Follow the River

This is one of my favorite movies to watch. I so admire the main character's, Mary Ingles', courage and perseverance under great trial. I had a chance to read the story of the real Mary Ingles that this was based on, and what an amazing lady she was!

Good performances by Sheryl Lee, Eric Schweig, and Ellen Burstyn. Hallmark told this tale without a lot of violence, no profanity, and no trashy sex. This film is well worth seeing.

James Alexander Thom writes novels that absolutely grip you with their intense realism, authentic settings and sometimes unexpectedly amusing content. His greatest work I believe is Panther in the Sky (a story of the Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenkswatawa the Prophet). Don't miss it! Hopefully it will not be made into a movie as unfeeling as Follow the River.

This movie has the two returning women (on a 1000 mile journey) wearing clothes whose length would never permit them to travel through the woods, let alone do so without being torn to shreds. Everyone is portrayed as being forever clean, looking well-fed and with their hair always in place. The constantly changing relationship between the two women (as shown in the film) is obviously contrived and ultimately became very boring. An excellent adult book was made into a children's fantasy.

This movie was very pleasing and uplifting. It showed strength and courage. The women in their attempt to get home had to be brave. It also showed the Indian people to be merciful and with big hearts and a sense of humor. Their ways were different from the whites but still they knew that family is the most important thing there is in life.

I really enjoyed the movie. What is the saying? "If fate hands you lemons, make lemonade." Mary Ingles makes the best of her situation, but in the end decides it better to leave her children with the Shawnee and try and make it back to her husband many days travel away. That would be one tough decision. But then she is very STRONG. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/21/2021

Follow the River is a wonderful movie. I understand many reviewers here are upset that it is not faithful to the book , however, if you take it alone as a film, it is filled with an excellent cast, good dialogue, beautiful scenery, and full of human emotion. It is because of this that I decided to purchase the book which I understand has differences and is much more detailed. I heartily recommend this film to anyone whether you've read the book or not. I particularly liked the performance Eric Schweig, who portrayed the Shawnee chief and Ellen Burstyn who portrayed Gretel. This has inspired me to learn more about the French Indian war, and to see more movies of this genre.