several hours (and some Civil War distraction) later ~

[lookingland]

one script down, four to go (guess i'm sorta dragging, but i'm planning to hammer another two out this evening).

on scarlite's recommendation i got a copy of a made for tv film called The Colt. it's about a young man who loses his brother during the Wilderness battle in 1864 and how he pours all his hope into a colt born after a skirmish shortly thereafter. the movie suffers a bit from being a short story bloated out to make a full length (well, actually fairly short) film (an hour and twenty minutes), but despite its pacing problems, this is a beautiful little sentimental film.

here there may be spoilers!

the nit-picky part of me wants to say it has some minor authencity problems. some costuming issues for certain. and the opening premise ~ oy vey! the movie gets off on a very rocky start: that a cavalryman could be riding a pregnant mare through a war and not know it is ludicrous. it's also not established very well why there's such a fuss about shooting the colt (an order that i find questionable to begin with). also, the line: "they're just horses!" which is shouted at the protagonist while he chases off after a thieving rebel sounds like no words that would ever come out of a cavalryman's mouth.

but that's just me being picky. the truth is, i loved this. it was cornball, but honest, i think. and it had some amazing lines. it's very well written. the scene in which jim breaks down over supper was heart-breaking and i think the ending was exactly right (there have been complaints in the reviews that it's too sad ~ but it has so much more integrity than them all trooping off into a sunshiny future). and holy cow, that moment at the end when the guy throws down his gun and jumps into the water: that's freakin' story-telling platinum right there! am i right??? i nearly cried when covington said: "no sir, this one's for me." (and that's saying something!)

what i love best about this movie is that it does pretty well to avoid the stereotypes and doesn't rely heavily on political rhetoric about the war or name-dropping (a mention of Stuart and Jackson at one point, but mainly it stays focused on the troop).

and it's not about the colt. the colt isn't made to be overtly cute or precious or whimsical or Disney-like. it's just a colt. the story is about jim rapp ~ and i think the covington throughline accents that. he talks at the beginning about capturing the "something special" about the colt in the picture. but what he captures that's special isn't the colt, it's jim and what the colt meant to him ~ to all of them.

the more you think about it, the more powerful it is.

yeah, it's an "easy" story. you see hatch firing the gun from the moment he joins the party. but sometimes "easy" is just right.

i'm really glad i saw this.

: D

Comments

[dsyndicate.livejournal.com]

You're a tough critic... I hesitate to recommend films for you to see =) But you were right on with In the Mood For Love. I hope to write about it a little myself. Many thanks!

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i'm so glad you enjoyed it ~ ! i would love to hear your thoughts!

when watching a film, the most important thing to me about it is whether it satisfies the audience for which it was intended. and sometimes that audience is definitely not me, but i hope i am always nontheless fair!

: D

[bachsoprano.livejournal.com]

You had me at colt :)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

there is one scene where some troops are just randomly petting the colt and it kicks its little legs and is just ridiculously adorable.

i almost squeeed.

: D

[scarlite.livejournal.com]

You are a tough critic which is why I always hesitate in discussing movies with you, only because I like just about anything as long as it entertains me or has some personal meaning to me. I'm always surprised when you like something. :) No offense, you're just more critical about stuff than me, nothing wrong with that.

I'm glad you liked the film. I agree the ending was right, it was so sad, but you're right, they can't go skipping off into the sunset, this was war. I think it made the movie that much more moving. I loved when that guy jumped in to help save the colt, I did cry, but I cry easily at movies when people are helping other people. Hell, I cry at Smokey and the Bandit.

Besides Jim, Covington was my favorite character. There was just something about him I really liked.

Can't wait to see what you think of Pharaoh's Army, cause you definately should see that.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i'm a tough critic, but i like a lot of garbage too ~ ! i really don't ask much from a film: that it's entertaining, reasonably intelligent, and if it's historical in nature that it makes a good faith effort to get things right.

Glory is a corny, overwrought melodrama some levels. it's still one of my all-time favorite films ~ if i were condemned to watch a film in perpetuity, it's prolly the one i would pick, even over The Thin Red Line which i think is the finest American film ever made (but then i've said that about a bazillion times).

i thought covington was a great actor in this ~ just his expressions were so delicate and you really like the guy because he's kinda down on himself and then everyone else is kinda down on him for what he does (drawing dead people ~ though i wish they wouldn't have used actual brady photos as models for the sketches ~ bad bad choice).

i don't cry too easy over movies. well ~ it depends on my mood ~ hahahahaha.

i've got Pharoah's Army on my netflix. i bought The Colt off amazon because it was only 8 bucks (sheesh, i would have spent that on a movie ticket and considered it worth it).

always recommend to me! i may not like a movie, but i'm almost always glad i've seen something new.

: D

[scarlite.livejournal.com]

Actually, I should thank you for being a tough critic. After reading all your posts about movies and books, I've learned to notice a lot more things. I think it helps me appreciate films more, especially. ^_^ I also started reviewing things in my blog because of you, but I'm not quite as articulate about it as you are. I make all these notes about it in my head for when I blog, but then I forget them as soon as I'm staring at a blank blog entry. *sigh*

Hmmm, If I were to be stuck watching one film for eternity I wonder which one it would be... Possibly Gettysburg just because I heart it so. Or maybe Sense and Sensibility. One of my favorite Alan Rickman movies.

Covington, YES! He did have a very gentle way of expressing himself, I think I liked that most about him.

What sort of movies do you like? I will recommend more.... You should friend me on Netflix if you want, lostgirl_star@yahoo.com is my email. :)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i certainly love the soundtrack to Gettysburg enough that it wouldn't bother me to have to listen to it forever. and i absolutely love Sense and Sensibility ~ easily my favorite Alan Rickman film.

ooh ~ ! my first Netflix friend! i'm so excited.

as far as movies, i'm all over the map. i like things with an epic scope ~ historical films, costume dramas, newer westerns. i like things with religious themes or a sense of the mystery of faith. i like foreign film a lot. and classics. pretty much everything ~ ! hahahahahaha ~

~ well okay, i'm not much into chick movies, romantic comedies (though there are good ones), mysteries, detective/cop stuff, espionage, sci-fi (there are exceptions), and pretty much anything starring a stand-up comedian. i don't like jim carrey, tom hanks, melanie griffith, tom cruise, or sandra bullock. i don't like john wayne (except in El Dorado, and errol flynn is okay as robin hood, but never never never as custer.

okay, way more information than you prolly wanted to know ~ !

: D