The Lightkeepers

source: The Lightkeepers

This movie moves incredibly slowly and my copy had no captions, which kept me from understanding about 50% of the dialog. We kept waiting for it to pick up, but it never did. We decided to try it a second time--you know, give it a chance. We gave up after about 30 minutes. The glowing reviews encouraged me to buy it. A big disappointment.

It's so rare these days to find a film with real acting, instead of cartoon-like characters. Richard Dreyfuss is at his best here, and watching he and Blythe Tanner put on an acting clinic is a real treat. The setting is simple, but breathtaking - a lighthouse, a cottage, and a beach. It could easily be adapted to the stage, but benefits from fine cinematography. In contrast to the usual fare of fast paced pyrotechnics and CGI, this gentle story rolls out at a sedate pace, peeling away the outer layers of the characters to reveal what makes them tick. I loved this movie. I wish more were made like it.

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.

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.

Plot from an old novel Author: dsgrundy from United States 14 May 2013 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 cut-down (novella length) version with the same title was also published in Ainslee's Magazine, v. 27, May, 1911, pp. 1-37. (Dr. Charles G. Waugh)

I would love to have watched this movie and given it a high rating - I'm fond of Dreyfuss, Danner, and movies set in this period. I am their target audience ... except that I am hard of hearing, and rely on closed captions or subtitles, which the DVD does not provide. Many people with normal hearing may enjoy the New England brogue that Dreyfuss uses here, but I can't decipher what he is saying, or even read lips given the facial hair. Since 15% of all Americans are hard of hearing (closer to 50% for the older population who might love this movie), Dreyfuss (as producer and presumably financier) was poorly advised on how he spent his money producing this DVD. I hope he has enough money left to remaster and release a DVD with subtitles (French and Spanish also), so he can reach the other half of his audience. I rated it 5, not because it was bad or good, but because that was the rating for my sex and age group when I wrote this. If I'm required to vote in order to write this review, I don't want to change the outcome.

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!

The characters seem two dimensional, with the paper thin believability of a Popeye cartoon. The plot slowed down so much that I was able to discuss whether or not the paint (heritage blue) on the twee immaculate lighthouse suited the era or our view of what the era should emote. Sorry, not a recommend.

Seth (Richard Dreyfuss) runs and lives in a lighthouse on Cape Cod. He is a self-declared "woman hater", having had a wife walk out on him long ago. One day, a man who says his name is John Brown (Tom Wisdom) washes up on shore. Its certain that Mr. Brown has been through an ordeal but he is mum about most of it. Since JB is somewhat "off women", too, the two gentlemen strike up a friendship and Seth invites John to bunk with him for a spell. In short order, two ladies come to stay at a cottage near the lighthouse. One is an artist named Ruth (Mamie Gummer) and the other is an older lady, Mrs. Bascom (Blythe Danner), who is Ruth's housekeeper. Wouldn't you know, Mrs. B is Seth's long lost wife while Ruth likes what she sees in John almost immediately. But, with secrets and tangles in abundance, will anyone merit a happily ever after? This is a gorgeous film, with a lovely setting on the Massachusetts shore. Its also a great look into the world of 100 years ago, when women were getting more freedom and gumption. All of the actors listed above and the other cast members, like Bruce Dern and Julie Harris, are quite fine, although Dreyfuss' Irish brogue comes and goes. Most importantly, I wanted to see this film for the director's current woes, for he has been sent to prison for falsifying expenses for his film production company. What a tragedy, for the man obviously has great talent. Hopefully, fifteen years from now, we all will be rewarded with another movie as beautiful as this one.