When a young woman who is living in the woods with her struggling-musician husband and her very young daughter discovers that she has terminal cancer, she begins to tape-record a journal of ... Read allWhen a young woman who is living in the woods with her struggling-musician husband and her very young daughter discovers that she has terminal cancer, she begins to tape-record a journal of the time she has left, hoping to leave something precious for her daughter.When a young woman who is living in the woods with her struggling-musician husband and her very young daughter discovers that she has terminal cancer, she begins to tape-record a journal of the time she has left, hoping to leave something precious for her daughter.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
Rachel Lindsay Greenbush
- Jill Hayden
- (as Lindsay Green Bush)
Sidney Greenbush
- Jill Hayden
- (as Sydney Green Bush)
- Director
- Writers
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
My name is Jo-Jo (Ernie is my husband but I can't seem to be able to erase his name from this site - just thought I would clarify that!). I first saw this movie in 1982 on TV in Scotland, which is where I grew up, and I immediately recognised it as the story of Lyn Helton, which I had read in a magazine at the library. I was totally moved all over again; I thought the movie was beautifully made, and the songs complimented it perfectly. I have only seen it repeated once since then,and that was several years ago while living here (in New York). I would love to have a DVD or video of it to share with the four children I now have. I cannot begin to imagine what Lyn/Kate went through as a mother of such a young child, having to face her own demise. I totally admire her for standing up to the doctors and not letting them bully her into doing something she felt was the wrong decision for her. After seeing the movie I was inspired to try to find out about the real Lyn and her family (we didn't have the internet then): I found out from the library that there was a trust established for her daughter Jennifer, and I sent them a donation but never heard back from them. Anyone out there know anything? Her daughter must be about 36 now, and I'm sure she is really proud of her mom. One final thought - I noticed how many people on the board mentioned having read the book by Norma Klein: did anyone else read the two sequels "Sunshine Christmas" and "The Sunshine Years" and realise that they were totally inconsistent?! It's like two different people picked up from where the first book/movie left off! It was a little bit disappointing. Maybe its time to do a remake of this film? It was nice to discover that there are all these other people out there who were so inspired by this film.
10noccos
I saw this movie as a young "hippie" woman and just loved it. It captured the times of 1973 perfectly. The subject matter, young love, family, illness, free spirits were right on. The photography was beautiful as well as the John Denver music, which was at the height of his popularity. I felt the lead character to be very brave. I now have a stepdaughter the same age I was when I first saw this movie and I only wish she could view it too. Who says great movies are not written for television?
I thought this movie was excellent.I have been looking for it for a long time, since it has not been on TV. It took place in a time that was a very much a part of my lifestyle in the 60's and 70's. The music and whole hippie atmosphere is very dear to my heart. I wish they would have made a sequel to sunshine Christmas which was done after sunshine and told the story about SAM and Jill. I was always curious as to what happened to both of them since this was a true story. It was a real love story and definitely a tearjerker but it also showed a mother's true love for her daughter. She knew she would die and wanted to leave her something. The journals were a brilliant idea and I think she showed a lot of courage to not do drugs or chemotheraphy so she could keep her head clear. She loved that little girl so much that she died earlier than she had to.
I really love the movie Sunshine. This movie can move you. It's a heart warming story. I love the John Denver songs being played in the movie. It had beautiful mountain scenes. It had a lot of love, caring and emotional feelings on the movie. It's one of my favorite movies. It's a movie you could see over and over again. I also like the Sunshine Christmas movie. It's also a heart warming movie. I just love these two movies so much. I only wish they could put it on video, so I could watch the two movies, when I want. Thank you, A big fan of the movies.
10hez-10
I saw this movie when I was a teenager and I absolutely loved it. I remember that I cried like a baby. Like so many others, I only saw it once, and I have since scoured everywhere looking for a personal copy to keep. I have just watched Love Story with my daughter, and I was telling her how good "Sunshine" was, compared to Love story. We both want to see it now, me because I loved it so much originally, and her because I've told her about how great it is, and how sad it is, and how its the type of movie that never leaves you, once you've seen it, it just touches you. I recall seeing it with a boyfriend in Perth, and we both walked out of the cinema crying our eyes out. He was a very blokey (macho)man, very tough, and I think its the only time I ever saw him cry, not only over a movie, but over anything. I just want to see it again. If anyone knows where I can get a copy, please put a message here. I will be eternally grateful. If anyone reading this has the power to get it on to DVD.... please do so. I imagine there are a lot of us out there who are waiting to see this fabulous movie again.
Did you know
- TriviaThis 1973 film featured seven songs written (or co-written) by John Denver, including the song, "Sunshine on My Shoulders," for which the film is named. In 1974, Denver later released "Back Home Again", and he tips his hat to this film with a reference in the third verse: "And your mother called last Friday, 'Sunshine' made her cry." This film originally aired on the CBS network as an episode of the 'CBS Friday Night Movie' on November 9, 1973. When first aired, "Sunshine" was the most watched made-for-TV film in history.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Sunshine (1975)
- SoundtracksMy Sweet Lady
Words and Music: John Denver
Details
- Runtime
- 2h 1m(121 min)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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