Sunshine

My name is Jo-Jo (Ernie is my husband but I can't seem to be able to erase his name from this site - just thought I would clarify that!). I first saw this movie in 1982 on TV in Scotland, which is where I grew up, and I immediately recognised it as the story of Lyn Helton, which I had read in a magazine at the library. I was totally moved all over again; I thought the movie was beautifully made, and the songs complimented it perfectly. I have only seen it repeated once since then,and that was several years ago while living here (in New York). I would love to have a DVD or video of it to share with the four children I now have. I cannot begin to imagine what Lyn/Kate went through as a mother of such a young child, having to face her own demise. I totally admire her for standing up to the doctors and not letting them bully her into doing something she felt was the wrong decision for her. After seeing the movie I was inspired to try to find out about the real Lyn and her family (we didn't have the internet then): I found out from the library that there was a trust established for her daughter Jennifer, and I sent them a donation but never heard back from them. Anyone out there know anything? Her daughter must be about 36 now, and I'm sure she is really proud of her mom. One final thought - I noticed how many people on the board mentioned having read the book by Norma Klein: did anyone else read the two sequels "Sunshine Christmas" and "The Sunshine Years" and realise that they were totally inconsistent?! It's like two different people picked up from where the first book/movie left off! It was a little bit disappointing. Maybe its time to do a remake of this film? It was nice to discover that there are all these other people out there who were so inspired by this film.

I saw the movie right after its release, in Europe. I was so impressed that I went to see it again in theaters. I learned all the songs and I discovered John Denver through this movie. The moment I arrived in Canada I tried to look for a tape, later on for a DVD. I see that is rated 7.4 and I don't understand why that many bad movies with bad ratings are on the market but this isn't. Shirley is right. To release another movie with the same name and totally different subject is deceiving and not right. What happened? Why can't we find this movie in the stores or at blockbuster? I join all the voices that ask for this movie on DVD. In a world flooded with movies full of violence, bad language and hatred lets have "Sunshine" (1973) for a change!

I have been haunted by this movie ever since I saw it at age 8. The baby sitter let me stay up with her and I was forever saddened by this movie. It wasn't until this night ( 8/19/05 ) that I decided to see if there was any information on this movie. I heard the John Denver song : "Sunshine on My Shoulders" and just had to look it up. I always wondered what happened in this story. I was too young to remember and I don't think it has been shown again on television. I'm not sure how many other people my age saw this movie, but it sure made an impact on me at the young age of eight years old. My parents were not too pleased when they came home to find me watching this real life sad story. I now realize it was the first time I ever heard of this terrible thing called cancer. Unfortunately, I was soon to see the very real effects of this disease.

I thought this movie was excellent.I have been looking for it for a long time, since it has not been on TV. It took place in a time that was a very much a part of my lifestyle in the 60's and 70's. The music and whole hippie atmosphere is very dear to my heart. I wish they would have made a sequel to sunshine Christmas which was done after sunshine and told the story about SAM and Jill. I was always curious as to what happened to both of them since this was a true story. It was a real love story and definitely a tearjerker but it also showed a mother's true love for her daughter. She knew she would die and wanted to leave her something. The journals were a brilliant idea and I think she showed a lot of courage to not do drugs or chemotheraphy so she could keep her head clear. She loved that little girl so much that she died earlier than she had to.

I saw this movie as a young "hippie" woman and just loved it. It captured the times of 1973 perfectly. The subject matter, young love, family, illness, free spirits were right on. The photography was beautiful as well as the John Denver music, which was at the height of his popularity. I felt the lead character to be very brave. I now have a stepdaughter the same age I was when I first saw this movie and I only wish she could view it too. Who says great movies are not written for television?