MovieChat Forums > The Trip to Bountiful (1986) Discussion > Time in Bountiful! *spoilers*

Time in Bountiful! spoilers

posted 17 years ago by fiatlux-1
17 replies | jump to latest

*spoilers*

There should have been a longer interval in Bountiful. I could not get enough of the scenery there; it was intoxicating!
And you could feel Mrs. Watt's sense of time to visit Bountiful slipping away as you watched the film. You knew Ludie and Jessie Mae were not far behind.
The end scenes had me wishing to see much more of the beautiful old farm land and house.

Anyone agree??

"Some laughed. He let them. His own heart laughed, and that was enough."
-A Christmas Carol

[–] watergarden 17 years ago

I wished for more scenes of Bountiful as well and feel Ludie and Jessie Mae arrive too soon. Since I can't do anything about it, I now replay the opening scene and watch Mrs. Watts, in her younger years, chasing little Ludie over the meadow, gives me more of Bountiful and allows me to hear Jesus is Calling again. Silly, I suppose.

[–] fiatlux-1 17 years ago

'.Since I can't do anything about it, I now replay the opening scene and watch Mrs. Watts, in her younger years, chasing little Ludie over the meadow, gives me more of Bountiful and allows me to hear Jesus is Calling again. Silly, I suppose..'

Oh my God, I thought I was the only one who did that!! I always replay that scene over and over when I watch this film. I love that scene, and the song is incredibly beautiful!!
Glad to know I'm not the only fan.
I love this film!

"Some laughed. He let them. His own heart laughed, and that was enough."
-A Christmas Carol

[–] jdown-1 14 years ago

The opening scene hooked me too: shot in dim light, the film grainy. Along with the old time gospel song, it captured the essence of a time long past, as much a dream as a memory.

[–] RCeditor 13 years ago

Not silly at all, watergarden. I love that opening scene!

RAP CRITIC
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/rap-critic

[–] PenTheater 16 years ago

The real ending, with the car getting smaller and smaller and the grass field gets larger and larger, is what we are left with, I wonder if that is the image the director wants us to end with as a comment on the rest of the story....
yet we all imagine those very scenes from the begining,
not like any of us can relate to these characters feelings! (sarcasim)

[–] edh512 16 years ago

I'm so glad people have put into words all my feelings while watching this film. The first time I watched the opening credits I cried, having not even seen the film, already with music and images I was moved to tears.

[–] TheMagiciansWorkshop 14 years ago

That was one of the two flaws with the time spent in Bountiful. Mrs Watts should have been allowed more time there after she spent the entire movie struggling to reach there. The second was the spiteful presence of Jessie Mae, who almost ruins these final scenes with her sniping. Ludie finally telling her to shut up was the saving grace.

[–] PenTheater 14 years ago

Those weren't flaws.
The message or lesson was there for US.
As with most of Horton Foote's material, it's more than entertainment that he is trying to get across.

[–] fiatlux-1 13 years ago

I agree with your entire post, Porkus1983. It almost did ruin the film, having it be such a brief interval in Bountiful. She spent all that time and effort for a few minutes!
And I almost hoped Mrs. Watts would smash Jessie Mae. She was such a wretched shrew!
I was thrilled when Ludie finally snapped back at her!!! The look on Jessie Mae's face was priceless. Shock mixed with a touch of fear. She'll never know now if Ludie will blow up or not in the future. Put her in her place at last!

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] TheMagiciansWorkshop 13 years ago

And I almost hoped Mrs. Watts would smash Jessie Mae. She was such a wretched shrew!

As gratifying as that would have been, it would have made Mrs. Watts look the less the timid and sweet lady we know she was.

I was thrilled when Ludie finally snapped back at her!!! The look on Jessie Mae's face was priceless. Shock mixed with a touch of fear. She'll never know now if Ludie will blow up or not in the future. Put her in her place at last!

That was the wonderful moment of gratification. If I was in Ludie's place I would have done that a long time ago. No wife of mine would be allowed to treat my mother the way Jessie Mae did.

[–] PenTheater 13 years ago

What are your views on wives (or husbands) forced to live with in laws?

[–] fiatlux-1 12 years ago

I don't know if you're asking me or the other poster, but...

I actually, believe it or not, felt a little bad for JESSIE MAE in that instance.
It can't be easy, no matter how nice someone is, to have another person live in your home when you are a married couple. You want to be alone, and by rights you should be allowed to be. The cramped quarters didn't help matters there either!

Now that is NOT an excuse for Jessie Mae to be the horrid, twisted shrew she was to Mrs. Watts. And nor should Mrs. Watts have gone into their dresser drawers.
I almost feel that Mrs. Watts should have made a future/life for herself better.
Yes, she was ill but she had plenty of years where she wasn't.
Its not the son's job to take care of a parent, not in an automatic sense.
Jessie Mae, if she was going to be so whiny about money or living conditions, should have gotten her dumpy ass a job too! She merely squandered Ludie's money, and was thoroughly horrid.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] PenTheater 12 years ago

thanks for the reply

[–] Adler-99 12 years ago

I, too, wanted to see more time in Bountiful, but I think that was part of the intent of the movie -- the pain of wanting something so badly, the anticipation, the struggle to get there, and then, boom, it's over.

[–] TheMagiciansWorkshop 12 years ago

Perhaps they were thinking less is more. After such a production to get to Bountiful they didn't want to overkill it.

[–] zolazona 11 years ago

In other words, like life itself.

Have you ever gone to a cemetery to visit a loved one, and discover that the moments/time traveling there, listening to music in the car and thinking about this person IS the point of the journey? Once I get out of the car to find water for the flowers I have brought and after stepping lightly through tombstones to get to MY person, I stop thinking of that person almost entirely. I see flowers and other people and think "What a beautiful place." MY person isn't waiting for me to visit him/her...

Sometimes, I think we search for triggers or signals to help us go back in our memories. The house in its present state with its disrepair and gloom was a foundation to start her memories flowing. She recognized that no one really goes back (except in dreams perhaps) but she seemed content about it all.

Or let's just say, one doesn't have a choice but to find contentment (or not) for the truth put before you.

[–] fiatlux-1 9 years ago

Excellent post,zolazona.

Sometimes, I think we search for triggers or signals to help us go back in our memories. The house in its present state with its disrepair and gloom was a foundation to start her memories flowing. She recognized that no one really goes back (except in dreams perhaps) but she seemed content about it all.

Or let's just say, one doesn't have a choice but to find contentment (or not) for the truth put before you.

Agreed.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.