O Pioneers!

I grew up near Red Cloud, Nebraska the home of Willa Cather, author of the O'Pioneers novel. In coming of age I fell in love twice with girls like Jessica Lange. In watching this movie for a second time, I have now fallen in love four times. Most people today associate love with sex, drink, and having fun. They miss the whole point. It is like bringing a city slicker to the prairie and wondering why they just can not see the beauty and joy of nature. If you can not get joy from wheat waving in the wind, you will miss the whole point of laying in it with someone wonderful. This movie brought back these feelings. I even thought wouldn't it be wonderful to have lunch with Jessica Lange to ask what the land taught her.

Awesome story of how a woman takes over the ranch aft her father dies. Looking at it from a genealogical viewpoint of a genealogist's....I am so glad they made this excellent film. Stories such as this came from our ancestors for sure as such ocurrences actually did happen very often. Women were left to run many outfits when the men died or went wandering....they had the gusto, fortitude and fight to do it, thats why we are here today, because of these courageous ancestors. Nebraska is a gorgeous state and the scenery is truly depictive of it as I lived there. The culmination of the two childhood friends marrying, even though she was 4yrs his senior...happened all too often back in those days. Its a very emotional, heart beating film and well done. Jessica Lange is such a wonderful actress and did an excellent job in this film as did David Strathairn.

O Pioneers!" is a screen adaptation of Willa Cather's novel set in Nebraska at the turn of the century. It was originally shown on television as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series.

Jessica Lange plays Alexandra Bergson, a competent and courageous woman whose dying father leaves her control of his failing farm. Over the years through shrewd management and persistence, she prospers. She has a mystical relationship with the land, a reverent approach she shares with a bare-footed hermit (Roberts Blossoms) who becomes her lifelong adviser and friend.

Filming in Nebraska, producer and director Glenn Jordan makes the prairie an important character in the drama. In one the most visually spectacular scenes, a group of Catholic men ride out in procession to escort a visiting bishop back to the church; it's a welcome today's clerics would certainly appreciate! O Pioneers! in many vivid and affecting ways proclaims the bounty which comes to those who respect nature and nurture it like a child. Yes I recommend it James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/8/2021

There are several very good points to "O Pioneers!" that are partially drowned under miscasting and stilted dialogue. Heather Graham (who plays the younger version of Jessica Lange's character) is the worst of the lot. Even the more talented actors sometimes struggle to get the words out. There are far too many cases throughout where unnecessarily complicated lines are forced to be delivered in a way that is anything but natural. It's too bad that this is the only major flaw, because the constant recurrence of the issue is the only thing that keeps "O Pioneers!" from being a great film.

Jessica Lange is certainly the best thing here. The emotion and power with which she imbues her character is palpable. David Strathairn, who is one of my favorite actors, is given much less to work with. He tries his best, but the character is written too coldly to truly come to life. The absolute stand-out performance, however, is that of Tom Aldredge. His depiction of Ivar is amusing, alive, deep and absolutely human. Most of the other actors live up to standard, save for the aforementioned dialogue issues.

Glenn Jordan directs quite nicely, but it's less his sensibility than the eye of cinematographer Dick Bush that makes "O Pioneers!" so visually appealing. Bush captures a washed-out world of warm-pale greens, blues, and sepia tones that fill you with a sense of longing and overwhelming calm. This film has something in common both visually and thematically with Jordan's film of the previous year, "Sarah, Plain and Tall". That movie is ultimately more consistent and satisfying that this one. I couldn't say there's any reason for me to watch "O Pioneers!" a second time, but it was a meaningful experience in spite of the flaws. It has much to say about contentment and the search for home. You should gain something from it.

I was expecting a better movie. It just wasn't that touching, and the story was not entertaining. And the scenery wasn't that great. Heather Graham uses a horrible accent. I guess the plot of this film was a young Alexandra takes over her family's land when their dad dies. She tells her brothers they will stick together and the farm will grow. Cut to 20 years later, and we saw how the farm has grown. They grow a lot and have a big house. A subplot involves the younger brother, Emil, who falls for a married woman. Tragedy ensues, surprise, surprise! The end of the film deals with Alexandra getting together with an old friend. So, she has a life other than the farm. Sounds really exciting, uh? Not!

FINAL VERDICT: I don't recommend this because it is too boring.