Note: As a young teen I read and greatly enjoyed all of Janette Oke's books in the Love Comes Softly series and would highly recommend reading them first because none of the films can hold a candle to them. But the films are sweet and do have endearing characters and some moments of spiritual encouragement (but not a lot). Both of these films are not adaptations of Janette Oke's wrote but are based on her characters.
Love Begins
This film is supposed to start the series off by telling how Clark Davis (a main character in Love Comes Softly) met and married his first wife Ellen.
Plot: Ellen and her sister, Cassie, live together on their family farm that they have run since the death of their father. After a storm goes through, damaging their barn, fencing, etc... it is clear they will need help to repair. Ellen asks the town sheriff if he knows anyone who can help. Clark Davis and his friend stop in town on their way to prospect for gold in California. When his friend causes a fight with some other fellows Millie's Restaurant they both land in jail and that night his friend decides to escape, while Clark chooses to remain and re-pay his debt. The sheriff decides to make Clark repay his debt by working on Ellen's farm, her younger sister Cassie soon befriends him but Ellen who witnessed the fight in town still thinks him to be untrustworthy. Clark and Ellen become friends after a time and when he pays off his debt he must decide whether to leave for California or let love begin.
Overall this is a great family film and a very nice way to start the series off. It sort of made me wish that Janette Oke had written a story about Clark and Ellen before Marty comes along.
Love's Everlasting Courage
This film is designed to fill in the years between Love Begins and Janette Oke's original story Love Comes Softly.
Plot: Now married Clark and Ellen live on their farm with their spirited young daughter Missie. Times are tough without rain so Ellen takes a job as seamstress in town to help pay bills. She and Clark play matchmaker for their friends Ben and Sarah who are both recent widows. Clark's parents Lloyd and Irene Davis come for a visit and Lloyd helps his son dig a well to water his dying crops. Working too hard Ellen gets worn down and gets scarlet fever which eventually takes her life. Missie doesn't understand when she's scolded for trying to nurse her sick mother and after Ellen's death when she overhears her father planning to send her to live with her grandparents she runs away. Will Clark be able to heal the relationship with his daughter and will rain come so they won't loose the farm? Will they be able to have courage through these rough times?
Overall the film is fine for family viewing but a bit disappointing if you enjoyed the rest of the series.
Do you enjoy reading Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly book series?
Have you seen these two prequels? What did you think of them?
P.S. I'm slowly working my way back to writing more serious period film reviews. Hopefully I'll have something more review-like next week. :)
8 comments:
I enjoyed reading your reviews of these films. I felt much the same as you did about them... as I also loved the book series much more than I did the movies. Janette Oke is a wonderful writer - and I've enjoyed her books for many years.
I have seen Love Begins & enjoyed it, but only because I viewed it as being an entirely individual movie ;)
I haven't seen Love's Everlasting COurage yet, but I own it & am waiting for the right mood to strike :D
I like this series, but only if I don't connect it to the books in my mind. Ha
We have Love Begins, and my 5 year old son loves it, strangely enough. ;-)
We'll have to see if we can the next one. ;-)
As for characters disappearing from movie to the next, that is one of my big pet peeves with this series! Not much thought put into continuity, obviously, which irritates us detail oriented people.
We watched them too!!!!! I love them....They make you understand the newer ones better :)
Marissa
My sisters and I have all read the entire series and LOVE it! Some of my sisters have seen Love's Enduring Promise and liked it. (At the time I wasn't really interested in watching it.) I have since seen a few scenes and it is on the list to watch someday, but when I do see it, I think I'll treat it as an entirely different story. Otherwise, as a book to movie story,I seriously doubt I'd like it!
I haven't seen any of the prequels but I have thought about it. We'll see....
Miss Laurie, I'm really enjoying reading your blog!! Thanks for all the wonderful posts!
What ever happened to Caddie? I love these stories and missed her love story.
What happened to Ellen.s sister cassie?? I can not find anything online...she dissapeared out of the series
You are so right!!! I loved the sweet spirited character, Cassie Barlow, and would have really liked it a whole lot better had they given us viewers at least a tiny bit of something on her. I loved both actors who played the part of Clark Davis. Overall, I've bought and have seen the entire series and I give them all a thumbs up!!!
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