Mr. North

I loved the choice of actors, the acting itself, the art direction, costuming and most everything about this film...BUT the screenplay. I read the book and remember it as a lively, interesting fast-paced read, but the movie stays lugged down, even despite the best efforts of the actors involved. I was pleased to watch it though, I was, but couldn't help but make the same comparison most do when watching a film adaptation of a favorite book...it couldn't help but pale in contrast. Anthony Edwards did his best, and it was charming, that was worth watching. Lauren Bacall, Mary Stuart Masterson, Virginia Madsen, Anjelica Huston...all so lovely to watch. I think even if I had not read the book I would have found the film sluggish, but it was sweet to watch.

Here's a bit of trivia about the making of this film. The character played by Anthony Edwards is hired to read to the character played by Robert Mitchum, a wealthy recluse who lives in a home with a well- stocked library. The elegant bookcases had to filled with elegantly- bound books, so the film crew asked the Newport Public Library for help in filling the shelves of the bookcases. I worked as an assistant to the cataloger at the library, and I was assigned the task of choosing such books from the books that we had in storage. We had several multi- volume sets with nice uniform bindings. I recall choosing a set of the works of Henry James (who was a regular visitor to Newport in his younger days) along with some other sets by various writers and some individual volumes that would look appropriate for the library of a rich man in the 1920s. John Huston was bed-ridden during the filming and died --- he did not die before filming started. I observed the filming of the parade scene -- I was relatively close behind the camera as it started to move on tracks to follow the parade. I hung around for at least two "takes," maybe three. Lauren Bacall rented movies at a Newport video shop which specialized in classic films (including silents) and foreign films. The name of the video store was Rosebud, and its owner was a film school graduate whose dog was also named Rosebud. I was a patron of the store and was friendly with the owner --- Bacall kept her updated on John Huston's deteriorating condition. Bacall recommended the store to Anthony Edwards and he came in regularly to rent movies --- when the owner told Edwards that she did not have a copy of "Top Gun" (his biggest movie role up to that time) in her store, he laughed. What did I think of the movie? -- as most of the other comments have said, it's a pleasant film -- not a great film, but an appropriately modest adaptation of Thornton Wilder's nostalgic revisiting of the summer he spent in Newport.

This is hardly an epic movie, but then again, it doesn't need to be. As another reviewer said, there are no aliens, nothing horrid occurs, no crashing soundtrack nor is there some deep dark message which You Must Get to enjoy the movie being thrown at you.

Instead, this is a quiet way to pass a little bit more than an hour of time. Can you really ask that much more of a film? Given, the nastiness inherent in most modern films, I'd say that it's more than you'll probably find at your local cinamaplex these days.

The cast is fine to exceptional with Mitchem in one of his last and most interesting roles, Huston looking terrific and Edwards as, well, Edwards. Helped by a rather stellar supporting cast, I can recommend this film to you as a full family type of event. By all means - take the kids and by the film's end, you'll all be in a better mood.

This one certainly was a family affair! Directed by Danny Huston. Anjelica Huston has a role as Persis. John Huston was going to play Bosworth, but due to an illness, Mitchum filled in, according to the trivia. Co-stars Lauren Bacall, Harry Stanton. In our story, North (Edwards) will read the bible to Mr. Bosworth, for pay. He explains right off that his body has the unusual ability to spark when he touches someone. And this all takes place in newport, rhode island, where the mucky mucks all have money and boats. So the regular folk have to stick together; North makes friends with Mrs. Cranston and Simmons (Bacall, Stanton). When the townspeople find out he can make his hand spark, they interpret that as being a healer, and charge him with practicing medicine without a license. Very family friendly, as expected. Much ado about nothing! Edwards had just done Top Gun, so he was clearly a proven entity. Story by Thornton Wilder, of Our Town fame, among others. And apparently filmed in several rhode island locations!

Yes, you've heard the old cliché and I will say it again..."I wasn't sure about watching this after seeing the reviews, but..." But I'm glad I did. This is a very good light-hearted movie for those who want to spend a quiet afternoon watching an interesting piece of ENTERTAINMENT. The cast is excellent, filled with big names who each took small parts and did them in their usual top-notch professional way. This is not "academy award" stuff, so to see the caliber of Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum, Angelica Huston in it is surprising, but laudable.

Anthony Edwards as Mr. North is extremely likable and carries the starring role so well. The storyline is a fun and the costuming and sets are equally pleasing. I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a "nice", entertaining film free of vulgarity and the current nonsense.