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By Stephen Philip Smith and Academy-
Nominated Screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart
Halfway through the shoot in Port Townsend, Washington, I was very concerned that Deborah Winger was not being vulnerable enough in her portrayal of the character of Paula Pokrifki.
One rainy day we had this contentious meeting involving the principal players. We had to give up our Sunday, the only day we had off because we were shooting 6 days a week, so no one was in a great mood. At that meeting I expressed my concerns to Debra and director Taylor Hackford reprimanded me for it.
Soon after that, Debra invited me into her trailer to help her prepare for her scene at the jukebox where she lets Zack go. It was our little secret. Her performance in that scene proved why she is one of the greatest actresses of our time.
Director Randal Kleiser who I’d worked with on “Boy in the Plastic Bubble” had fallen in love with a book written at the turn of the 19th century about the lives of two children and a sailor shipwrecked on an island. Written in the Victorian era by Henry Deveere Stagpoole, it was an innocent story about children who have to learn everything on their own. When the boy and girl come to maturity, that part was brushed over without mention of their sexual awakening. That was my job.
During the filming, I had a stateroom on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Nanuya Levu, the island where we were filming. The crew and the cast were living on the shore and they had no showers. So they used our showers. Life on a remote island was very primitive and tribal. The production had to negotiate with a local Figian tribe on every issue. They treated Randall Kleiser like a chieftain of a tribe rather than as a director of a movie. We had Kava ceremonies where we all sat around in a circle getting numb mouths.
When my family visited, the local tribe assigned a tribesman to be our caretaker and he taught my young sons, Dylan and Sean, how to survive on an island.
I wrote this romantic thriller in an effort to understand why I was losing my marriage. Was my wife involved in a secret tryst? Was there a “thief of hearts” who had stolen her heart? By pursuing my fantasies through fiction, I came to see my own role in the disintegration of our marriage in a more honest way.
In this screenplay, I explored my theme about secrets of the heart for the first time. When a thief steals a locked box from a wealthy home, he discovers a woman’s diary and with it, a key to her real self. After the successes I had known with “Boy in The Plastic Bubble,” “The Blue Lagoon,” and my oscar nomination for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” I had the clout to demand that I direct “Thief of Hearts.” All through the production I had to fight a battle of survival with my producer, the legendary Don Simpson, who could be brilliant and bombastic. I fault his judgment in trying to sell a women’s movie to the teen audience he had found with “Flashdance.”
My favorite scene in the film is when the thief takes the woman out on his boat. In her fantasies as described in her diary, this happens on a yacht. Her fantasy man puts oil on his chest. When Steven Bauer does that in the film with Barbara Williams, the music takes us into the realm of our own fantasies.
The film was a disappointment at the box office but clubs of women sprang up around the country in support of it. When I met the love of my life in 2001 she was unimpressed with my other credits, but she had been in a “Thief of Hearts” club.
A writer named Joe Morgenstern had written a script about an immune deficient boy in Texas who had to live in a bubble. His script had taken the traditional approach of showing the point of view of the parents. I was hired to start over.
In my telling, it was from the point of view of the boy. I drew on memories of a Downs Syndrome boy I had befriended as a boy. At his birthday parties, I was the only one in attendance. I recalled that when I visited, he would often be at the window with this look of longing on his face to be part of the normal world. I saw him scope out the pretty girls he would never get to meet.
Out of that was born the character played by John Travolta who was obsessed with watching the normal girl who lived next door groom and ride her horse. Late in the shoot, director Randall Kleiser came over to my house in the Hollywood Hills to discuss the scene where the boy leaves the bubble.
I explained that my vision of it was that, having been trapped inside his bubble all his life, that this moment was like a newborn discovering the world for the first time. It was all new. Sunlight. The rough bark of a tree. The sweet smell of unfiltered air in the country. When I saw the finished scene, including that thrilling moment when the boy and the girl ride off on her horse, I was thrilled.
“Listen to Me”, like many of my stories, was drawn from my own life experiences. I had been a champion debater and impromptu speaker in high school.
When I was trying to decide what subject my college debaters would be debating, I was at a critical turning point in my life. I had recently fallen in love with a woman and, after four short months, I learned that she was pregnant. We had barely scratched the surface of getting to know each other.
I had never given the subject of abortion much thought until then. I ultimately agreed with my soon-to-be wife that we would have this baby. I am so glad I did. The marriage would not survive but my daughter would become one of the great human beings in my life.
It was never my intention to favor one side or the other in that hot-button topic. I felt that the decision was a personal one. The point was that to win, a debater must be able to defend both sides.
Because of her strong feelings about a woman’s right to make the decisions regarding her own body, my female lead was incapable of winning on the anti-abortion side until the death of a star debater gives her fresh insight into the value of life. Armed with this knowledge, she and her partner beat the top debaters in the country. That they won on the anti-abortion side offended some critics, but they missed the point.
This was my second effort at directing. My choice of making abortion the subject of the debate nearly killed my career and years would pass before I was able to sell a new screenplay idea. I remain convinced that this choice should be a personal one.
Trying to adapt Hawthorne’s tale of guilt and forbidden love into the modern idiom was one of the hardest tasks I’d ever taken on. I had taken the Victorian novel The Blue Lagoon into modern times but religious guilt, such as it existed in Puritan times, was unheard of in 2005 America. How was I to entertain a modern audience with a story that ended so tragically for the two souls who dared to love? How could I get a young person to wrap his head around the very idea of religious guilt?
Shooting the film in Canada, I worked closely with Demi Moore to make her character relatable to a modern audience. Hawthorne’s classic novel could not come right out and say it, but Hester Prynne was the forerunner of the strong modern woman of today. She wears her badge of shame with pride. She was willing to sacrifice everything for love.
Director Randal Kleiser, who I’d worked with on “Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” had fallen in love with a book by that title written at the turn of the nineteenth century dramatizing the lives of two children and a sailor who are shipwrecked on an island. Written in the Victorian era by Henry Deveere Stagpoole, it was an innocent story about children who have to learn everything on their own. When the boy and girl come to maturity, that part was brushed over without mention of their sexual awakening. That was my job.
During the filming, I had a stateroom on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Nanuya Levu, the island where we were filming. The crew and the cast were living on the shore and they had no showers. So they used our showers. Life on a remote island was very primitive and tribal. The production had to negotiate with a local Figian tribe on every issue. They treated Randall Kleiser like a chieftain of a tribe rather than as a director of a movie. We had Kava ceremonies where we all sat around in a circle getting numb mouths.
When my family visited, the local tribe assigned a tribesman to be our caretaker and he taught my young sons, Dylan and Sean, how to survive on an island.
Halfway through the shoot in Port Townsend, Washington, I was very concerned that Deborah Winger was not being vulnerable enough in her portrayal of the character of Paula Pokrifki.
One rainy day we had this contentious meeting involving the principal players. We had to give up our Sunday, the only day we had off because we were shooting 6 days a week, so no one was in a great mood. At that meeting I expressed my concerns to Debra and director Taylor Hackford reprimanded me for it.
Soon after that, Debra invited me into her trailer to help her prepare for her scene at the jukebox where she lets Zack go. It was our little secret. Her performance in that scene proved why she is one of the greatest actresses of our time.
I wrote this romantic thriller in an effort to understand why I was losing my marriage. Was my wife involved in a secret tryst? Was there a “thief of hearts” who had stolen her heart? By pursuing my fantasies through fiction, I came to see my own role in the disintegration of our marriage in a more honest way.
In this screenplay, I explored my theme about secrets of the heart for the first time. In her diary, my leading lady has a life totally separate from the one she is living in real life. When the thief steals a locked box from a wealthy home he discovers her diary and, with it, the key to her real self. After the successes I had known with “Boy in The Plastic Bubble,” “The Blue Lagoon,” and my oscar nomination for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” I had the clout to demand that I direct “Thief of Hearts.” All through the production I had to fight a battle of survival with my producer, the legendary Don Simpson, who could be brilliant and bombastic. I fault his judgment in trying to sell a women’s movie to the teen audience he had found with “Flashdance.”
My favorite scene in the film is when the thief takes the woman out on his boat. In her fantasies as described in her diary, this happens on a yacht. Her fantasy man puts oil on his chest. When Steven Bauer does that in film with Barbara Williams, the music takes us into the realm of our own fantasies.
The film was a disappointment at the box office but clubs of women sprang up around the country in support of it. When I met the love of my life in 2001 she was unimpressed with my other credits, but she had been in a “Thief of Hearts” club.
A writer named Joe Morgenstern had written a script about an immune deficient boy in Texas who had to live in a bubble. His script had taken the traditional approach of showing the point of view of the parents. I was hired to start over.
In my telling, it was from the point of view of the boy. I drew on memories of a Downs Syndrome boy I had befriended as a boy. At his birthday parties, I was the only one in attendance. I recalled that when I visited, he would often be at the window with this look of longing on his face to be part of the normal world. I saw him scope out the pretty girls he would never get to meet.
Out of that was born the character played by John Travolta who was obsessed with watching the normal girl who lived next door groom and ride her horse. Late in the shoot, director Randall Kleiser came over to my house in the Hollywood Hills to discuss the scene where the boy leaves the bubble.
I explained that my vision of it was that, having been trapped inside his bubble all his life, that this moment was like a newborn discovering the world for the first time. It was all new. Sunlight. The rough bark of a tree. The sweet smell of unfiltered air in the country. When I saw the finished scene, including that thrilling moment when the boy and the girl ride off on her horse, I was thrilled.
“Listen to Me”, like many of my stories, was in many ways autobiographical. I had been a champion debater and impromptu speaker in high school.
I had looked up to a star debater like a god, only to discover that he had feet of clay. At that time in my life I had been a party to a few abortions. I decided that this would be the most provocative debate subject I could pick. It was never my intention to favor one side or the other in that hot-button topic. The point was that to win, a debater must be able to defend both sides.
My female lead was incapable of winning on the anti-abortion side until the death of the star debater gives her fresh insight into the value of life. Armed with this knowledge, she and her partner beat the top debaters in the country. That they won on the anti-abortion side offended some critics, but they missed the point.
I directed this film, my second effort at this difficult craft. Taking on the abortion issue nearly killed my career. Years would pass before I got another screenwriting assignment.
Trying to adapt Hawthorne’s tale of guilt and forbidden love into the modern idiom was one of the hardest tasks I’d ever taken on. I had taken the Victorian novel The Blue Lagoon into modern times but religious guilt, such as it existed in Puritan times, was unheard of in 2005 America. How was I to entertain a modern audience with a story that ended so tragically for the two souls who dared to love? How could I get a young person to wrap his head around the very idea of religious guilt?
“I went to Navy OCS (for ship drivers, not aviators) a year after this movie came out. A lot of us considered it one of the best movies ever made. Despite the fact that there is some serious license taken with reality, the movie captures the intensity and high stakes of OCS, and how people who barely know each other become bonded so quickly; how the least likely candidates sometimes become the star performers; how some people are changed beyond recognition by the experience.
There was never a lack of old hands like Sid’s father, telling you you had it easy because of some difference in the rules he didn’t enjoy 10 years earlier. DOR is translated by Foley as “drop on request”.
In 1983, the terminology was DE, which meant disenroll. I always wondered what happened to the candidates in my class who DE’d. The ones who graduated I kept running into in the fleet, sometimes in places like the Philippines. The most unrealistic thing about the movie was the premise that local girls want to marry officer candidates. Not so in Pensacola or Newport RI, where OCS was in those days.
The locals actually called us behind our backs “cockroaches” because we wore all black and had to run away to our barracks by 10 pm. The second most unrealistic thing was the foul language. That comes later, in the fleet, but not in OCS. No we did not have martial arts duels.
All in all, however, the essence of the experience, if not the specifics, is found in the movie. One of our marching songs went “left right left right / you HAD a good job and you LEFT / you’re RIGHT!” We really did have nowhere else to go. I say 10 stars. The VHS version gets only 8 because of changes to the soundtrack songs.”
“This movie is about an adolescent who becomes a man with the help of a big brother, who in this case is a hard-nosed, no-nonsense, tough-as-nails drill sergeant. The adolescent is a wayward young man with no direction and with no one to depend on except his alcoholic sailer father who believes that the young man will never succeed at anything.
Well, the adolescent wants to prove his father wrong and does something most unexpected – applies for Navy flight school and is accepted. Now the question is: Will he succeed? For him to succeed, this adolescent will have to change: become a team player, take on responsibilities, apply himself to achieving goals, and complete an exceedingly difficult 12-week course that will test not only his physical strength and mental capabilities, but the very essence of his character. In short, the adolescent will have to become a man.
And there is only one person who cares enough to push him to succeed – the adolescent’s drill sergeant who does everything he can to get the adolescent to drop out, which does not happen. This movie shows what a person can accomplish when they believe in themselves and have a big brother who cares enough to make them succeed. This is a great movie.”
“I decided to give this movie another view after reading about Taylor Hackford this month. I was not disappointed.
Sadly, they don’t make films like this anymore. Both Richard Gere and Debra Winger actually pull together a love story that I enjoyed. In the years where all movies have a forced love story line, this film placed the love story into the plot without taking away from the growth of Gere’s character.
Excellent performance from Lewis Gossett Jr., David Keith, and Robert Loggia pulls this film into a category of film I reserve for the classics. An excellent summer night rental, grab the popcorn and enjoy this rarity with real characters you care about.
This is what Proof of Life should have been.”
“An Officer and a Gentleman is my favorite movie of all time. It is so romantic. This movie melts my heart every time I watch it. The way Zack acts toward Paula is the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed. They both struggle throughout the movie. The movie deals with hard issues in a mature manner. It is a classic!”
**Could be a spoiler**
“I am not a person who sees movies more than once UNLESS I am able to connect in some way with the story. I have seen this one three times and counting. The storyline in An Officer and a Gentleman brings out different emotions throughout the movie. The movie brings hopelessness, sadness, compassion, anger, and happiness into 2+ hours.
Hopelessness- the scene where the sarge has broken Mayo down to admit to having no where else to go. Sadness- ………
Compassion-Mayo helping the woman soldier over the wall to sacrifice his “record”, Anger- Mayo’s anger with the world in general and with the Sarge ……
Happiness- Obviously the last scene.
The theme song is great and Debra Winger is a knockout! There may be some unrealistic parts to the movie but it will draw you in- especially if you have any knowledge of the military. A must see if you are into dramas.”
“What can I say, I saw this movie when I was 10 (or a teenager) I think. I knew and remember that I liked it, but as I watched it again at 15 and then later at 22, I started loving it.
Man, this is one of my favorite movies. The movie contains so much. Success, will power, depression, obstacles, confusion, love, lack of love, friendship, goal, help, toughness.
The movie inspires me from every angle every time I see it. It inspires me to succeed against all odds in life showers. It inspires me to look into friendship once again, it inspires me to look into love once again. 🙂 I hope all of you viewers will somewhat (at least if not all) agree with me. Do e-mail me for any comments on this movie.”
“This movie has certainly survived the test of time, in that it can still provoke a happy yet poignant tear when everything turns out for the best in the end. And that really is the source of its appeal.
College graduate Zack Mayo (Gere) enlists in the Naval Officer Candidate programme to realize his ambition of flying fighter jets, and also to escape a haunted past of his mother’s suicide and his alcoholic sailor father.
While training, not only does he have to survive the Drill Instructor (Gossett Jr) but he also recognises the solitude that has been holding him back his whole life. Throw Debra Winger into the mix as the girl looking for a husband amongst the class and David Keith as Mayo’s best friend with his own problems, then you have this classic movie.
I have seen this movie many times and it never gets boring. Richard Gere is at his most powerful here and I don’t think he’s ever had a better role. The supporting cast is also solid, with Gossett Jr. firmly deserving his Academy Award and Winger proving once again that she is thoroughly underrated by Hollywood.
A firm 10/10 from me.”
“…you just might “get” this film. In my heart, Douglas Day Stewart is a genius. That he is capable of such sensitivity, instinct and passion just gives me chills, as said emotions are so pitifully rare in mainstream filmmaking (let’s not even discuss the hollow garbage that has risen to the surface in the past decade).
The infatuation, the sickness that plagues Scott Muller in this film is so clearly, so intensely conveyed through Stewart’s meticulous direction (it’s his frickin’ script) and the thoroughly phenomenal performance of Steven Bauer. I’ll grant certain persons there being plenty of “flash,” (otherwise known as brilliant photography and an energetic soundtrack) but…welcome to the 80’s.
That “flash” epitomized the decade and I’ve seen no slicker example, no smarter implementation of it than in this little picture here. The film is tremendous, ridiculously moving, simply magical. Invariably, the final scene leaves me in tears–of frustration for the characters, of enchantment for the beauty that is Thief of Hearts. I love that it is Bruckheimer/Simpson’s lowest grossing film. It only stands to prove what idiots make up the bulk of American audiences.”
Supporting actors David Caruso (magnificently evil) and George Wendt are far better known to most of us than Stephen Bauer and Michelle Williams and John Getz. But, the starring triangle are truly superb in a movie where nothing is quite what you think it is, and the results of giving into prideful impulses come to light in unusual ways. A twist ending also adds to the proceedings in one of the best romantic thrillers I have ever seen.
“I remember the first time I saw this movie, and I thought at the time it war a tingling sexy kind of work. I thought the angle of using the stolen diary to manipulate the relationship was intriguing. Of course, Steve was very sexy then.
Bauer later played an Israeli agent in the movie “Sword of Gideon”, about a Mossad agent sent, along with others, to kill 11 Palastinian Terrorists who captured and killed the Israeli Olympic Team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. It will be interesting to see how much Spielberg draws from that movie in his movie “Munich”. “Sword” puts its revenge rs through emotional wringers, and several are themselves executed by the terrorists.
In “Thief”,Getz was interesting in the cuckold role, and Caruso played himself. Wendt is not given much to do. Whenever I see Bauer, such as in Traffic, I think of his role in “Thief”.”
“What’s not to love? Hot leading man, amazing San Francisco locale, and a Faltermyer/Moroder soundtrack including the incomparable Melissa Manchester. The cast is great. Steven Bauer and Barbara Williams have great chemistry together. And the appearance of David Caruso early in his career is a bit of a surprise, too. A fun fantasy escape!”
“This movie was bitterly panned upon its release, and I see a number of IMDB’s reviewers agree with the original critics. I don’t get it, except that this movie does such a good idea of taking you inside Stephen Bauer’s character and what he is doing is so creepy that people react viscerally to him instead of the movie. The movie is engrossing, brilliantly photographed and well-paced.
The camera angles and the chemistry between Bauer and Williams are reminiscent of what Hitchcock tried to do in Vertigo, but much less forced and contrived. All these characters behave in character. I really consider this one of the best romantic thrillers of all time. Yes, it is erotic. Why is that a bad thing? 10/10.”
“I saw this film IN 1984 and loved it. To this day, every time I see Steven Bauer, David Caruso or Barbara Willians I flashback to this film. It left a lasting impression on me both for its chilling concept and it’s execution of the story. The acting, soundtrack, locations and cinematography were all great and the film was both intimate and erotic yet as chilling and scary as a Hitchcock film.
The chemistry between the leads was electric and believable. Steven Bauer’s looks certainly didn’t hurt either. I’m surprised it got some bad reviews … it’s one that will always stick in my mind as very entertaining.”
Prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer also made this one, it certainly looks and sounds like Bruckheimer, his style is stamped all over it. The erotic thrillerplot, the outragously great design and cinematography. Remember Flashdance or Cat People? Well, you got the idea! Well acted, actress Barbara Williams shines as seducted interior decorator , engaging love story with a great soundtrack and some very steamy sex scenes, it looked to me as if one of the scenes was actually hardcore!
Must have been an unrated version! The story revolves around a pro burglar stealing the steamy diary of a bored nice suburban wife and then seduce her. This is not a masterpiece, just a nice erotic high-concept thriller well worth seeking out. 7/10
“I don’t care if the screenplay is superficial or not … maybe it is, but anyway … when I immerse into this movie, I see almost my own life in it. Myself, some years ago, a bored housewife. Driving a Beetle. Telling not her diary but Facebook her whole life. Fell in love with some stranger through the internet, who knew all my secrets. The coincidences are striking.
The breathtaking scenery of San Francisco and the soundtrack, which brings tears of joy in every Eighties-fan eyes, this movie is one of my absolute favorites. I’m addicted to this movie like to Rum Raisin. Have to see it on and on, every year.
The only thing I do not understand and where I disagree with Mickey, is her choice of letting Scott go in the last scene. I would immediately jump on his motorbike – and in my real life I did! For five years I have been married to my Thief of Hearts and this movie is OUR film.”
“When I watch a movie and it ends leaving me to wish it had gone on for another hour or so, I am happy and I regard the movie as having fulfilled it’s purpose. For me that is a yardstick of enjoyable entertainment. In this movie that did actually happen twice, first when the children grow up and again at the conclusion. Whatever one wants of a movie is very personal I quess, as for me, I want to be transported away, and this movie did that.
I like to see beautiful people and beautiful scenery, and this movie suplied May be that is lack of discernment and escapism on my side, but I think it is OK for the movie industry to keep people like myself in mind too.”
“Last year I watched The Blue Lagoon for the first time and thought it was absolutely amazing. When I tell people this they usually laugh in my face and say that I only like it because of Chris Atkin’s sex appeal, but that is not the only reason. This movie epitomizes Freud’s theories of the id, ego and super ego- explaining these three branches of the human mind very effectively and creatively.
It actually raised my interest in the subject of human psychology and sociology so much that I am considering it as a major in college. And who would have ever thought a buff man running around in a loin cloth could have given me direction in life?”
“Everyone should see this movie at least once in their life. It’s so natural, and beautiful, and just contains the essence of life. This movie is beyond words, and no other movie needs to be made to outrank this or remake this, it’s a perfect movie.
It’s not action, or slasher, or comedy, It’s the genre of life.
It’s just a beautiful picture and you have to see it. But I think you’d do better to watch it alone. So no one is there to judge you, and you can be yourself, and enjoy.
There will never be another movie like this You have to see it to understand.”
“One of the best movies I have seen in a long time! This movie, I think, beautifully portrayed how two children/ teenagers with no outside interference would handle their physical and mental maturing. While this movie had its flaws, it also stayed basically true to the amount of verbal knowledge and social graces which would have been acquired by the time they were 7 or 8.
This movie also had humorous moments interspersed throughout the plot. I highly recommend this movie if you are looking for a film which speaks to primal naivety.”
“I think this was an exceptional movie and was done in good taste. The setting was beautiful, the actors were great and so was the plot. I really liked this movie I gave it a 10.”
“Amazing movie. Blue Lagoon tells the story of 2 cousins who shipwrecked as little children and grew up on a lush, green, perfect island. The movie goes through the whole process of growing up in an interesting and detailed way. Including a good sound score and perfect scenery. Sure, some of the dialogue was pretty corny, but otherwise, the acting was superb. Very well written plot, made us wish I had gotten shipwrecked as little kid…heh
After watching this movie, most other movies just looked like crap. That’s just how good it was. See for yourself.”
“What can I say, I saw this movie when I was 10 (or a teenager) I think. I knew and remember that I liked it, but as I watched it again at 15 and then later at 22, I started loving it.
Man, this is one of my favorite movies. The movie contains so much. Success, will power, depression, obstacles, confusion, love, lack of love, friendship, goal, help, toughness.
The movie inspires me from every angle every time I see it. It inspires me to succeed against all odds in life showers. It inspires me to look into friendship once again, it inspires me to look into love once again. 🙂 I hope all of you viewers will somewhat (at least if not all) agree with me. Do e-mail me for any comments on this movie.”
“I have never liked the 70s and the 80s, I think these are the eras of mistakes. BUT “The Blue Lagoon” is not a mistake. It is one of the best ever movies that came out of that era, and probably the few good things that ever did survive.
It is simple, nothing fancy, the plot is convincing (Probably because of the direct adaptation from the highly successful book), and the acting of the two teenage actors are superb.
I wonder why they never make movies as simple as this one anymore? Survival, love, dependency, courage, fear, and growing up, the themes of this movie is universal, and yet woven together in a nicely paced movie without the complications of the modern world. But even in that primitive land, is it without complications?
Watch this movie, save for the dated hairstyles, you can watch this 30 years later and still it would be beautiful and easily understandable. What am I saying, it is almost 30 years later!”
“First, I apologies because my English, I’m from Panama. Second, for me, TSL is a very beautiful movie and I know that it is far from the book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, nevertheless, I found nice things there, for instance, the setting was so refreshing to me and the love scenes were very romantic too. In this movie I felt in love to Gary Oldman. I consider that Demi as well as Gary were chemistry. On the other hand, I think that the producer and the whole team portrait the epoch of the pilgrims, the way they lived and thought about morality and religion. Demi was pretty in this character and convincing. For me this was a sad story of love. Although, the screenplay changed at the end, I found that this movie was done to give audience happier than the original book.”
“I really enjoy the movie and the principal of the plot. Demi Moore is a great actress and Gary Oldman is a wonderful actor, I have seen several of his movies and Gary really becomes the part. So does Demi. I have enjoy Gary performance in this movie so much that I bought several more of the movies he has been in. He is a true actor. I really enjoy the arts and it is nice to see actual talent! Demi movies have been wonderful and I love the fact that she is willing to go to all lengths to bring the part to life. I am not an actor myself in anyway, I have no talent in that area, But I would love to have been able to watch them Film Scarlet Letter.”
“If this movie were not based on a famous novel, the reaction would have been quite different. Many more of us who are still unjaded would have been able to enjoy this movie for all it has to offer. I love this film. It is a true romantic escape, the very essence of why the romantic goes to the movies. We are taken back to another time, to a glorious, pristine land where true but forbidden love dawns for two beautiful people. There is terrible conflict as in any great love story but a happy ending for these characters is necessary and appreciated. The exquisite score precisely explains the emotion of each scene. Gary Oldman is absolute perfection and Demi Moore is exactly right for the so-loved woman with whom we want to identify. What more does a love story need? One must see this film more than once to fully realize the value of this precious gem. Never mind the great novel or the cynics who don’t understand. This movie stands on it’s own as a pure, heroic, sweet pleasure for the true romantic heart. I never get tired of watching this film, of being whisked back in time to meet a man who so dramatically and completely loved a woman.”
“In my opinion this movie is so good it should be released with two or three other movies in a package with John Travolta such as Saturday Night Fever with one or two other movies the ratings should be much higher…… I think it’s because they didn’t do a remaster yet. Please Do!!!! Yours Truly Chris Hakim, Eli Jarra’s cousin; search Eli Jarra on IMDB. 😄✌🏾👍🏼”
“Watched this on Betamax tape recently(yes watching Beta in 2019),and it really brought me back to the first times I’ve seen it back in the 90’s. I love the 1976 atmosphere. John Travolta did a great job acting as the boy in the bubble. You really get a sense of his isolation. For a TV Movie, this had a few scenes they wouldn’t even dare air on television today. Like the scene when he is hanging out with Gina’s friends and they’re smoking weed on the football field. That kinda reminded me of Dazed & Confused a little. Weird ending though.Kinda made me cry actually because it’s one of those endings that makes you wonder the risks people take just for the simpler things. It felt eerie and at the sametime makes you realize we really take things for granted. John’s acting in this is great.”
“I remember seeing this movie when it first aired and was happy to watch it again, this time with a new perspective. Now I am a mother and grandmother. However the greatest shift in perspective comes from being married to a man who has been in prison for 20 years. At odd moments I am given the opportunity to have a glimpse of what it might be like for him to come home one day. This was such a movie. Another was “The Terminal” with Tom Hanks. I couldn’t contain my sobs when he was finally able to step through the doors to freedom. Freedom, perhaps the most taken for granted and wonderful blessing allowed to anyone.
As in the story of Todd in “The Boy In The Plastic Bubble” something or someone not understood is easy to discount or hate. When there is an opportunity to understand and feel compassion it doesn’t diminish us, it brings growth and maturity.”
“The Other Side of the Mountain part 2 is definitely one of the top few romance films. The last scene is definitely THE BEST romantic tearjerker event in film. The strength of this movie is that it features 1) a realistic, gradual, development of love, 2) an extremely nurturing, loving male lead, and 3) the wonderful, unequaled, “tearjerker” ending.”
“The Other Side of the Mountain movies are so underrated when it comes to love and romance. The girl just happens to be handicapped. Marilyn Hassett’s Jill lost her fiance in a plane crash and her boyfriend before that couldn’t accept her disability. So of course she’d be gun-shy about opening her heart again. When she runs away from John and they end up sharing their hearts at the second to last scene in the film, I cry every time I watch it. Great movies!”
“Is this movie ever going to come out on DVD? I love this movie, it has stayed with me for years because it captures the turmoil of teenagers learning how to live with the past and be a good person in the future. I would recommend that all teenagers see it, because it is so sincere and earnest. The emotion and confusion of being a good person, and a good student and a good friend is phenomenal.
People are always wondering what they can do or say to be a better person and this movie teaches them that we all make mistakes, but we all survive. If a child or adult learns anything from this I would hope that it would be to treat each person fairly and compassionately. This movie shows that we all have our own demons and with the help and support of family, and friends we can all learn to deal with those demons without hurting those we love and using them as shields from our own pain.”
“Abortion…say that word and everyone thinks about an unborn child, I know I did, this movie shows that there are many forms of abortion and discrimination.
Kirk Cameron’s delivery of an “Awe shucks” Okie is excellent and he is surrounded by a supporting cast that play their parts to the fullest.
This movie is an awesome display of depth and talent. I have seen bad reviews on this movie and can only feel sorry for those folks because they obviously missed the plot and in doing so were cheated out of a great movie.
2-Thumbs up! A must-see for any intelligent person!”
“Some of Kirk Cameron’s best work. Unbelievable chemistry with Jamie Gertz. An interesting and surprisingly realistic portrayal of the college debate world. Dealt with important and personal issues, such as abortion, which are of great import in today’s society. Highly recommended.”
“I found this movie to be thought provoking and inspirational. It moved me to tears. This movie has appeal for a variety of audiences. It has humor and drama. The cast of actors/actresses did a fine job. I really enjoyed this movie. It was well worth my time.”
“While this is by no means a masterpiece of cinematic achievement, it is however a moving story with a great subject and a superb soundtrack (one of the flaws of the remasterized version is the changing of said soundtrack). There were several things that enthralled me to this movie.
The first is that it surprised me. After seeing a lot of movies, I usually know where things are headed way ahead of time, but here I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twist in the plot. But even after having watched it more than 10 times by now it still manages to touch me and send shivers down my spine near the end. A recommended must-see.”
“This is a very good action film, and the chemistry between lead Gil Bellows and his sidekick Rahman, played by Anjul Nigam, is a true joy to watch. Nigam brings much charm to his character and enlivens the movie.”
Tell me what you think about my stories.
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A Brilliant Story of Struggle
and Redemption Written by
Academy-Nominated Screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart
