The Inheritance

I loved this movie so much when I first saw it - I was seriously crying when it wasn't released on video! Thank goodness it's still shown on TV every now and then. This was just a great movie. The story is so sweet (although yes, a little corny). It made me laugh and cry and even worry about how it was all going to end. All of the actors are wonderful. Cari Shayne must be exactly what Louisa May Alcott envisioned, as she is perfect in the role of Edith. Meredith Baxter is lovely, and I was really impressed by an actress named Brigitta Dau, who played Amy - I hope to see more of her in the future. Adorable Tom Conti and gorgeous Thomas Gibson are terrific in their parts - simply perfect casting all around.

As to the story itself - I've read the book, and I have to say the movie is ten times better. The book is awful. If you think the movie is corny, don't TOUCH the book! Yes it's Louisa May Alcott, but honestly, any teenage girl could write a book like that. It's so boring and cheesy, and the over-romanticized plot goes beyond sweet to out-and-out creepy. The movie wisely does not follow the book exactly. It keeps the same theme and story, but instead of all the one-dimensional characters reciting corny lines, they are drawn out more and sound more like real people. And, if sometimes they do seem a little flat (specifically Ida and Edith) just think about what they had to work with. A wonderful adaptation of a not-so-wonderful book.

I saw this first in 1997 on the Kraft something-something (CBS). The very first part looked so refreshing that I threw in a tape and have absolutely been gone on it ever since. I had read about the newly discovered manuscript and book publication at an earlier time. I bought several copies of the book and gave them out as gifts to friends and relatives. Everyone who has watched it with me has loved it. My brother, in from Knoxville once, and after watching the usual popular movies at that time, was, up to that point fairly unimpressed. I decided to put it in. He watched and even though he had not even commented on any of the others, he looked at me after the end credits then lights on, and said, "That was a good one." You have to know my understated Economics Professor-of-a brother to know how funny that comment was and how it pleased me. The filmed presentation and its screenplay are more flowing, integrated and related to a self-contained start-to-finish story than is the actual book. The scene where Edith is with her ailing uncle, her innocence, her lack of guile or ability to deceive, contrive or lie, is unbelievably attractive in character and essence. Edith is so transparently good and kind and always helping others without taking credit this story is about the rewards of that goodness and that sweetness. There are hints from the beginning that are noticed after the fact, about where the relationships lie and why certain people do what they do and act the way they do. How could the entire story be so simple and yet enchanting enough to cause me to think of it all the time. When Edith first meets Percy by the horse, spilling her apples and yet touching his scratched face with her handkerchief I loved the way the directors let us know the magic was on. When Percy comes in the house for the first time and meets her Edith cannot hide her bright-eyed, innocent crush and that she has met him already. Her facial expressions are uniquely well done as she hides behind the curtain. You can see that she is jealous already, even though she knows he is not there for her nor could there be a crossing of social barriers, yet he was hers, she thought. How many movies are there where one kiss, just one kiss is so dramatic? With all the thrills, spills and chills in modern movies, needed to even keep an audience awake, is this not a gem for those of us who are just plain in love with love?

Henry Hamilton (Tom Conti, excellent) and his wife, Beatrice (Meredith Baxter) have a lovely, upstate New York property in the late 1800's. Their only child, Amy, loves books and reading and loathes going outdoors. She is on the verge of womanhood. Also in their household, since her infancy, is a young lady of similar age, Edith (Cari Shayne). Edith was the daughter of a servant in Henry's brother's home in Italy and, when the sibling died, the Hamiltons took charge of the baby. She has been reared with love but is also a servant in the Hamilton household, being a companion for their child, Amy. There is a definite distinction between the girls, with Beatrice reminding Edith that when Amy marries, she, Edith, will have to look for a new position or marry herself. The sweet, loving "companion" never raises her voice about anything but, when the world gets too difficult, she goes for a ride on one of the horses on the property, being an excellent rider. Now into the home comes two guests who will be living there indefinitely. One is a distant cousin, Ida (Brigid Brannagh), an unmarried lady who, though quite beautiful and relatively young, is still without a husband. Beatrice hopes to matchmake her with their other guest, James Percy (Thomas Gibson), an old friend who has been unlucky in love, too. However, the best laid plans often stumble! James and Edith are almost instantly taken with each other, despite the differences in their status, while Ida proves to be a catty, deceiving shrew who lives to make trouble. A son of a local richman, Frederick (Paul Anthony Stewart) catches her eye, but, he seems attentive to Edith, too, making the situation even more complicated. Then, too, there is someone stealing Mrs. Hamilton's jewels on the sly and Henry wants to enlist Edith as the horsewoman for his prize stallion in a local race. No woman has ever entered before, though the rules don't forbid it. In all of these twists and turns, how will it all end, especially in the romantic category? And, are there more secrets to uncover? This movie is a treasure so make you own inheritance and buy a copy soon...got mine at the local grocery for $4.99! What an unbelievable bargain for a romantic drama fan! Also, this tale is TRUE and was originally a work of non-fiction by Louisa May Alcott. Fascinating stuff, makes one want to run to the library or Internet. The cast is just wonderful, with Conti leading the way. He is absolutely excellent as the caring patriarch while Baxter looks sensational and is likewise great in her role as the matron with a heart who nonetheless believes in the class structure of the times. Shayne and the very handsome Gibson make a lovely, sweet couple in waiting while Brannagh is quite fun as the prickly pear of a woman. All other cast members, including Stewart and Max Gail, are very fine, too. As for the film's appearance, what a stunning bit of scenery, costuming and cinematography! This is a gorgeous looking movie while its substance, as evidenced by its script and direction, is extremely worthy as well. Then, too, its G-rated content makes it suitable for every potential viewer, young and old. Do you enjoy romantic, substantive, and family-oriented films which are also quite, quite good? Seek this one out in the next couple hours for your loved ones.

I enjoyed this presentation of Louisa May Alcott's "The Inheritance". The story is broad and interesting, with great propulsion and a particularly satisfying ending. The characters initially appear to be broad as well, but the additions of class and gender consciousness flesh things out in such a way as one might expect from authors such as Jane Austin or Charlotte Bronte.

The story is beautifully photographed with excellent ensemble acting performed by numerous old pros, such as Tom Conti, Meredith Baxter, Max Gail, and others. Look fast for an amusing cameo by Paul Bartel as a doctor - it made me wish that Mary Woronov would have been cast as Ida.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone. 7 out of 10.

i have seen it at a Sunday afternoon when i was in middle school. when the movie finished i begin to search the information of it from the internet. u know that is 1999 or 1998 it's really hard to find some English for me because of my poor English....and just 1min ago, when i searching something others the word"Inheritance" made me remind this movie and that warm feeling coming back. i still remember the end of the story, the hostess used to be cultivate the first rose that's so sweet and after that when i buy the rose i will remember this sweet story no matter it's really or just a story. and there's a surprise that the act of James Percy. explain why when i see criminal minds i always think Hotch is so familiar it's really worth to see and remember