Higher Ground

A juvenile soap opera script with a treatment by less-than-adequate acting in a false setting and two-dimensional characters. This is what this poorly produced movie offers. As an Alaskan, I find any references to Alaska or its lifestyle to be sorely lacking. Great scenery, but it was shot in British Columbia in Canada, not in Alaska. A shot of a raccoon, when Alaska has no raccoons. In one conversation with an Indian kid, there's reference to the kid's father losing his pine grove. There are no pine groves in Alaska, but there are plenty of stands of spruce. Great music. Given. Still, a lackluster screenplay and poor acting aside, the film ran on several improbable scenarios. Among them, an unnatural conflict between secondary character Rick and his wife at the dinner table. It tries to pull the viewer along into an improbable argument. Later, Denver's character and the friend's wife were prevented from getting gasoline by the film's bad guy, McClain. Despite never resolving the fuel shortage, Denver continues to fly and operate a boat extensively through the remainder of the film in his quest to solve the murder of his friend. Since Denver's ultimate demise came from not checking the fuel tanks of his aircraft upon departure from Monterrey, California, one could almost sense a sad prophetic theme. The one standout in this mess of mediocrity was typically superb performance by veteran actor Richard Masur, who played the film's villain. If you're looking for a cinematic masterpiece you'll not find it here.

I saw this movie on tv when it came out. I taped it and have enjoyed watching it several times. John Denver is my favorite singer. I know he no longer graces our world, but there will never be anyone else who can compare to him. He was the greatest in his field today, yesterday, and forever. Higher Ground is one of his best endeavors.

it's been probably ten years since i've seen this movie. i don't recall it being bad, but there's something about it that stands out to me as excellent - its soundtrack. some of Denver's most memorable songs come from this cd - "Higher Ground" - "Home Grown Tomatoes" - "Alaska and Me"... listening to it almost makes me cry. what an artist that we've lost... watch it, if just for the songs...

Normally I leave stuff to this to the fans. I see no implicit reason why I should spoil their fun. But Krorie from Van Buren wrote that "Others should enjoy it as well." And I am one of those others. My preference is Russian opera and hardrock/heavy metal of the early 70's. A great voice is what they have in common: a large range, powerful lungs and cords, a lot of expression. So I do recognize vocal skills. John Denver has stuck in my memory as the vocalist of Calypso, where he shows what he is capable of. Alas he does not in Higher Ground. This is not the place to explain why Calypso rules and others songs not. From my point of view the music in this movie is boring, the fans will have to grant me that. During the music the story comes to an absolute standstill, which means about 15 minutes of boredom. Sometimes I felt watching a documentary without a commentator. John Denvor is not a very good actor either. He heavily relies on his faithful dog expression. Fortunately he was wise enough to surround himself with very capable actors. That has one pro and one con. JD's own deficiencies are not very striking; at the other hand that Scottish policeman puts him in the shadow now and then. But nothing can save the violent scenes; basically Jim's enemies simply do not resist. The story is highly predictable, of Roy Rogers quality, with the usual stereotyped characters. JD plays the Man Who Knows What Is The Right Thing To Do And Does It Without Hesitation, while all the policemen are to dumb, deaf and blind to see who the villain is. Jim's best friend gets into trouble because he makes the wrong decision for the right reasons. The widow and the boy are only there for decoration, to give us some female and childish emotions, in the old-fashioned meaning. They need a Good Man to get them out of trouble. The Native gets his obligatory chance to express his grievances against the white man who has ruined his way of life. Of course the honesty of Jim - with an extra faithful expression on his face - wins him over, of course on the very last moment. Etcetera, etcetera. In the end it comes to this: almost everything serves to prove the spectator the excellent character of Jim/John Denver. Are there positive sides? Sure, excellent cinematography, using the assets of Alaska fully. When JD is not singing the pace of storytelling is nice, even though the predictability makes that the spectator easily can skip ten minutes. I mean, the movie does not drag. As I wrote before, acting is adequate. So the annoyance factor, so typical of several Elvis Presley flicks, is very low. The bottom line is that Higher Ground suffers from all the problems such heroic movies. That is no problem for JD-fans of course, but it means Krorie was wrong.

John Denver has been criticized for not being a great singer, but he could sing, for not being a great actor, but he was a good actor, and for his songwriting which some called mundane and bland. Yet John Denver wrote one of the best songs of the 1970's, "Rocky Mountain High." And though his voice was not great, it was well suited for the type music he sang. My wife and I saw John Denver in concert in Memphis, Tennessee, around 1976. He gave one hell of a concert. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra backed him on some of his songs. When he sang many of his Rocky Mountain ballads, a slide show was presented on a giant screen behind him that enhanced his performance, adding beautiful still photography of nature's miracles. He was also a man of conviction who stood up for what he believed including freedom of expression when the Tipper Gore political opportunists tried to suppress First Amendment rights by putting pressure on Congress. He is one of the great free spirits and artists of his time.

"Higher Ground" is a precious film and a tribute to the man and his music. The three songs he sings in the movie, including the title song, are three of his best celebrating the natural high that an appreciation for nature brings. The Alaskan scenery is breathtaking. The movie also captures John Denver's love of flying.

The story is a good one for a made for TV flick. John Denver wants to get away from the madness and mania of the big city by flying to Alaska to visit an old friend and his family only to discover that there is madness and mania where ever there are human beings. When his friend is killed by bootleggers and drug runners, Denver fights back to clear his pal's name and to protect the wife and son of his slain comrade. This leads to action and adventure with a few touching scenes between Denver and his friend's son who also wants to fly someday.

This film is a must for John Denver fans. Others should enjoy it as well.