The Love Letter

From the opening song, "I'm in the mood for Love" by Louis Armstrong, this movie captured my heart.  The  story takes place in the charming seaside town of Loblolly by the Sea.  It is a town where people are a little quirky, but pretty ordinary.  They go about their quiet, simple lives and it seems like it's going to be an ordinary summer, but then a letter is discovered.  It's addressed to "Dearest" and signed "Yours" and so of course everyone who finds the letter fantasizes that it's for them and tries to figure out who its from.  It causes all kinds of mischief and reveals how differently we see someone through the eyes of love.  It's pretty much one of my top ten movies of all time, and if I could, I'd move there instantly and be friends with all the characters.  I'd spend my mornings at the beach, and wave to Helen as she runs by.  I'd have breakfast at the cafe, and discuss condiments with Janet.  I'd cruise the bookstore, flirt with George, and spend my evenings peeling oranges on someone's porch.  Good life.

Dearest,
Do you know how much in love with you I am?

What would you do if you found a letter that started like that?  Would you think it was for you?  Who would you want it to be from?  When Helen finds the letter, she imagines it being from Janet, then George, and then finally decides its from Johnny.  He finds the letter and thinks its from her, and they begin a summer fling.

Janet has a brief encounter with George, which has no meaning until she finds the love letter, and thinking it's to her from him, reads into everything that just happened.
It's been proven that finding out someone is interested in you makes you more interested in them.  Have you ever noticed this in your relationships?  She rushes over to share her excitement with Helen, who makes her upset.  Meanwhile, Helen is pushing Johnny away, and he tries to use Jennifer to make her jealous.  However, she is too busy on her "first official" date with George to notice.

Jennifer walks in with a shaved head, and my favorite line from the entire movie commences:
"No one knows what they want, Jennifer, that's the human condition."
"Some people know what they want.  I mean, they might not know how to get it, but they know what they want."

This is just the motivational line Johnny needs to passionately pursue Helen, who despite her best efforts, can no longer resist him.  The fling goes into full swing.  "I love you," he blurts out.  Oh the power those words have...  But what do they actually mean?  This is something I've thought about a lot, especially this time of year.

There are twists, turns, and hurt hearts all over this town.  Sometimes what we want to be endless love is just a summer fling, and sometimes even though we are meant to be with someone, the timing isn't right.  Maybe there are things we need to learn, ways we need to grow, before we can live "happily ever after."

Most of all I think this movie is about being brave- it's about telling the ones you love how you really feel and seizing every moment to love and be loved.

The Lake House

To be honest, I don't care for Keanu Reeves, but I LOVE Sandra Bulloch, and so this movie makes my romantic movies list.  It's about two people who are living very solitary, somewhat lonely lives.  The one thing they have in common is the lake house.  As Kate (Sandra) moves out, she leaves a note in the mailbox, welcoming him to the house and asking him to forward any straggling mail that comes for her.  When Alex (Keanu) moves in, he finds her note, but is confused because as far as he knows, the house has been empty for years.  Through correspondence, they learn that they are actually living two years apart, that is, Kate's character is two years in the future.  Confusing, I know, but an interesting complication for the two, who are quickly falling for each other.  When Kate discovers that in the two years that separate them, he dies, she struggles to change the past (his future).  What does this movie teach us about life, and love?

1. Sometimes you have to wait.  For some people it seems that love comes easily, even frequently.  But for many of us, love is elusive.  We catch small glimpses of it, have a few magical moments where it seems like everything is coming together, only to have love steal itself away again.  But we have to keep believing that when we are ready, love will find us... and stay.

2. Sometimes you get a second chance.  Like the lovers in Persuasion, Kate and Alex have several encounters and attempts at love with each other before things finally come together, about three years later.  When the first attempt fails, Kate is very discouraged and wonders if it means things just aren't meant to be.  Fortunately, she gives him a second chance, and things work out.  We never know what the future holds, but if we are lucky, it holds love.

Ever After

Well, it is February... or as I like to call it, Single Awareness Month.  And so of course this month I am covering some of my favorite "romantic" movies.  First on the list, "Ever After," because that's what it's all about, right?  Falling in love and living happily ever after.

First of all, I LOVE Drew Barrymore.  I'm pretty sure we are going to be best friends some day.  Oh yes, it's gonna happen.

This is one of the many Cinderella stories in existence, but I think this one probably tries the hardest as far as historical reality.  It's the story of a girl who has lost her parents and her status, and is humbled to work as a servant in her own home.  Unlike many damsels in distress, Danielle is passionate, brave, and takes matters into her own hands.  In the end she isn't rescued, but rescues herself.  I like this woman.  And so does Prince Henry.  What does this movie show us?


1. Sometimes Princes are stupid.  As he himself points out, he offered her the world, and then at the first test of his love, he failed her.  The older I get, the more I believe "love" is not something you fall into.  It doesn't happen "at first sight."  Love is not just a feeling.  It is something you show.

"I left a glass slipper and a business card, in case the prince is really dumb." -Lorelai, Gilmore Girls


2. "A life without love is no life at all."  Money can't buy happiness, but it appears that love can.  In the end, the Prince must set aside his ideas of nobility and duty to embrace the only thing that will give him a fulfilled life- love.


3. Don't wait for someone to rescue you.  Some people seem to find love easily.  But most of us have to wait, and wait, and wait.  What do we do while we're waiting?  We rescue ourselves.  We don't wait for someone to come along and make us feel loved and of worth.  We learn to love ourselves, and make ourselves of worth.  We improve our talents, broaden our minds, and try to serve and uplift those around us.  And if we're lucky, love will come in the right time and place.

Danielle: A bird may love a fish, Signore, but where would they live? 
Leonardo da Vinci: Then I shall just have to build you wings! 

Pete's Dragon

Thought I was done with Classics From My Childhood Month, but then my Dad told me "Pete's Dragon" was coming on the BYU channel and had a little sparkle in his eye.  I can't believe I almost forgot this little gem!  Pete's Dragon is a Disney movie from 1977 starring Mickey Rooney and Helen Reddy (who my Dad apparently had a huge crush on).  I couldn't find too many cool facts about the film, except that even though it takes place in Maine, it was filmed in California.

For anyone who has been deprived of seeing this, it's about a little orphan boy named Pete who is running from this mean backwoods family who beat him and treat him like a slave.  His only friend is a magical dragon named Elliot, until he enters the town of Passamaquaddy, where he befriends 2 lighthouse keepers.

"There's room for everyone in this world, if everyone makes some room."  Helen Reddy sings a song about this when everyone wants Pete and Elliot to leave town.  I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately, how much tolerance plays a role in maintaining peace.  On a big scale, tolerance can help us avoid war and bloodshed, on a small scale... say, dealing with the annoying habits of a roommate, it can help us and those around us to be happier.  When we are intolerant, impatient, and think that our way is the ONLY way to do things, we cause stress, friction, and confrontation.  

Keep hope alive.  One theme in the movie is that of holding to hope or belief even when it seems "unrealistic."  Pete never denies the existence of Elliot, even when everyone tells him he's crazy.  And Nora holds out hope that her long-lost love, Paul, will return, even though it's been over a year.  In the end both of them are vindicated when Elliot rescues the town and Paul returns home.  We never know what the future holds, but if our hearts are holding to a dream, we have to believe there is a reason.  Of course, we can't ignore reality in the meantime.  Pete attends school, becomes part of a new family, and tries to make the best of his life in Passamaquoddy, and Nora works at the lighthouse and takes care of Pete & Lampie.

In Search of the Castaways

This loveable and engaging movie is based on a book by Jules Verne, published in 1867.  It follows the adventures of two children, Mary and Robert, who are searching for their father, Captain Grant.  They are assisted by Professor Paganel (who found their fathers' note in a bottle) and Lord Glenarvan (who facilitates their journey).  They sail to South America, ride horseback through the Andes mountains, survive an earthquake, an avalanche, and slide through a giant ice cave. Likely? no.  Fun to watch? certainly.  In fact, I always thought they should make a ride out of this movie.  Anyway, just when you think it can't get any more crazy, Robert flies off a cliff and is snatched out of the sky by a giant condor.  The condor is strategically shot by a gorgeous Patagonian named Thalcave.  He agrees to take them to a village with "white prisoners," but it is a long journey.

Then comes my favorite part of the movie... Thalcave hears a flood coming, and leaves the group in a huge tree while he rides for help.  The flood comes not in the form of rain, but in a giant tsunami!  The next morning the trunk is completely surrounded by water, and Professor P is cooking breakfast while whistling (adorable).  A jaguar rides a log and joins them in the tree, complicating things.  Lord G puts a message in a bottle, but alas, it is eaten by a crocodile.  Then the tree is struck by lightning and catches fire.  They'd swim out of the tree to safety, but the water is swarming with crocodiles.  Then, a giant waterspout comes to the rescue, putting out the fire and leaving the crew to stand among the burnt leftovers of the tree to wait for Thalcave.  They are rescued, but when they get to the prisoners, their father is not among them.  However they do not give up, and search next in New Zealand.

Mutiny ensues and they are dumped overboard at the same spot their father was, by the same treacherous man, and are taken prisoners by the maoris.  This is where they meet the charming gentleman "Old Bill Gaye" who has a plan of escape but has been waiting for someone small to squeeze through a small window.  After a narrow escape and a run-in with an erupting volcano, the crew stages a theatrical rescue of the ship and the children are reunited with their father.  A very happy ending...

Most of my favorite life lessons in this movie come from Professor P.


"Whatever you want to do, don't be afraid to do it for fear of failure." We can't let our fears keep us from attempting amazing things.  We need to be more intent on trying and less intent on succeeding. As the saying goes, "You only fail at trying if you fail to try."


"We're travelers on life's highway, enjoy the trip."  He sings a charming song about using your imagination to make the best of life, even the bumps and dips.  In the end, we'll learn that everything we endure is for our benefit and learning.



Hailey Mills also offers some wisdom in this song "Castaway."  I know her voice is kind of strange, but the message of the song is really good.  Bill Gaye also quotes many verses from the Bible, but you have to wipe the crazy off before you take them in.  At the end they find out that their father didn't even write the note, Bill Gaye did.  They marvel at how the sequence of events lined up perfectly to bring them all together in the end.  I think at the end of our own lives, we will also find that to be true.

Hans Christian Anderson

Wow, I love researching for these posts and finding out all sorts of crazy things I might never have known otherwise.  For example, Hans Christian Andersen may have royal heritage, as a child he suffered through school and worked as an apprentice for a weaver and then a tailor.  While attending college he lived with a schoolmaster where he was beaten "to improve his character" and discouraged from writing in general.  They were the most bitter years of his life and he went through a phase of severe depression.  Despite this difficult beginning, he went on writing anyway, and in addition to the Fairy Tales he is well known for, he also wrote several novels.  As a young adult he received a "travel grant" from the King (how do I get my hands on one of those?) and many of his travels inspired his writing and sketches.  But though his professional life was successful, his private life was a little disappointing.  He fell in love with many women (and a few men) but never married or had children.  At the age of 67 he fell out of bed and never fully recovered, and died 3 years later.

All of this is kind of depressing, and not at all what I thought I would find when I started doing my research.  I'm interested in reading some of his serious work, especially about his travels, which apparently contain excerpts about being an author, immortality, and fiction in travel reporting.  I also discovered there's a BBC miniseries called "Hans Christian Andersen... My Life as a Fairytale," has anyone seen this?  It's kind of an interesting title considering his life was anything but.

Perhaps it is because he had such a bitter, depressing, romantically unfulfilled life that he retreated so often to this make-believe world.  Who would have thought that a man such as him would bring to life such beautiful and enchanting stories as "Thumbelina," "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Emporers New Clothes," and "The Ugly Duckling?"

And more importantly, what do these stories teach us about life?  That we must value ourselves despite our circumstances, that each of us is unique and there is beauty in that, that we shouldn't worry too much about what others think of us, and that each of us has a story to tell.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." - Hans Christian Andersen

Neverending Story

This movie is based on a German fantasy novel first published in 1979.  The English translation was published in 1983 and adapted into several films.  The most popular is the WB 1984 version, which I must have watched a hundred times as a kid.  As I am covering movies from my childhood this month, I've watched it again.

I really related to Bastian, who would rather spend his time reading and daydreaming than in school.  I wish that I'd had access to a sweet, creepy attic when I was his age.  I was watching this with my 2 youngest siblings, who aren't as familiar with this odd tale as I am, and from the moment the racing snail rose his strange head, there was a constant flow of "What the heck?" from both of them.  The characters in this movie are definitely strange, but they all have one thing in common: their world, Fantasia, is being destroyed by the "Nothing."  They seek the help of the Empress, who lives the heart of Fantasia in a beautiful castle called "The Ivory Tower."

However when they arrive, they discover that she is deathly ill,
and that their only hope is a young boy named Atreyu (who is
apparently green in the book).  His only guidance, that he "must
go alone, leave all his weapons, and it's very dangerous."  He accepts the challenge and begins his quest, but so does the "creature of darkness," Gmork, who seeks to kill him.

I was terrified of this thing as a kid, and not just because I had a huge crush on Atreyu and couldn't bare the thought of that beautiful face of his getting chewed off.  (He's even cuter now.)  He travels into the "Deadly Swamps of Sadness" to find
Morla- the Ancient One.  Without a doubt
this is the saddest part of the movie.  Whoever lets the sadness overtake them sinks into the swamp, and for some reason Atreyu's horse, Artax is very sad.  Despite Atreyu's best effort (and some wonderful acting), Artax sinks into the swamp.

This is a great analogy for life- we can't let sadness weigh us down and make us "stuck."  We have to care, we have to try.  When Atreyu finds Morla, he is extremely confused and frustrated by how apathetic she is.  The world is being destroyed and she couldn't care less.  It seems that apathy and sadness can go hand in hand.

"We don't even care whether or not we care," she says.

Atreyu. goes. off.  Finally Morla tells him that he can ask the Southern Oracle, but she is 10,000 miles away and he should just give up.  This made me think of a talk that my almost-brother-in-law gave in church about the importance of being a "Finisher."  It's one thing to begin a quest, it's quite another to finish.  Luckily for the people of Fantasia, Atreyu is a finisher.

"No," says Bastian, as he notices that school is ending and he is tempted to go home, "Atreyu wouldn't quit now."  And so he stays to read the book as darkness and a terrible storm approach.

Atreyu is almost lost to the swamp and killed by Gmork, but at the last moment, a luck dragon named Falkor swoops down and rescues him.  Falkor (who somehow manages to be sweet and creepy at the same time) gives him a ride to the Southern Oracle, but getting there is only half the battle.

The first gate is the Sphinxes- whose eyes remain shut until someone who doesn't know their own worth tries to pass through.  Despite fancy armor, their eyes can see straight into your heart and see what you really think of yourself.  And if you don't realize your own worth, they blow you up, which seems a little extreme.  I'm pretty sure most of us have moments where we'd get blown up for sure, where we have little or no self worth and can't see the amazing person we are and the potential we contain.  Even Atreyu narrowly escapes this challenge.


The second gate is the Magic Mirror Gate- where you must face your true self.  Apparently this causes many men to run screaming, but it doesn't prove to be so challenging for Atreyu, who only sees Bastian and is really confused.  The traumatized one here is Bastian, who can't believe that people in a book can be aware of him.  He throws the book dramatically and says "Now, this is going too far," but he eventually musters the courage to keep reading.

Atreyu goes on to discover the cure for the Empress is a new name and learns he must go beyond the boundaries of Fantasia, but in a horrible storm he loses the necklace that's been protecting him and his luck dragon.  He has another run-in with Gmork, who informs him that Fantasia has no boundaries, because it represents the dreams and hopes of mankind.  The nothing, conversely, is the emptiness and despair that remains when people abandon their dreams and lose their hope.  Gmork is helping the Nothing because,
"People who have no hopes are easier to control.  And whoever has the control has the power."  This is just how Satan works.  He wants us to strip us of our dreams and hopes so that we may be filled with emptiness and despair, and are easier for him to control.  We have to hold tightly to our dreams and hopes so that we can resist him.

In the end, Bastian overcomes his doubt and fear and becomes a part of the Neverending Story, saving Fantasia.  It's kind of ironic, because at the very beginning of the movie, his father is having a serious discussion with him about being responsible and growing up, giving up his daydreaming.  And then his experience reading "The Neverending Story" only makes him believe in the world of fantasy even more.