The Inheritance (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Bobby Roth

Writers (WGA):

Maria Nation (teleplay)
Louisa May Alcott (novel)

Release Date:

6 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

At the lush Evenswood estate in Concord, Massachusetts, Edith Adelon, a beautiful orphan, lives as the...

Plot Keywords:

Massachusetts | Inheritance | Estate | Paid Companion | Horse Race

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Cari Shayne	...	Edith Adelon
Brigitta Dau	...	Amy Hamilton
Paul Anthony Stewart	...	Frederick Arlington
Brigid Brannagh	...	Ida Glenshaw
Michael Gallagher	...	Louis
Max Gail	...	Arliss Johnson
Thomas Gibson	...	James Percy
Tom Conti	...	Henry Hamilton
Meredith Baxter	...	Beatrice Hamilton
Alicia Bergman	...	Emma
Michelle Davison	...	Cook
Henry G. Sanders	...	Blacksmith (as Henry Sanders)
Paul Bartel	...	Doctor
Rob Nilsson	...	Minister

Also Known As:

Louisa May Alcott's The Inheritance (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Quotes:

Henry Hamilton: I was just remembering
[chuckles]
Henry Hamilton: a gust of wind. That first moment... it was summer. You were so young. If I'd been your father, I'd have shot me. You were wearing white and your hair was tied back, so politely. And then a little gust of wind suddenly did what I'd wanted to do since I'd first saw you. It just took a little strand of your hair and just caressed your face with it. And I knew then that I'd love you forever. That's what I'll remember, Bea.

Sweet TV melodrama

I loved this movie so much when I first saw it - I was seriously crying when it wasn't released on video! Thank goodness it's still shown on TV every now and then. This was just a great movie. The story is so sweet (although yes, a little corny). It made me laugh and cry and even worry about how it was all going to end. All of the actors are wonderful. Cari Shayne must be exactly what Louisa May Alcott envisioned, as she is perfect in the role of Edith. Meredith Baxter is lovely, and I was really impressed by an actress named Brigitta Dau, who played Amy - I hope to see more of her in the future. Adorable Tom Conti and gorgeous Thomas Gibson are terrific in their parts - simply perfect casting all around.

As to the story itself - I've read the book, and I have to say the movie is ten times better. The book is awful. If you think the movie is corny, don't TOUCH the book! Yes it's Louisa May Alcott, but honestly, any teenage girl could write a book like that. It's so boring and cheesy, and the over-romanticized plot goes beyond sweet to out-and-out creepy. The movie wisely does not follow the book exactly. It keeps the same theme and story, but instead of all the one-dimensional characters reciting corny lines, they are drawn out more and sound more like real people. And, if sometimes they do seem a little flat (specifically Ida and Edith) just think about what they had to work with. A wonderful adaptation of a not-so-wonderful book.