appreciation for one's body and one's life on earth because there are some things that just can't be done without it.
The characters and the cast in this movie are utterly delightful and as you watch the movie, it's not only that you may enjoy the movie, but perhaps it helps you to look at your life in a different way and consider what it is that you would like your life to stand for and to just go for it.
The movie is not only heartwarming but also full of humorous tidbits and at the end of the movie there's a part with B.B. King playing that sent thrills and shivers of delight throughout my body.


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HEART AND SOULS - DVD Movie

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