The movie The Notebook
06/04/2004 07:52 p.m.
Last night my friend Tania and her family, and our friend Ann, took advantage of Tania’s free tickets to the premiere of the movie The Notebook, based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel by the same title. Ann was the one who told me about the book six years ago, and loaned me her copy, saying this is a book that men and women, both, receive with laughter, tears, and amazement. Certainly there were some people crying leaving the theatre, but during the film there was also much laughter and awe. In the lobby afterward there was high praise and discussion, and even the usher from the theatre offered input in the conversations about it.


I’m so glad I saw it, as I knew I would. I adore Sparks’s stories and even though the movie scripts are fairly loosely based on them in many places, they are always moving and tender but with humour, the reverent for life tone of the author, and beautiful scenic effects. I think what I am happiest about is that the stories bring us back to basic down-home, porch-front and waterfront treasures and cherishing of the simple but most beautiful and worthy qualities of life. And show us the wonder of poetry, love and landscape. Message in a Bottle, and A Walk to Remember, are some of the other stories that are movies now. A Bend in the Road is yet to be made into a film, but I enjoyed the novel.

The lead actor in the young role of Noah in the movie The Notebook, Ryan Gosling, does an amazing job with the role and hauntingly good-looking, reminded me so much (his eyes, it’s eyes) of my sister’s first husband and their son, my late nephew, Kirk, who passed away at l8 from a car accident. The character’s personality traits and behavior also reminded me a great deal of Kirk and Gary (his father). Even the story of Allie and Noah’s romance in their youth reminded me of my sister’s with Gary in many aspects.

The latter part of the story reached me even more than when I read the book, because since then I have been close to a similar situation with my late friend Tom, and his missing his wife who had to move into a nursing home four years before I met Tom, due to advanced Alzheimer’s. Tom could have been the model for Noah in various ways, and his relationship with his wife seemed very similar to Noah’s with Allie.

It is inspiring that the book and movie deal with a prevalent theme and without any overt preachiness, by playing out the tale (based on true experience in the authors' family) cause us to focus on issues like the ordeals of ill seniors, in a strong, moving, very esthetically and charming way. If you're a fan of the quiet joys of life, canoeing, wildlife, old country houses, and first love romances with a passion that is never forgotten and in maturity is still golden, , you won't be disappointed.

In our town older people needing to be in nursing homes are usually sent to separate ones, and this issue has been fought and is starting to make progress toward change, since a couple who’d been married for over sixty years, were isolated from one another and heartbroken over it, last year and the lady and her family fought for the right to be placed at least on the same floor in the same home. And they won. The newspapers followed the story and stipulations have begun to be made that wherever possible, the strategy of separate homes for couples who want to be together in their closing years, have been initiated. I had no idea this was a frequent problem, and people watching the movie might assume it’s easy to share the same facility in that situation, but it hasn’t been in Ottawa, that’s for sure. There was public pressure to insist since the story in the paper last year, that it be considered their right and that it’s abusive to separate such a couple. The movie and book focus on the benefits for health and peace of mind, and spirit, when this can happen. But in some cases when there is Alzheimer’s, as in Martha’s (Tom’s wife) it can be very difficult once the patient considers the spouse a total stranger. It is the moments when that slips away and they do recognize and remember, that the other spouse hangs on to, and dreams of, and if they are not experiencing the heartbreaking violence or animosity caused by the disease in their spouse, it can work out to be lovely to be near each other still.

There was plenty of humour and positivity in the movie, and gorgeous scenery and respect to nature, poetry (Whitman) etc. and old porch-times with guitars, dancing, and dreaming of the future, and the movie was more positive than depressing. The acting was very fine, and though there were considerable alterations in the adaptation, the essence of message and story, and many of the lines and depictions, remained true to the story. I would have liked the two senior leads to have been a little closer to 80, or if they are, maybe seem more like in their 80's but perhaps they’re young-looking and acting octaganerians, so all the power to them in that case. But visually to me they were too young.

On the whole it’s brought me back to the novel again and heartened me that the crowd was so entertained with the kind of story I love, of passion, history, humanity and nature, and a slower, quieter style of living than technology and cell phones fill us with now, and wholesome values and appreciations at a time when I could really use it. I’d recommend both the movie and the book, but as usual,probably in that order. It’s so hard not to keep looking for the book in the movie, when you’ve read it first.

There are plenty of water fowl in the movie, many more than in the book, and the panoramic cinematography of the scenes with them (enhanced by computer effect I think) are award-winning, I would say. The music adapted to the story is a propos and emotionally perfect too. Overall it succeeds clearly in reaching out to the souls of all ages, and their senses of humour and nostalgia, and honours poetry and journal-keeping, faith and hope beyond scientific prediction, via fine storytelling.
I am currently Calm
I am listening to birds outside