Langer Abschied

It would be hard to imagine how a movie could better capture the essence of Appalachia. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy simply nail their parts, and no doubt the fact that they were married in real life helped. Hume Cronyn also wrote the script, and a nearly perfect script it is. All in all, it couldn't be more realistic, heartwarming and sad. And I should know, because I have strong ties with Appalachia and I lived there for a while as a kid. I knew real life equivalents to every character in this movie. Maybe those without my background won't see it, but I consider this movie to be a masterpiece of American culture.

Had not heard of this Award winning movie before but was given a DVD and found it a very interesting surprise. The writing by one of the stars is both powerful and observant - Hume Cronyn as writer/star, gives a strong performance as the feisty husband of Jessica Tandy (his real life wife) and father to John Denver's character, Dillard Nations. Denver is the son who left the mountain home of his youth following several disagreements with his father and settled in the city - now married with two children, he's just begun to build popularity as a singer/songwriter. I've always regarded Denver as a convincing performer and comfortable with comedy and drama (in fact one of the better singers to transfer into acting). Here, he's been booked to sing in his home town and has come to visit his Mom, his father has been dead several years and he's hoping to convince mother to sell up and move into a care facility in the city - allowing the family to visit often.

Mom has been carrying on conversations with Dad (who's buried in the family garden) this is a concern to Denver, who is also struggling with his own domestic situation back in the city - so, following various involved reminiscences, the families past dramas are relived and the two agree to come to an agreement about the future. It's a moving story, with Mr Denver getting a chance to sing several good new songs (seems these were written for this film as they form part of the storyline) The settings are visually impressive with all performances being fully professional - delightful Harriet Hall is perfect as a resident local

Only downside being the transfer to DVD that's rather heavy on the blacks but this can be compensated by lifting the playback contrast to lighten the shadows. Good mature family entertainment. Some have unfairly criticised it because it doesn't fall into the traps of clichéd, overly romanticised writing.

Not only is John Denver, Hume Croyn, and Jessica Tandy not with us, but also Harriet Hall who played Holly. She passed away Sept 29, 2007 of a heart attack. She was in my class in high school, Maine West, in Des Plaines, Ill, class of '66. She was very popular and outgoing, a cheerleader and in many after school activities. Those that knew her know of the great person she was.

I believe that she did have heart trouble before her attack. Maine West published a book in 2003 where some people submitted information about themselves. In it she said that she was a retired actress and lived in Atlanta. I don't know if she ever married or had children. Her brother Davis Hall is listed in IMDb and has a fairly extensive biography of himself, but I notice there isn't anything about Harriet Hall except the movies and soap operas that she appeared in.

It's hard to think badly of a film like "Foxfire". It's so earnest that it's heartbreaking even when it goes a bit over the top. I watched this for Jessica Tandy, and she is good, but this is also the best I've seen of Hume Cronyn so far. The story itself is slight. There's a number of pretty ordinary clichés I've seen more than a few times in TV movies, i.e. the greedy real estate developer, the stubborn old homesteader, the country singer who lost his way. Two of these clichés are every bit as unessential as expected - Gary Grubbs plays a cardboard cutout, and John Denver is good, but too uncomplicated and underdeveloped here.

It's the relationship of Annie (Jessica Tandy) and Hector (Hume Cronyn) that provides the real meat of the film. Their interaction is so true, so painful that it's always emotional to watch. They carry the entire production, lifting it far above everything that surrounds. I almost found myself wishing that the story could have been told completely through them alone, perhaps with a few flashbacks interspersed. It's those flashbacks where much of the power is held. The last half hour of "Foxfire" hurts the most, brings the most joy. It's so pure.

The director, Jud Taylor, doesn't really bring much to the plate here, nor does the rest of the production crew. But you didn't come to see a great film - you came to see two great performers. And you got everything you were looking for.

Wonderfully done film concerning an old woman who is being asked to sell her mountaintop home to a land developer. Since she has lived there most of her life, of course she is reluctant. But time is against her; life is becoming harder and harder to bear while living on this sloping piece of ground. Her son wants her to leave so she will be safer, while the woman is seeking advice from the imagined presence of her deceased husband. A lot of flashback takes place as son and mother re-live their not always rosy lives on the old homeplace. 4 stars.