Thursday, September 2, 2021

Book/Movie Review: News of the World

I love finding book and movie recommendations on Facebook. While browsing one day, I noticed a friend recommending News of the World, a movie she watched on a vacation flight. Of course, I didn't want to view the movie first, so I checked out both the book and the movie. As sometimes happens with hold lists, the book came in at the same time as the movie (pushing me to read fast enough to watch the movie within the one week library borrow time).

Captain Kidd has already raised his daughters. His wife is dead and his printing business closed down. Now, he makes his way across Texas doing newspaper and periodical readings for townsfolk who are hungry for word from the rest of the world. I loved the mention of Household Words, the periodical in which Charles Dickens published his serialized novels. Too fun. Now, Captain Kidd takes on a new task. He agrees to return a ten-year-old girl to her people. The Kiowa tribe held the girl captive after they killed her parents and sister. Now that the white people bought her back, he agrees to return her to her aunt and uncle. The journey is harrowing and the two, thrown together in this circumstance, open up and bond. It is a beautiful tale.

In this case, the book and movie are both good. The book gives more information and a rounder tale, but the movie provides such a tender, uplifting message. The casting was perfect. My husband reluctantly watched with me because he is not a big fan of Tom Hanks, but Hanks did a superb job playing this role. The young girl chosen to play Johannah Leonberger was also outstanding. I loved the harrowing, classic Western shoot-out. The Texas dust storm led to a heart-wrenching moment that almost brought tears to my eyes. If you are looking for a decent movie to watch, I recommend News of the World. It emphasizes the power of story, the redemption available when we invest in each other's lives, and the blessing of unexpected opportunity sometimes cloaked as a burden.


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