The Lightkeepers

virtue - the cast. but it is not a great virtue. Richard ZDreyfuss is a kind of Santa in a strange story. the script is a tunnel without beginning or end.the Hallmark atmosphere and the slices of Summer dream are not convincing. it is a nice film. but expectations are not very small. and the result is an easy - amusing tale about love as turkey in which ingredients are too many.an ordinary ring with a precious stone. is it enough ? not exactly. in fact, it is a yellow picture , with few nostalgic words, in which faces, houses, light are absent. and imagination is the instrument to create reality of that time. sure, details are good thing. but a bath costume or a happy end are not reasonable price.

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.

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.

Take an old book "The Women Haters" and apparently faithfully reproduce it to film (or video?) (or dsc?) and you use actors that know how to act, enjoy their job, and give to the audience and you have THE LIGHTKEEPERS. I for one was so happy to see Mr. Dreyfus and Miss Danner in something again. Also Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep...I knew I was in good hands. I had not had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Wisdoms work before but will certainly be looking for him, now. The movie was NOT of today, it was slow and pleasant and sweet with a bit of mystery and romance. My cup of tea! A nice change from what we usually see these days. Oh and of course the setting was lovely!

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.