Change Your Image
warren-taylor
Reviews
The Fifteen Streets (1989)
The Fifteen Streets -- A Love Story -- Love Conquers All
The love scenes in "Fifteen Streets" are so passionate and touching, that I watched these scenes over and over again -- for an entire week -- after first seeing the movie. I would simply "fast-forward" to any scene where Mary Llewellyn (played by the lovely actress, Clare Holman) appeared, and watch those scenes only. It is fascinating to watch the way in which she meets John-the-dock-worker (the boatman), and then quickly falls in love with him, despite the fierce opposition of her family.
The saying "Love is blind" is truly portrayed to perfection in this romantic story. Mary Llewellyn and John O'Brien are so very different from each other. Mary comes from a wealthy and refined family living in a mansion far from the shipyard docks, while John is a rough dock worker living in the worst of slums in the poverty of "The Fifteen Streets." The two of them meet because Mary is the finely-dressed, highly educated school teacher. And she has one of John's sisters, Katie, as her pupil in school. Mary finds out that John has been writing the romantic prose and poetry that Katie has been submitting as her own homework at school! Mary now understands that inside the rough exterior of this handsome dock worker resides a special soul of a man to whom she is specially attracted.
The final scenes are especially touching, to see Mary disobey her wealthy parents, abandon her wealthy surroundings and beautiful dresses, trade her fine fashions for peasant's clothing, and literally sacrifice everything she has, just to be with her true love.
If this isn't enough to awe and inspire you, to see "love conquers all," no matter how large the divide in wealth, social class, and education (and despite some of the shocking scenes of violence in this movie), then you may wish to choose a different movie. As for me, I watched the romantic scenes (skipping past the fighting scenes and family disputes of the slums), to see the story of a budding romance blossom into the beautiful flower of love, with the young couple finally united in a tiny, dirty room in the slums of "The Fifteen Streets."
The Tide of Life (1996)
The Tide of Life -- Intensely Romantic -- Beautifully Filmed and Acted
This movie has some idyllic scenes of seaside and countryside, overflowing with transcendent joy and unspeakable happiness. Scenes of love and romance are very heartwarming. And scenes of grave hardships, death, accusation, and brutality, are very depressing. But the combination of the two together gives this film a special magical contrast of emotion and circumstance seldom seen in most cinema. Main character Emily Kennedy -- poor, young, dependent, and vulnerable -- yet stunningly beautiful and naive -- suffers loss and betrayal. Yet she retains her integrity, her inner beauty, and her faith in human-kind to an admirable degree. By the end of the third and final 45 minute segment, she is able to accept a marriage proposal from an honest, sincere, and loving benefactor, despite his burden of a horrendous past.
This is no ordinary movie, but moves from dramatic highs and lows, joys and sorrows, hardships and luxuries, peaks and valleys, that are mind-bending enough to make any ordinary young lady lose hope. But not dear Emily. The movie is punctuated with lovely melodies of Irish whistle preludes and postludes. There are moments of intensely romantic surprise, with charming instances of reverie and dreaming. I loved each of the 3 episodes, each one quite different. The 3 male lead characters are very vivid, very different. The female lead role of Emily Kennedy is played gorgeously by lovely and remarkable actress, Gillian Kearney. The romantic and dramatic acting is beautifully well done by each actor throughout. Of all films based on the writings of Catherine Cookson, this film is my top-ranked all-time favorite.
Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
10 Stars out of 10 -- Beautiful Color and Very Touching
I loved this movie, which was a tear-jerker, but a movie of great joy and happiness also. Edna Gladney is played beautifully by the lovely and talented redhead actress Garson Greer. There is much tragedy, death, and sadness that Edna needs to overcome, but her courage and determination allow her to overcome these obstacles. She is the heroine of the film, develops a love -- AND RESPECT -- for children, and at the end establishes a home for foundlings (children abandoned by their parents). She becomes an activist, rallies others around her, and lobbies successfully to have the Texas legislature strike the word "illegitimate" from all birth records of such children, freeing them from the documented stigma of unknown parentage and/or illegitimacy. Such children in the 1800s and early 1900s were regarded as the dregs of society, shunned and considered unmarriageable by the proud and righteous upper classes. I admired the attractive, redheaded Greer Garson, and adored the precious children whom she rescued from a tragic fate. The movie is filmed in splendid striking color, (one of the few Greer Garson movies in color). One of the things that I liked most is the skillful script, and the beautiful color scenes, where the full faces of the characters would be shown to fill the entire movie screen. This movie was very colorful and moving. And the words and sentiments of the abandoned children were heart wrenching. As of October 2011, this film was not available at Netflix, neither on DVD nor as streaming video. I saw it first on VHS cassette borrowed from the public library. Even on VHS, this movie is lovely and memorable. You do not want to miss this movie! Get to see it any way you can. It was so touching to me that I went and placed a special order to obtain my own copy on DVD from Amazon. This movie can be watched over and over again.
Ever After (1998)
One of the Very Best Movies of All Time
The movie "Ever After" is one of the most lovely, charming, romantic, and dramatic movies ever. I cried many times, in both joy and sorrow, as the story unfolded. The first viewing I shall never forget. The 10th viewing I shall never forget, even better than the first 9 viewings!
Humble Danielle (Cinderella) tries to set everything straight with the prince, attempting to explain that she is a mere peasant girl commoner, and not of royal blood. But the prince loves her so much, he never gives her a chance to confess. Then when the time comes for the confession, it is the wrong time! Her confession is turned aside to her destruction and grief at the grand costume ball. She comes into the scene of the resplendent mask ball festivity, dressed as the most noble and beautiful creature imaginable, with gorgeous white gown and gossamer angel wings, to the rapturous thrill of the Prince, the Queen, and the King. The Prince is love-struck. But two or three minutes later, after her true identity is revealed by her heartless step mother who reveals everything, Danielle (Cinderella) leaves the scene humiliated and in tears, with wings clipped (literally one wing torn off), losing her glass slipper on the way, as she runs to escape from the Prince and depart the royal costume ball, a totally humiliated peasant girl dashing into the cold dark night of a fierce rainstorm. She ends up soaking wet and grief stricken, wearing one glass slipper and one broken angel's wing, sobbing uncontrollably in a tattered wedding gown that is filthy and ruined, weeping in the soaking rain, while thunder and lightning are roaring all around her.
Oh my, oh my! What a great movie love story this is, to see how this tragedy is later reversed, so that the beautiful Cinderella Danielle finally captures her equally handsome Prince Charming Henry.