Farol da Solidão

I probably enjoyed this movie so much, because I'm an avid reader of old books and recognized this story the minute I saw it. This movie plot was taken almost verbatim, including most of the character names and main events from an old Cape Cod story by author Joseph C. Lincoln. The book was titled "The Women Haters" and the original copy-write was 1904 . A few years ago another one of his more popular novels "Captain Erie" was made into a movie called "The Golden Boys" in which David Carradine played the leading role. It's great seeing some of the old books enjoyed by a younger generation even if only in a briefer form as a movie.

My wife and I really enjoyed this simple movie. No CGI, no swearing, drug use or gratuitous pandering. It's a fun look at the battle of the sexes and also the fencing among men when they get together. I loved the dialogue and the back and forth between the two men. For older audiences this would be a welcome entertainment. I could see how this movie would transfer easily onto the stage as well.

A few minutes into this film I became interested in it's origin. Lo and behold it dates back over a decade before the Great war. A somewhat simpler time to the century following that conflict.

This story is a novelization of an earlier short story perhaps a decade it's junior. I feel this an important fact to remember. Darwin is but a few years in the past and Orwell decades in the future... A simpler time. (Perhaps I give the era less respect than I should?)

It seems to me the original author enjoyed writing while wearing rose glasses. Certainly he enjoyed himself and the place in which his stories are portrayed...

But to the film you dolt, this is IMDB!!!

The film reflects it's origin. Ben Hur it is not. Nor does it want or intend to be. This is light entertainment. It does indeed call to mind actual people and events that can and do happen. It is not as unrealistic as some in this later age may think.

Bottom line. If you are relaxed, happen to simply wish to be entertained with a simple tale involving enjoyable characters, you may enjoy this. If however you expect the earth to shake and experience a life changing revelation, this is not for you.

I enjoyed it, was mildly surprised at times, and happy for the characters.

The cast is great. Bruce Dern is in it!!! More like a play than a film in many ways.

Nice.

I don't normally watch movies like this. I watched it because I liked Tom Wisdom in Dominion. This is a sweet story of two men (one older, one younger) who have lost themselves and lost love and find it all again. The costumes are beautiful, especially the women's dresses, and the setting is beautiful and the various accents are well done.

This film is the kind of movie you wish you could see all the time. It was sweet, a bit slow but not obnoxiously so and well acted. Richard Dreyfuss is one of my favorites and he is perfectly curmudgeonly in this movie. Tom Wisdom is delightful and Blythe Danner was gorgeous! Mamie Gummer's face kept taunting me until I looked her up and discovered she is Meryl Streep's daughter. She was very understated in the film and is quite a good actress. There was mystery in the film, which was not what I expected. It reminded me of the old British comedy of manners films where there is misdirection and mistaken identities. It was a fun movie to watch and I would recommend it to anyone who likes films that are thoughtful and amusing. I just loved it!