Morning Glory

Very great movie. Very emotional performance from Christopher Reeve!

At some point I hope the Amazon folks will correct the movie's listing of the stars - it does not note that Christopher Reeve is the star of this film with Deborah Raffin...Amazon editors, PLEASE CORRECT!!!Let me begin by addressing the NR rating and the nudity/sex scenes, since they seem to be hot buttons for many...if you need a G rated movie so that you don't have to worry about being offended, make sure that's what you are buying. This movie clearly noted an NR - that means NOT rated or NO rating, so please do not be angry when you end up with something unexpected. It is clearly identified as NR. There is a brief nude scene, which is tastefully done and works well in the story...no one was offended by the adultery (???!!!) - just the fact that the woman (in the distance and briefly) removed her clothing as she got into her bath? The sex scene between the two main characters is completely and totally integral to the story. The couple is consumating a marriage that began in name only, while she was pregnant, and now the storyline makes it clear that they are expressing the caring and desire for each other that has developed as their relationship developed. There is no obvious nudity in the scene, no porn-like sequences, etc. As stated, fairly brief and tasteful.And now to the other very frequent observation that the movie was not true to the book. It is, in fact fairly accurate, it simply is limited in the amount of the story that was presented in the movie and the detail of certain events. I, too, would have liked to see the book (as I remember it, it was an absolutely lovely story and the reason I purchased the DVD) filmed in its entirety, but that would have been a mini-series. With limited time, they didn't do a half bad job.I do have to say that I was surprised at the quality of the acting by both Deborah Raffin and Christopher Reeve as the two main characters. I am a contemporary of Mr. Reeve's and remember him mainly for his portrayal of Superman, and a rather wooden character in a movie with Jane Seymour. He is talented enough that you don't seem him at all in this character - it doesn't get in the way of believing that he is an uneducated ex-con who is down on his luck. And Deborah Raffin is a delight. I am amazed at how well she portrayed her character. Happily surprised all the way around.I enjoyed this movie and do recommend it for a nice rainy day couple of hours of entertainment. It is a story that has been done before, there is no Oscar worthy performance in it, but all the same it was well done and enjoyable. There are issues with the sound and the dialogue, some of which is heavily southern accented and with the sound quality needs careful listening, and I had the sound up to max to help me hear.I will be keeping my copy to rewatch every year or so.

This movie is loosely based on a LaVyrle Spencer novel (a great romance) written in the late 1980's. It doesn't follow the book especially closely but is still a very watchable period romance movie. Christopher Reeve plays the leading man convincingly and Deborah Raffin is exceptional as the leading lady. There are also some very fine supporting actors.A couple of items I do want to bring up. There is no closed captioning available on this DVD. Some of the actors speak with a southern accent and some of the dialogue is indistinct. I am partially deaf so this was a definite drawback to the movie for me.Also, the movie shows an NR rating. There is some fairly graphic nudity and sexual situations in the movie so I would not consider this to be a "family" movie. I do feel the scenes fit in with the storyline and weren't gratuitous but just wanted to forewarn.I enjoyed the movie and it brought back some good memories of reading Spencer's books. She was one of my favorite authors and I was very sorry when she quit writing.

Both my wife and I had read LaVyrle Spencer's novel, Morning Glory, many years ago, so were pleasantly surprised to see a film version with Christopher Reeve on TV, also quite a few years ago. Since it never seems to show up on TV anymore, we finally bought a copy on DVD and were charmed by the story and the film all over again. My only complaint was that the sound quality of the DVD was rather muffled and distorted, making some of the dialogue difficult to understand. And one other point regarding accuracy: In a seduction scene which featured some momentary nudity (which apparently disturbed some viewers - not me), a Hank Williams record of 'Your Cheatin' Heart' was playing. The storyline, however, was set before and during WWII. That song wasn't written or recorded until the early fifties. Not a big deal, but detracted a bit from the authenticity of the period setting. We still think it quite a beautiful little film. We loved the late Christopher Reeve in it, and now wonder what ever happened to his costar, Deborah Raffin, who was also perfect in this story. - Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, PINHEAD: A LOVE STORY

As much as I liked Christopher Reeve in other movies, I thought his acting was off in this one for sure! I read the book, Morning Glory a number of years ago, the author Lavyrle Spenser (excuse me if I misspelled her first name) wrote the book so well that I was able to go back in time to that era. Hopefully when I find the made for TV movie based on the book Family Blessings (same author L.Spenser) made it will captivate me as much as the book did.All in all, though Reeves' didn't do a good acting job on this one - I just had to give the movie a 4 star, mainly because I read the book. If I hadn't read the book first, I believe I'd still give it a 4 star!I suggest watching it for your self.Joy

I watched it for the 2nd or 3rd time. I've read the book 3 or 4 times. When I heard there was a movie being made, I couldn't wait to see it. It never came to where I live and I never found it until about a year or so ago, when I watched it on prime. I bought a copy of the DVD and the other night watched it with my dh who also enjoyed it though I'm sure he considers it another of my girly movies. Christopher Reeves definitely brought Will Parke to life as did Deborah Raffin bring Ellie to life. Love it. Wish it had more of the book in it, but there is only so much of a book that can be placed in a movie and they did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.

This film is of one of my favourite books and would be hard to match up to my high expectations of the book. Christopher Reeve doesn't really fit the image I have from the book of Will, however he gives a good portrayal. There is a lot missed out from the book which would have explained more about the characters and their background, but guess not enough time to fit everything into a film. Nice to watch but still enjoyed the book more.

Lovely romantic film well worth a watch x

Nachdem ich das Buch von Lavyrle Spencer gelesen und genossen hatte, habe ich mir -beinflusst von jeder Menge guter Kritiken- die Verfilmung gegönnt.Auch wenn ich mich auf Abstriche eingestellt hatte, die Verfilmung hat mich absolut enttäuscht.Das begann bei der hölzernen Darstellung von Christopher Reeve und seinem oft unverständlichen Gemurmel und endete bei der Umsetzung. Es fehlte zu viel und die Handlung wirkte, wenn man das Buch kennt, extrem gehetzt.Die Entwicklung der Beziehung von Ellie und Will ist im Film kaum wahrnehmbar, da sie dem hohen Erzähltempo zum Opfer fiel.Die Bildqualität entspricht dem Alter des Films.Wer das Buch mochte und über die Anschaffung des Films nachdenkt: man kann getrost darauf verzichten.Als Beispiel einer gelungenen Buchverfilmung sei hier The Magic of Ordinary Days genannt.  Magic of Ordinary DaysMagic of Ordinary Days

What could have been more promising? A handsome Christopher Reeve in a unique love story adapted from a beloved LaVyrle Spencer novel....but the movie was just plain awful.The story takes place in the 1940s when handsome drifter Will Parker (Reeve) breezes into the sleepy town of Whitney. He has recently been fired from the local sawmill after the mill owner found out he had done time in a Texas prison for manslaughter. Down on his luck, tired of being forced to move on from town to town, Will is curious (and desperate) enough to answer Eleanor Dinsmore's (Deborah Raffin) ad in the local newspaper: WANTED--A HUSBAND.And that's where any similarity to the novel ends. I'm not generally a stickler for a movie adaptation to dogmatically adhere to the original novel's plot, so long as the spirit of the original story is retained. But this screenplay gutted the original plot and characters for no good reason that I could see.LaVyrle Spencer's novels focus on a character's internal motivations. You get to know a character intimately: his/her past, ambitions, fears, loves, hopes, reasons for wanting to change, etc. The novels get you inside the characters' heads and hearts--you really get to understand why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do--and the changes that occur inside the character are the main story, not external events. That is part of the magic behind her writing.But the screenplay for this movie failed miserably in capturing the characters' hearts and souls. Instead, they are presented out of context as flat, two-dimensional creatures and you have no idea why you should care about what happens to them, or why they should care about each other. The result is that the movie itself has no heart, no soul.If you haven't first read Morning Glory, the novel, before viewing this movie, you would not understand the heartache and loneliness of Elly's past; you would not understand the cause of Will's own loneliness and drifting ways; you would not understand why he falls in love with Elly; and you would not understand what it means to Will to finally have permanence, to gain respect, and to be loved not only as a husband but as a father and as a friend. Sadly, none of this comes through in the adaptation.I would suggest you pass on this movie and recommend instead (if you haven't already) that you read the book.

This is one of the movies I regret buying. It's dull, boring, and depressing. There is little if any hope in the story. We didn't keep it, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.