Resurrection

After so many years (last saw it in 1980) and thousands of films later, I still recall scenes - usually triggered by some circumstance - and wish I could see the film again. Because of my background in film and television, I can say I have seen an above average amount of films and I can state that this is one of those films that stay engraved in your memory in a very specific way, like very few films do or ever will.

Ordinary woman, recently paralyzed in a car accident that left her husband dead, drives with her father through the California desert and meets a wily, warm old coot running a service station; he introduces her to his two-headed snake and then, without provocation, touches the top of her head affectionately. Soon thereafter, she finds she can heal the ailing--including herself--which frightens her distant father as well as the new man in her love-life. Occasionally overwrought or slow, "Resurrection" has a solid screenplay to fall back on, and a terrific actress in the leading role. Ellen Burstyn, feisty, flawed and fed up, creates a three-dimensional character here who often makes bad choices but never loses our respect. Fighting with her father for the last time, she tells him, "I am sick...to...death...of trying to get you to love me." Fine supporting performances by Eva Le Gallienne, Richard Farnsworth and Lois Smith, but Sam Shepherd isn't well cast as the new love-interest (he's supposed to be a sexy bad boy, but instead he just seems villainous, in a perpetual foul mood). The movie lays on the hick-charm a bit heavily (our heroine is Edna Mae, her grandmother is Grandma Pearl), but it has a great deal of heart and some very moving, sensitive moments. *** from ****

And that's saying a lot since I adore Ellen Burstyn and her work but I was deeply moved by her extraordinary performance in 1981's Resurrection, based on the true story of Edna Mae McCauley, a woman who gets into a horrific car accident which she barely survives (a journey which includes an out of body experience to the white light), but upon her return to the living, she is shocked to discover she has the ability to heal people with terminal illnesses and handicaps. Burstyn manages to imbue Edna with this lovely humanity which never allows her to exploit or take advantage of her special gift. Burstyn is so special in this film, she gives the character so much heart and makes her achingly real, despite her special gift. There is one amazing scene, which is burned in my memory forever, where she heals someone of a disfiguring illness and allows the illness to enter her own body and temporarily inhabit her own body. Burstyn commits so completely to this scene and it's harrowing to watch. Resurrection is a very special movie experience.

I originally saw this on the late show one night and it moved me deeply. It reaffirmed for me that spirituality has little to do with religion. It starts with a "going towards the light" death experience that although not done with high tech special effects still is the best cinematic version I've yet seen. Her healing,unknowingly, begins with just a touch and some words of encouragement from a friendly old stranger with a twinkle in his eye. Eventually fully healed and beginning to help others her ability to channel this power threatens those who don't understand it or want to control it or her. I thought the acting was first rate from everyone. A realistic and humane treament of a mysterious subject. I hope someday it is released on DVD as my VHS copy is unwatchable.

Ellen Burstyn is one of my favorite actresses, and this is the film that did it for me. The simplicity and power of her performance is staggering.

I was a little disappointed to see this had been remade - I didn't watch it - and even more disappointed to read that it is not yet out on DVD. This movie is a must-see.

Burstyn plays Edna McCauley, an ordinary woman who is clinically dead for several minutes after a horrific auto accident that kills her husband. Crippled, she returns to the home where she was born with her nearly silent, cold father. During a family picnic, a hemophiliac starts to bleed and Edna is able to stop the bleeding. Her grandmother (the great Eva LaGalliene) recognizes that Edna now has the power to heal. Edna is then able to heal herself. Not being a very religious person, she tells her grandmother that she doesn't know much about God, but if the power she has comes from love, that's good enough for her. Unfortunately, it's not enough for one of the townsman, who believes her healing power comes from the devil. His son (Sam Shepard), with whom Edna becomes romantically involved, has more and more trouble coping with her gift as time goes on, and it can't heal the rift between her and her father, the reason for which is not revealed until nearly the end of the film.

My favorite part is the ending - it might be my favorite ending of any film. It is there that Burstyn shows how she becomes a character - she doesn't act, she just IS this woman. She takes the character through the journey of learning how best to deal with her life and power as only she can. It's one of the most mesmerizing moments in cinema.

Made in 1980, today "Resurrection" looks like one of the many independent films being made now - small in scope and a little off-beat. It holds up magnificently as the story and performances are timeless.

There are some roles that I think are perfect fits for their portrayers - Robert Preston in Music Man, Katharine Hepburn in Lion in Winter - and Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection. A beautiful film, a great cast, see it! You'll never forget it.