Alone Yet Not Alone

Starting in 1775 we have a story of a German family who emigrated to America to avoid religious persecution. They buy their own land in an area that was previously the domain of the local Native Indian Tribe. The British are at war with the French – again – and both sides drag the local populace into the conflict and the local tribes also.

This results in a previously allied tribe raiding the frontier homesteads and killing, burning and taking prisoners. This includes Barbara Leininger and her sister. What follows is what befalls them and their friends.

Now I love a good frontier tale, the Native Americans are really done well and some of the locations are excellent – I think they used the same area as Michael Mann in 'The Last of the Mohicans' so very evocative. The acting ranges from good to am dram and that is a shame. Some of the characters are stereo typed to the point of incredulity – especially a couple of the English officers. Then there are the wigs which started of being funny and then became annoying. I have seen more realistic toupees on sale in a joke shop. Why ruin a film that had a fair amount of money spent on it with minor hic cups? If you like a frontier story with a bit of action and some great fancy dress then there may be a great film here for you, if you like true quality in your films then think twice.

The first 30 minutes of this film is the only part worth watching. Once Kelly Grayson hits the screen, all believability is out the window. I could barely sit and watch the rest. The only tolerable actors were the extras. Miss Grayson's character somehow managed to maintain clean clothes and perfect teeth despite living in the woods with her native captors. The British General was so poorly acted as to be comical. The only redeeming quality of this film is the beautiful cinematography, and much of this is marred by poor color correction and editing. All in all, an extremely poor treatment of a very touching historical event. Don't waste your time.

I was entertained by this film. Based on a true story and made on a low budget. It's a TV movie not a Hollywood blockbuster. The storyline is good. I don't understand the very low ratings, perhaps people expect to much from a film. I've turned off plenty of films with big stars after 15 mins but this film I watched to the end.

Really enjoyed the story and story-telling. Filmography and scenery were great. Showed how people with faith can still find ways to be happy through great tribulations.

This just wasn't a very good movie. I watched a screening copy (with a friend from an appropriate guild) on a whim, and being a bit of a history buff, some movies people find to slow I still like. This wasn't one of them. It claims to be based on a true story (which it may VERY LOOSELY be), but the historical inaccuracies were rampant in nearly every scene. I'm actually surprised it was shot in Williamsburg, VA, because they clearly didn't hire a knowledgeable technical adviser. It also portrayed the indigenous Americans with a pretty racist slant. Additionally, there were a number of quality issues with the film. There was inconsistent depth of field throughout the film, making it look like something shot on Best Buy camera with a stock zoom lens. The color was off from shot to shot. The audio didn't sound feature quality and seemed like they relied on the score to cover up audio imperfections. The acting was very poor (with the exception of Mama- Joanie Stewart was good). It was either no feeling or EVERY FEELING EVER ALL AT ONCE!!! The dialogue was poor and the sisters' bond to each other and god kind of felt like it was a given, with no motives or honesty, just blind faith because Daddy told them so. It's almost a jaded rip off of An American Tale, except without any of the adventure or feeling (or cute animated mice). I was able to make it all the way through, but was left feeling empty and bored, rather than inspired and uplifted. There may be an audience for it, but I'm not sure who. It's really just a poor presentation of lower budget filmmaking. 3/10