Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All

Customer Reviews:

Miss Lady, We must be livin' right. We got comp'ny..........2006-01-14

Those are among the first lines we hear from Cicely Tyson in this wonderful movie.

I freely admit that I'm a sap for old movies and old things and old times. And perhaps that's why I love this movie so much. It opens at the beginning of the 20th Century, the early 1900s. As someone who's written a couple architecture books about this period of time, I'm happy to say that the historical aspects of the movie all looked good, so I was able to just relax and enjoy the flick.

We all think that the early 1900s were a simpler time and place but this movie presents a more honest view of history, particularly as it relates to women's issues. One of the minor plot lines presents the story of a woman who has lost her children forever because she sought a divorce. Another poignant scene is where Lucy (lead character) gives up on life after a tragedy in the family.

Laying in bed, she chews on crayons and tells her husband (Donald Southerland) that she's only "fuzz on a pillow." (BTW, crayons in those days contained lead, giving them a taste not unlike sweet tarts and said to be highly addictive. That's what I loved about this movie; it got the details right.)

I've watched this movie about 20 times and even though I've memorized many of the lines, I still cry and laugh and feel touched, stirred and inspired. I love the acting, the setting, the story, the beauty, the love affair between the old "Cap'n" and his beautiful young wife. It's believable, endearing and captivating.

The acting is first rate, too. I recommend this movie 100%.

Rose
author, The Houses That Sears Built

A Dynamic Duo In Love & War........2005-07-14

When I decided to watch this long movie, my attention was caught right away because of the Civil War part, and yet what kept me awake was the domestic war and the victor. It's past my bedtime so I will keep this as short as I know how.

I cried through parts as it was so unfair for such a cultured girl to be caught in the web of an old liar, who was no hero in the war but a young thirteen-year-old who survived his best friend and felt guilty for the boy's death. He lured the heart-broken teenager into his web of deceit when she was most vulnerable. Like me, she wanted out before it began but, unlike me, she endured and suffered more as a consequence.

We make some bad choices in our lives and must sleep in the bed which we made. It is never easy to declare defeat but, in her day, it was an impossibility. It was a miracle she survived so much and lived all those years with her guilt. Something similar happened in my family, but he lasted only a couple of years because of cancer. It was kept from me, like most of the things we really need to know. I have been to very few funerals, because someone else makes the decision not to let me know.

This lady survived all of her children, and when the celebration for her honor approaches, almost the same as her husband was given, she relives his war terror and hardships and their combative, but loving family life through flashbacks. This is where I cried, and I guess my eyes will still be red tomorrow.

Diane Lane was marvelous as the young wife and Anne Bancroft spectacular as the celebrant who was confined to a wheel chair and living in a nursing home. It's tragic what age does to us, even when we are still the young person inside. She was intelligent enough to make friends with a pessimistic physics professor and they learned a thing or two from each other.

It was fantastic to watch Cicely Tyson age as the family servant no one could live without, and the acting ability it took to change so much. Her character was one of the best, even though it is hard to understand.

I loved the war scenes with the Confederate flag. A few months ago, I was invited to join the Daughters of the Confederacy but declined as I figured I was the only rebel in my family. Actually, I was not ready to look too closely into my father's side of the family. Living in Sevier County during that time, I doubt that they were on the side I favor, and it might hurt more to know that than to pay so much to be an associate member. To me, at this time, I have better things to do with my money and time. Maybe I'll go on a cruise.

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