Books to Film: Love's Enduring Promise (2004) Movie Review

 

The Davis family saga continues in Love's Enduring Promise, the sequel to Love Comes Softly. 

Missie Davis (now played by January Jones) is the local school teacher. She finds herself wooed by a wealthy surveyor, Grant Thomas, (portrayed by Mackenzie Astin), but when her father Clark (Dale Midkiff) suffers a life-threatening accident, the help of a mysterious stranger has her second guessing her true feelings. 

Airing on Hallmark Channel in 2004, Love's Enduring Promise shifts the story arc to Missie's character, which viewers will see continued in the next two films. Having viewed all of these movies up through Love Takes Wing, I feel this is the weakest film of the series. Perhaps that is to be expected after the moving performances of Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff as two people drawn together by necessity whose arrangement blossoms into love. These actors had such chemistry together that the focus shifting away from them means the actors portraying the love story in the sequel had to have equal or better chemistry, which wasn't visible to me. 

By now, Missie's family includes Marty's son Aaron Luke Davis (K'Sun Ray) and her brother Arnie Davis (Logan Arens). As she developed into a young woman, some of that spunk viewers enjoyed in Love Comes Softly has been tempered, which is to be expected. We do however see a bit of it when Nate (Logan Bartholomew) is plowing the field as Clark recovers. 

Missie is quickly taken with Grant Thomas, a wealthy surveyor who pursues her. Yet, she can't seem to get the mysterious Nate out of her mind. Nate comes with his own backstory, which unfolds along the way, and Clark is a compassionate father figure to Nate. 

My favorite parts of this movie are, no surprise, ones that involve Marty and Clark. In the opening sequence, we see Marty and Clark relaxing in a field together. Marty asks Clark to promise that he will never leave her, which he does. She asks him how he can be certain, and he quotes Scripture stating the two shall become one. She also comments on what a wonderful life he has given her and what a wonderful life they have made together, so the viewers feel they have been successful in their endeavors and enjoy their life. This foreshadows his life-threatening accident. 

My next favorite part comes at the end of the movie. 

SPOILERS AHEAD IN WHITE 

At the end of the movie, Missie is saying goodbye to her family, as she heads farther West with her new husband. Marty, holding back tears, provides motherly advice and reminds her to write once they are settled. But it is Missie and Clark's goodbye that tugs at the heartstrings. Clark tells her that ever since she was a little baby, he knew this day was coming because she had an independent spirit. 

She says, "Pa, my heart's breaking."

"Mine, too," Clark replies.

"Can you fix it?"

"Not this time, little one." They embrace. "Not this time."

Marty and the boys walk up to Clark to offer him support. As Missie and her husband pull away in their wagon, Clark waves and says, "Remember His Promise." 

Missie waves and replies, "No tears."

"No tears," Clark says. Then the camera focuses on his stricken face as he whispers, "No tears." 

Then the last shot is a faraway look of the wagon driving away. 

Clark's strong faith is a part of who he is. Viewers see that in Love Comes Softly, and they see it in Loves' Enduring Promise. That faith has helped him and his family through the years, and will be something they will lean on in the future. 

Michael Landon Jr. definitely inherited his father's ability to provide family friendly content that tugs at every heartstring. He has a knack for taking source material and adapting it to a new medium. I look forward to sharing more of this series with you.

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated) 
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Jr, Michael Landon
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Full Screen
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 13, 2008
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Heigl, Katherine, Midkiff, Dale, Bartholomew, Logan
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00192YKE0

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love Comes Softly (2003) Movie Review

I wanted to share this because it is similar in many ways to Little House on the Prairie and has some connections to those involved in the LHOP world. This movie was directed by Michael Landon Jr. In the sequel movies, Erin Cottrell, who portrayed Caroline Ingalls in the 2005 Little House on the Prairie mini-series, portrays an adult Missie Davis. Skye McCole Bartusiak portrayed Rose Wilder in Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, which was released a year before Love Comes Softly. 

When Marty Claridge (Katherine Heigl) set out on a pioneering adventure West with her husband Aaron (Oliver Macready), they were filled with hopes and dreams. But Aaron's sudden death soon after arriving, leaves Marty pregnant and alone. 

In steps Clark Davis (Dale Midkiff). On the day of Aaron's funeral, he approaches Marty with a proposition: marry him so she has a place to stay over the winter and so she can be a mother to his young daughter, Missie (Skye McCole Bartusiak). Then in the spring, if Marty wants to leave, Clark will pay for her journey back East. 

What choice does Marty have? So, she agrees, throwing herself into her new role. Little does she know that patience and faith will have to carry her through. 

Love Comes Softly is the first book in the series written by Janette Oke. Made into a movie that aired on Hallmark Channel and was directed by Michael Landon Jr., this wholesome story is one of faith, family, and love. I've never read the books, but this movie series is so well done that I definitely would like to read the book series they are based upon. 

Having now watched the entire original movie series (not the prequels), I can say that Love Comes Softly is my favorite. As the movie series continues, Katherine Heigl is replaced by another actress, who while talented, doesn't have the same chemistry with Dale Midkiff and who doesn't have the vitality that Heigl brought to the character. 

Love Comes Softly is about two people brought together out of necessity, whose relationship blossoms into love. Skye McCole Bartusiak plays the resentful daughter well, acting out because she sees Marty as a threat to her close bond with her Pa, and because she doesn't want a new mother. The interactions between Marty and Missie in those early days are entertaining and heartfelt. But just like Marty's heart softened toward Clark, Missie's softens toward Marty. That's when she realizes she doesn't want Marty to leave in the spring. 

Clark's strong faith plays a role in this movie as well. That faith inspires Marty when she doubts she can help Missie. It is Clark's faith that helps Marty understand that faith doesn't mean bad things won't happen, but that God will be there when they do. 

If you enjoy wholesome, faith-based family entertainment, Love Comes Softly is one of the best. 

• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 884482
• Director ‏ : ‎ Michael Landon Jr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Full Screen, Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 24 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2004
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Katherine Heigl, Dale Midkiff, Corbin Bernsen, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Theresa Russell
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1), French (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Dolby Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0002IKSFM

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.