Waiting for the Wind

This is a 30 min. video starring Robert Mitchum as a Midwesterner with not long to live. His dream is to build a ship and sail off into the ocean, even though he's miles away from one. The relationship with his young grandson is also a focus. A touching story, produced by a Christian denomination. I bought my copy through an on-line christian bookstore. Great opportunity to see a rare, rare, Robert Mitchum film.

This lovely short 1990 Christian film Waiting For The Wind was Rhonda Fleming's last film (as I write this she just passed on) and rounding up near the end of Robert Mitchum's film career as well. I have no information on why these two big name stars agreed to do this "little" film but thank God they did, and thank God I stumbled on it after perusing Rhonda's films on Amazon Prime Video. It looked like it might have aired on television that year, perhaps on a Christian station, like a regular TV movie. Rhonda was still beautiful and Robert still handsome, in his own rugged way. They play a married couple whose daughter had been killed in a car crash, leaving a husband and son who miss her very much. Robert himself has terminal cancer and is trying to finish a hand-built boat he has parked on his farm so that he can hopefully take his grandson on a memorable trip on it before he passes on. Will he be able to achieve his goal?

I kind of wish this film had been at least an hour long. There could have been far more to explore in the basic framework of the story. But when any film has a character mentioning the Holy Spirit and which quotes Bible scripture I am so totally thrilled because I can probably count on less than two hands the number of films I've seen in my life that are that bold. Amen and amen!

Given the roguish lifestyle that Robert Mitchum led the last thing you would ever figure to see him in his a Christian production. But whatever else Mitchum was in his life he was always unconventional and doing the unexpected. Waiting For The Wind is definitely unconventional for him.

To say this is a bit above the usual Christian film is to belabor the obvious because this 23 minute short subject has some real Hollywood names and production values. Mitchum and Rhonda Fleming are the grandparents of young Zachary Bostrum who is visiting them with his father Jameson Parker. The woman that held them together, Bostum's mother, Parker's wife, and Mitchum and Fleming's daughter was killed by a drunken driver. And now Mitchum is in the last stages of a terminal cancer.

But this Iowa farmer has one desire left and he's building a sailboat to take to the ocean, but he might not have enough time left to do it. He's got the faith, but will that be enough?

It's a decent enough film and better bring a box of Kleenex before viewing this movie. I'm betting there is a real story about how the Lutheran Church got these players to do this short film, especially Robert Mitchum, not a man known for piety. Maybe we'll learn the answer some day.

Searching my FIRE TV for Mitchum/Wouk's "The Winds of War". Well, it is not available, nor is "War & Remembrance". Huge bummer!

Still wanted to see Robert Mitchum, not in the 40s, 50s, 60s, in a film noir. This met my wish.

I saw this DELIGHTFUL short for 99 cents. BINGO!

MItchum's talent did not diminish with age. Here he is, an old man, and he still has "it". Hi delivery is spot-on.

Seeing Rhonda Fleming was nice, too. And, it takes place in Iowa, the state that feeds the world.

But the best part was the message of the hope of a future in Heaven. Looking forward to eternity with the One who paid my entrance, and meeting cool people like Robert Mitchum...