Céu Vermelho ao Amanhecer

When you're in your 70s and can remember details about a movie that you saw 50 years ago, it does say something about the quality of the film. I don't think I'd care to watch it again--I'd probably be disappointed--but I'll never forget the look on Richard Thomas's face after he trips and falls into . . . No, I won't do a spoiler. Thomas has always been a fine actor even though his post-Waltons' career has been spotty. Desi Arnaz, Jr., is very fine, and it's a shame that his personal problems ran his career off the rails. And Catherine Burns? Two classic film roles and she was pretty much done with her film career, though she did continue as a writer. This odd little movie deserves a better reception and wider audience than it got. I can't verify its availability on dvd, but I suspect it would still hold up well with younger audiences. Back in the day, you'd had a lot of trouble finding a movie that took teenagers seriously. The enveloping action of World War II is both distant and present. A good comparison with an older movie might mention The Human Comedy, with Mickey Rooney doing a serious role while still being thought of as a "chikd star."

In 1971, I went to the drive-in movie in Ceres, California, with my wife and children. We actually went to see another movie and it was a double feature. I LOVED "Red Sky at Morning". To this day, 31 years later, I still think that it was the best movie I have ever seen. I, too, wish it had been committed to tape. I would love to see it again.

I viewed this film for the first time in a motel room at White Sands, New Mexico in 1997. I was completely bowled over. This was a stunning piece of photography (yes, filmography) and truly touching in its use of apace, fauna, and New Mexico geography. Richard Thomas and Desi Arnez,jr were wonderful. This is a real "coming of age" film. I wish to high heaven it were on video. I was, obviously, quite moved.

The idea of placing characters from the WWII era in a desert,detached setting seemed uninteresting and silly to me, at first. As the film progressed, however, one realizes that World War is always somewhere in the background, a father who could hold it all together gone. What a trial for the young people of this film and we come to understand them and their anxieties.

I saw this movie while stationed in Germany in 1971, about 6 months after reading the book. Both the book and the movie are as perfect as can be, and the movie, as best I can remember, stays absolutely faithful to the book.

Richard Thomas, Catherine Burns, and Desi Arnaz, Jr. play 3 high-school friends in New Mexico, and the movie tells of a few months in their lives during World War II. Part hilarious, part romantic, part exciting, part heart-breaking, and beautiful throughout. No spoilers here, since all of this movie should be a surprise (like E.T.), but it has something for everyone.

As far as I know, Richard Bradford wrote only one other novel, So Far From Heaven, also set in New Mexico, with unrelated characters and plot. It is just as good a book. I found a couple of out-of-print copies at bn.com. It would also make a sensational movie -- I hope someone does it.

Both of these books and the movie were my first introduction to Latino versus Anglo issues, and show both the best and the worst of their relations.

For Richard Thomas, it marked (about) the beginning of a stellar career, and Desi Arnaz, Jr. enjoyed moderate success. Catherine Burns, however, who was excellent in the movie, simply dropped off the radar screens. Again, if anyone knows of anything else she's done, please send email.

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, but if you EVER get a chance to see this movie, it's worth a lot of trouble and expense. Rating: 10

It was 1971 when I first saw this movie at the Picfair theatre on Fairfax near Pico in Los Angeles. We each coughed up 49 cents to get in and few things in my life have given me more for the money. I think it was the magnificent New Mexico scenery that made the movie extraordinary in my mind - sort of like how a fresh, windswept day after a rain (a rare thing in Southern California) can make even the dreariest of neighborhoods look alive and interesting. This, combined with the moving score, has kept this movie alive for me after all these years. With all the horrid things that appear on video, it truly bugs me that no one had the class to commit this one to tape!