Love Is Forever

I read John Everingham's story years ago in Reader's Digest, and I remember thinking what a great movie it would make. And it probably would have been had Michael Landon never got his hands on it. As far as I'm concerned, Landon was one of the worst actors on earth, and his artistic license went way over the top, similar to his massacre of the "Little House" book series is proof. The acting, for lack of a better word, is atrocious, the screenplay sloppy, and there are more close-ups of Landon's puss than should be allowed.

This movie reflects Everingham's story as much as "Little House On The Prairie" reflects the books is was "based" on. It's just another vehicle to show off Landons horrendous hair.

I can understand why when Michael read this script he though it would be a refreshing change. An actor always likes the opportunity to be in someone else's work, and apparently this was the first time in a long time, than he had read something that he thought might translate well to the screen. It did not. The director Hall Bartlett took a script for a dramatic love story, set against the results of the Vietnam war, and tried to turn it into some type of action film, filled with terrible cliches. The only parts of this film that work are those with Landon, particularly when he gives the speech about the dangers of war and the regime. Some of the supporting players are okay, but overall the movie is only decent and Landon's presence is the only reason that it is decent and able to be watched. In my view, if Landon had of taken over the production, re-wrote the screenplay, directed, and cut the film himself, I think it would have turned out ten times better.

This film has a really interesting plot. The acting is pretty good as well. It is a real life story about the height of integrity of a journalist in Laos, and the extent to which he will go for his girlfriend. It is a very uplifting story.

However, the DVD versions of the film (I have seen two DVD versions) are extremely poor. The sound is so terrible, that frequently the listener cannot tell what is being said, and there are no subtitles or closed captioning. There is a constant roaring sound in the background of the soundtrack for the entire film that makes the voices often difficult to understand.

The film has really bad resolution and it is often dark. The lighting and resolution are frequently so poor that one cannot recognize which characters are in the scene.

The producers of the DVDs frequently bill the film as starring Priscilla Presley. If you are a Priscilla Presley fan, don't be fooled by this as she appears on the screen for a total of perhaps 2 minutes and has about three lines. She plays a very minor role in the film. It is strange that the real heroine in this film, Laura Gemser, usually gets much less billing.

The film can usually be purchased for less than $5, which to me is worth it. But be aware that the sound and video quality are EXTREMELY poor. So I give the plot a 9 and the filming a 1 for an average of 5/10.

True life story with a smoking Michael Landon as a reporter living in Laos who smuggles out stories to the west regarding the vicious government of the country.

When a general hires a lovely young maiden to spy on him, love blossoms between the two and the general (Jurgen Prochnow) becomes very jealous.

Arresting Landon and banishing him from the country leads us to the remaining plot of the film: Landon tries to get his true love out of the country via the sea. The trouble is that our fair lady can't even swim.

The film is a good one with good performances all around. The ending will certainly satisfy you.

This is a 1983 movie but I just saw it last night. It's a movie based in a real life event: the story of a foreign journalist in Laos who is declared "non grata person" by the Communist regime. This is a beautiful story of love and courage. The main character is Michael Landon, one of my favorite actors. The movie is kind of slow but I enjoyed it.