The Pilot's Wife

I liked the picture very much and realized at the end that it was not being filmed in Ireland but in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, the site of the real, disastrous Swiss Air Flight crash several years ago. I have pictures that I shot in exactly the same spot which features the light house which you can see as they zoom in on the crash site at the end of the movie. The end credits did not include any of the actual location sites or credit giving to any of the establishments where they did the filming.The ending was a bit abrupt without mention of what happened to the character played by Scott Campbell. All in all, however, it was better than most of this type of story.

The film has the potential to be quite good. It has an interesting story line which unfold throught the movie.

When she visits London and then Ireland, you can't help thinking that the movie would be must better if the crew had spent a little bit of money on plane tickets and done some filming there! The 4 or 5 cars which appear in the background seem to follow her to ireland, which looks suspiciously like the north american coast.

But on the whole, it's a fairly average movie to pass the time. Little bit more budget? then 8 out of 10. Otherwise, about 5.

I quite liked this film, apart from the later UK 'setting' and how the story skirted close to glorifying the IRA. Christine Lahti portrayed a strong character whose life fell apart not once, but about three times, whilst discovering the truth about the death - and life - of her pilot husband. And Glasgow-born Kirsty Mitchell was strangely compelling as Muire ('M-yoo-ire', as Lahti's character stumbled with). I felt like the film should have ended a scene or two before it actually did, and I don't know what Lahti's character established by visiting Ireland, but the rest of the story kept me hooked. I also admired how an obvious scene was avoided, in the hotel room between Kathryn and the union rep (is that what he was? Did he turn out to be some kind of government agent in the end? Not sure). The contrast between the wife's broken memories of her husband - shining his shoes, waving goodbye in full uniform, playing happily with the daughter - and the uncovered truth was dramatic and well filmed. The London and Ireland 'locations' (in Halifax, Nova Scotia) were tired and the stuff of American mythology - did somebody in the pub actually say 'Guv'nor'? - but that was the only real failing. I'll definitely read Anita Shreve's novel, to compare the two versions. The comments on airport security and terrorism did not escape deeper consideration either, after last year's tragic events.

This has become one of my all-time favorite movies, and the book is also outstanding. I read the book first, and was glad that I did. After reading this book, Anita Shreve has become one of my favorite authors. "The Pilot's Wife" was a movie that keeps you riveted to your seat, awaiting the next surprise. You never know what to expect from one moment to the next. There is so much going on in this movie that you can watch it more than once and still enjoy it. I Have watched it 2-3 times, and can't wait to see it again. Christine Lahti is a wonderful actress, and I love her in this movie. She plays Kathryn like no one else could have, and makes her come to life on the screen. My favorite scene in this movie was when she came face to face with the secret life from her husband's past. I can't imagine being in a position such as this, especially after the death of your husband.

in the title role of a pilot's wife who must contend with his sudden mysterious death overseas. His plane went down, and she is besieged by officials and airline PR executives, all anxious to learn the truth, for their own varied interests. Campbell Scott is also very good as airline company man who follows Lahti to London. She hopes to clear her husband's name, but what she finds there only creates even greater turmoil.

Without giving away the twist, suffice to say her family in Massachusetts, her daughter, and her perceptions that her marriage was a happy one are challenged, and met with adversity. She handles this at first, incredulously (an amazingly underplayed performance by Lahti, reflecting shock and betrayal).

Written by Anita Shreve, the story takes the twist of the storyteller, (in this case Lahti) and her own personal story. She does not care about terrorism or what the peripheral facts of the case were. She lost her husband, and the facade she thought was her family. 8/10.