The Miracle of an Ordinary Day is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production based on a novel of the same name by Ann Howard Creel and adapted as a teleplay by Camille Thomasson. The film was directed by Brent Shields, produced by Andrew Gottlieb and starring Keri Russell, Skeet Ulrich, and Mare Winningham.
The film was first aired on CBS on January 30, 2005, and received an encore broadcast on the exact same network five years later.
Video The Magic of Ordinary Days
Plot
Olivia Dunne 'Livvy' (Keri Russell) is a young Denver woman who has been pregnant by a naval aviation instructor with leave during the war. Embarrassed that her daughter was not pregnant again, her father decided to deal with this issue by secretly arranging for her to marry. Liwy was sent to a rural town in southeastern Colorado, there to be married to a young farmer who needed a wife. The groom is Ray Singleton (Skeet Ulrich), who cultivated a remote piece of land on a family farm. Hearing Livvy's dilemma from his pastor, Ray was moved by the story and agreed to marry without meeting him. Unbeknownst to Livvy, Ray had lost his father and mother, and lost to his younger brother when he was killed in an attack on Pearl Harbor. Though young, handsome and a man in his mind, Ray has no chance to find a wife in this remote area. Her sister Martha (Mare Winningham), her husband and their three children are the only family left.
Ray and Livvy are unusual couples. Livvy has benefited from a good education and to date has been in graduate school learning archeology. The owner of formal education is vast, he knows nothing about cooking or farming and does not specifically devote to his religious beliefs. Though extraordinarily sophisticated, he felt lost and lonely since his mother's death. Ray is somewhat of a word. A hard worker, he is kind, honest and patient. Family life and faith in God have become a hallmark of Ray's life. His daily activities are focused on working on his family farm. Livvy and Ray tried hard to be polite and courteous to each other, but remained awkward in their respective companies.
Though he agreed to marry to please his father, Livvy never intended to stay in this cruel life. He secretly writes to Lieutenant Edward Brown, flight instructor who is the father of his son. His brother's visit brings a sharp contrast between Livvy's life and the life he is living now, but it is also clear how Livvy has changed his view of his environment. His brother has no news about Lt. Brown, who has not answered Livvy's letters. Now without her husband being called to serve, her sister found herself lonely. He asks Livvy to leave Ray to stay with him, suggesting they make a story about Ray drinking and being violent to cover him abandon him. Livvy can not do this.
With most young men going for war effort, Ray's farm is lacking in farming hands. Because it is necessary to maintain food production, the government supplies labor to farms. Ray Plantation is equipped by Japanese Americans who are interned at nearby Camp Amache. Life in the high country made Livvy feel isolated and alone. He came to establish two sisters from the camp, Florence and Rose Umahara (Tania Gunadi and Gwendoline Yeo). Both were highly educated, and Livvy found intimacy and comfort in their friendship.
Ray's sister, Martha, and her family gave Livvy new insight into the lives of people in rural America. Throughout Ray proved to be a caring husband, both patient and supportive. He quietly does things to make him more comfortable around him, and it is clear that he is much brighter than the first suspect. Over time, Livvy appreciates the lives of people like Martha and Ray lead. The love and patience shown to him stood very different from what he had known at home since the death of his mother. With the arrival of a baby he must choose his way of life.
Maps The Magic of Ordinary Days
Reception
The CBS premiere in 2005 attracted 18.7 million viewers, making it the highest rated television movie since the 2001-2 season. According to the author of the original novel, "in early 2009, scenarios for the sequel were written and approved." Hallmark Hall of Fame is waiting for the lead actor to become available to start production and filming.
In 2005, Robert Bianco of USA Today gave the movie (3½ of 4 stars), saying:
If only this great TV movie was a common occurrence... The days sometimes emphasize the relationship between "country" and "uncomplicated" that may never exist. But behind the difference between Ray's simple and cultured Livvy education is a binding universal message about the need to accept the consequences of our actions. Ordinary lesson, maybe, but it takes an amazing movie to make us listen.
References
External links
- The Miracle of Ordinary Days at IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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