The Awakening Land

Based on Conrad Richter's ambitions trilogy, The Awakening Land is one of the finest TV mini-series ever produced for American television. Set in the Ohio frontier ca. 1790-1820, we see an American community form in the wilderness though the life of Sayward Luckett, a poor, uneducated pioneer woman blessed with great gifts of intelligence and courage. Through her often troubled marriage with Portious Wheeler, an eccentric and ambition New Englander, we see the clash and melding of the receding frontier with advancing "modern" civilization. Elizabeth Montgomery's portrayal of Sayward, a woman simultaneously simple but resourceful and intelligent, is surely the highlight of her rather underrated acting career.

The production has been treated shabbily by its owners since its premier in 1978. After years of silence, it was finally re-run in the early 1990s (I suspect owing to the fame of "Medicine Woman" Jane Seymour, who has a supporting role as Sayward's younger sister in "The Awakening Land") but I don't believe it was ever available to consumers on VHS. If it appeared on DVD I would snap it up in a minute.

Filmed in and around Springfield, Illinois, and the nearby reconstructed frontier village of New Salem, the mini-series is also notable for its setting in a time and place in American history rarely seen in movies or TV: the frontier period in the Midwest. One suspects the production aspired to be another "Roots," but even though it didn't match that show's rating, "The Awakening Land" excelled it in emotional sophistication and often in historical accuracy.

How many mini-series have generational staying power? Roots? OK, what else? In my case "The Awakening Land" stands by itself in this regard. The characters may be fictional, but they're woven so well with the known history of the region and era that they *might be* real. For my money this stands as perhaps Elizabeth Montgomery's most enduring performance. Its certainly the one I'll remember her for.

This is a wonderful mini-series that shows the less glamorous, but realistic side of the settling of the American Frontier. The story has an excellent cast including Hal Holbrook, Elizabeth Montgomery, William H. Macy and others. The characters grow and change as the frontier changes and gets settled. It is unfortunate that this mini-series did not get the press that some others have and has not been repeated often enough. This series is just as good as Roots but recounts a different period of American life.

I would love to see it on DVD, if you would too please vote at http://www.tvshowsondvd.com. Currently, it only has 132 votes. Studio execs do look at this site to see who would like to buy television shows.

I have seen this movie 2 times and could watch it over and over again. I thought that Elizabeth Montgomery's acting ability was great. If you ever get the opportunity to watch this movie, please do. You will be glad you did.

I would be one of the first ones to purchase a copy of this movie, if it was ever released. If anyone knows when and if this movie will be playing again on TV, I would appreciate it if someone would let me know.

I believe that this movie would be an inspiration to anyone who saw it and it's very interesting, as in showing how life was in the early times, and the hard life that was had by most people.

conniegap

I enjoyed this miniseries so much when I was a teen. It was great, seeing Elizabeth Montgomery's real talent, so much more evident than in "Bewitched." I read Conrad Richter's trilogy and it was good to imagine the characters in the stories.

Later, when the Internet was available, I found a company in California that had "The Awakening Land" for sale, converted from VHS tape to DVD. They did advise me that the picture would not be very sharp (not HD) but they had it without the commercials.

I gladly paid the price they asked, and I watch it occasionally when there isn't anything worth watching on TV. A wonderful story of pioneer life, how they struggled and made good.