Red Sky at Morning

I viewed this film for the first time in a motel room at White Sands, New Mexico in 1997. I was completely bowled over. This was a stunning piece of photography (yes, filmography) and truly touching in its use of apace, fauna, and New Mexico geography. Richard Thomas and Desi Arnez,jr were wonderful. This is a real "coming of age" film. I wish to high heaven it were on video. I was, obviously, quite moved.

The idea of placing characters from the WWII era in a desert,detached setting seemed uninteresting and silly to me, at first. As the film progressed, however, one realizes that World War is always somewhere in the background, a father who could hold it all together gone. What a trial for the young people of this film and we come to understand them and their anxieties.

Released in 1971, the same year as two other nostalgic hit movies, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and SUMMER OF '42, this film has been undeservedly forgotten. A simple story of a Southwest family during World War II, with excellent acting (let me put it this way... even Desi Arnaz, Jr. does a good job), nice dialogue and an attention to period detail. This ain't available on DVD or even VHS, so if you catch it on TV, do yourself a favor and check it out.

I saw this film out of boredom at my small town theater in 74 and it left a lasting impression on me. I have not seen it since but all the images live on in memory. I can only hope the good people at Universal have the wisdom to release it on video or God willing on D.V.D. I can only hope that you too have experienced this film.

In 1971, I went to the drive-in movie in Ceres, California, with my wife and children. We actually went to see another movie and it was a double feature. I LOVED "Red Sky at Morning". To this day, 31 years later, I still think that it was the best movie I have ever seen. I, too, wish it had been committed to tape. I would love to see it again.

Not to put too fine a point on it. I saw this movie and was completely struck by the lushness of everything. Plot, plot twists, music, humor, suspense, coming of age, bittersweet; the whole works.

Saw it about five times, dragging all the people I cared about, because even then, as a self-absorbed know it all twenty year old, I realized you don't really "see" this movie...

you experience it.

Not one false move in the entire movie.

Fast forward 1996, I met a guy on-line and we got to talking about this movie. I'd even gone so far as researching it to pay for a copy, since it wasn't made into a video and the TV edited version was horrible.

The problem is, no one is sure. Pity. It bombed here, but Europeans considered it an American Classic.

Anyway, my friends said, "Yeah, the movie was great, but the book was better." I said

"Book?"

Hot-footing it to the library I got a copy.

Hey! I heard that. Did too give it back.

Guessing the author still lived in New Mexico, I called him, 26 years later to thank him and followed up with a letter.

He wrote back and mentioned the publishing industry is no longer populated by gentlemen, and the best thing about making the movie was he got to meet Claire Bloom.

I asked him to write again, because he intrigued me with his modesty. But I guess he figured me for a stalker and didn't. and that's how much I liked that movie.

Roger Ebert....where are you?

Bonnie