L'affaire Noah Dearborn

Didn't know what this movie was about, but if you ever lived in the country or small town, and longed to go back, This movie is a delight. The movie had a simple story line that kept you wishing that you were there. I commend the writers and producers for the film.

Noah is a carpenter who lives on 35 acres that a big real estate giant wants to build one of their cheesy malls on. This man effects people in one of two ways, either their lives are changed forever or they just don't get it. You feel sorry for the ones that don't get it but not very sorry. Sidney Poitier is as hauntingly charismatic in this film as he was in "Lilies of the field" the first time I saw him in films. This is a good film to relax and enjoy and ponder how beautiful the earth is and how wise Noah is.

I totally enjoyed this movie. The story line was interesting and the acting was good. Poitier and Parker did an excellent job. The supporting actors were good too. I thought it was very good for a TV movie. The flashbacks were great filling in the background information, with smooth transitions and was easy to follow. It had variety with some humor and a lot of drama. The ending was satisfactory which is a big thing to me. You leave the movie feeling good. I loved it and bought my own copy. Highly recommended. Appropriate for children - another big plus for me. There was no offensive language, sex or violence. My teenage children watch it with me and like it too.

Sidney Poitier is still a great actor and this film is a demonstration of his skills. Here he is a carpenter touched by his tough life, which taught him to work as much as possible without hurting anyone. But one day some people wanted to take him away of his land and the tragedy started for him. However he took it as part of life and fought against it with patience and showing himself calm. The morale of the film is simply excellent.

Sidney Poitier is perfect as the reclusive Noah Dearborn, with all support cast doing what they needed agreeably. As might be expected within this genre, the script tended to be a little heavy on the 'bad' guys (but thankfully not all). Some changes in certain character developments might have played out better if it was just a bit longer in running time (?) There were also a couple of dramatic situations that seemed to be perhaps underdeveloped or not followed through enough. All that aside, this is an agreeable story with enough interesting situations, and good relationships to keep most viewers engaged throughout. Mary-Louise Parker does surprisingly well with her important, pivotal psychologist character. Diane Wiest was nominated for an Emmy. & it's all very good to look at photographically. A thoughtful Afternoons watch.