Sarah Polley Movie:

Lantern Hill Reviews:
Will touch your heart and bring you back memories
2004-11-17 - I remember watching this movie when I was about 10 and I haven't seen it in a long time but I still, at times, think about this movie. The storyline is great and the way Mr. Sullivan does this is very captivating and will touch your heart.

also on DVD!
2004-11-08 - This movie is now available on a Canadian DVD release at www.sullivanboutique.com and the DVD includes an insightful short behind the scenes film featuring Colleen Dewhurst and Sam Waterston -- a real treat.

Hopefully the DVD will be made available through amazon.com soon so more people will know about it.

lantern hill
2004-03-03 - This movie came out when i was 12 and it was my favorite movie of all time. Even today it is still hard to top. It takes me back to my childhood.

Kevin Sullivan brings another L. M. Montgomery novel to life
2003-01-18 - I was always rather surprised that when Kevin Sullivan decided to turn to another Lucy Maud Montgomery novel after doing the first four Anne of Green Gables novels in a couple of celebrated mini-series he turned to "Jane of Lantern Hill." I would have thought the "Emily of New Moon" trilogy would come up next (it is currently a Canadian television series) and would not have minded seeing "Magic for Marigold" adapted, but Sullivan selected "Jane of Lantern Hill" instead.

Montgomery's novel is distinct from all of the others because both of the heroine's parents are still living. However, Jane Stuart is an emotional orphan because her overbearing maternal grandmother (Zoe Caldwell) has psychologically battered Jane's mother, Robin (Patricia Phillips) into submission and the family has led Jane to believe her father is dead. However, Andrew Stuart (Sam Waterston) is not only alive, he is insisting on his parental rights and wants Jane sent to him on Prince Edward Island. Despite the chasm between them, father and daughter quickly bond, and Jane begins to question why her parents having been living apart. Meanwhile, Jane becomes involved with the spunky young vagrant, Jody Turner (Sarah Polley), and old Hepzibah (Colleen Dewhurst), the local "witch" lady.

The adaptation of Montgomery's novel by Fiona McHugh holds true to the emotional center of the story while collapsing the narrative's period of time and jettisoning most of the domesticity as well. Unfortunately this means that one of my favorite scenes from the novel, where Jane finally gets in the face of Grandmother Kennedy, is lost. The performances in the production are so wonderfully understated except for Polley, who pours it on thick with the accent, although Dewhurst does get to ham it up a little bit at Hepzibah. Bennett gives a quiet performance that speaks to the fragility of Jane's relationship with her family while Waterston exhibits a simple, natural charm from start to finish with his estranged daughter that cannot help but win her over. In the end, it is Jane's simple determination to set her world in order that brings all the plot threads together in a satisfactory conclusion. Fans of Montgomery and/or Sullivan will not be disappointed by this quiet little film.

Note: Young Mairon Bennett did the audiotape version of "Jane of Lantern Hill" and did an exceptional job. Given how restrained her performance necessarily was in the film to suit Jane's character, Bennett shows marvelous interpretative range for someone who, at the time, was so young. If you enjoyed the television movie and stumble across the audiotape, then make a point of picking it up so you can give it a listen.

Love Lost; Love Found
2002-04-22 - I loved this movie. The combination of misunderstandings through unspoken feelings between a husband and wife, plus the interference of relatives of each of them, and the longing of a young daughter to bring her parents together, all make for a need-a-hankie-near-by story. A sweet and satisfying ending wraps up the story just fine. I love stories that stir the emotions, especially romantic ones. Don't want to give away any plot lines; this movie is one we'll watch several times. The main reason we bought this video was because it starred Sam Waterston. He's excellent in caring and nurturing roles. You just feel he's probably as likeable and loving a family man in his personal life as he portrays in this movie.