A RUMOR OF ANGELS

US, 2000, 106 minutes, Colour.
Vanessa Redgrave, Trevor Morgan, Ray Liotta, Catherine Mc Cormack, Ron Livingston, George Coe.
Directed by Peter O’ Fallon.

A Rumor of Angels has an enormous appeal for a wide-ranging audience – an audience which likes films feeling and with hope. However, the final minute, with its focus on angels and something transcending the world, will have members of the Sceptics Association turning off their televisions very quickly. Which means that the film has quite a general appeal and is strengthened by excellent performances by Vanessa Redgrave as an elderly woman and Travor Morgan as a young boy. The film recounts their friendship.

The film is based on a novel by Grace Duffie Boylan. The director is Peter O’ Fallon, a prolific director of television series who made only two films for cinemas, the grim Suicide Kings and, exactly the opposite, A Rumor of Angels.

The film was made in Nova Scotia and capitalises on the coastal locations. Vanessa Redgrave is a widow, a crusty old woman who is angry that a young boy, Trevor Morgan, has broken her fence. She demands that he fix it. He is grieving for his mother who was killed in a car accident, blaming himself for the accident. His father is distant, has never discussed the grief with his son. He is played by Ray Liotta. He has married again and the boy is antagonistic towards his stepmother, played by Catherine Mc Cormack. There are other sympathetic characters in the film, especially Uncle Charlie (Ron Livingston) who has a history with drugs. He is a good friend to his nephew. George Coe appears as the local doctor who has a long friendship with the widow.

The film has a lot to say about grief and grieving, about communication with parents. Vanessa Redgrave’s character offers an extraordinary example of somebody in the grandmother generation who is able to have an influence on a young boy, an influence that his parents don’t seem to be able to exert. By listening, by friendship, by shared activities, she breaks through the barriers and the young boy becomes devoted to her.

The title of the film refers to the experience of Vanessa Redgrave and the death of her son in the Vietnam War. She has a book of messages from her son after his death which greatly influence the little boy. However, he discovers that they are writings from her imagination and her relationship with her son, the fact that he was a signaller and knew Morse code and utilises the code for the messages. The use of Morse code is important throughout the film, the young boy learning it, sending messages to the old woman – and then, the final rendition of the voices of angels and the seemingly miraculous Morse code from the lighthouse, with the accompaniment of Mozart’s Ave Verum.

The film is quite moving, offers a lot in terms of human relationships and understanding as well as grief and hope.

1. The appeal of the film, humane, the touch of the supernatural? The wariness of rational and sceptic audiences?

2. The title, experiences transcending the ordinary, in imagination, in reality? The experience of death? The voices, the choir, Mozart? The experience at the end?

3. The Nova Scotia settings, the sea and the coast, the beauty, ruggedness, the rocks and the lighthouse? The old house, the new house? The roads, the woods? The musical score?

4. James going to Maddy’s house, breaking the fence, his tension, riding his bicycle away, Maddy with the gun, firing it? His going to the roadblock, his freezing, Maddy seeing this? Uncle Charlie bringing him home?

5. The psychological background for James, his grief at his mother’s death, the experience of freezing, going to the counsellor, his father simply telling him not to do it, his not talking things deep (**??) over with his father, his father’s grief, his father’s feelings, love for his wife? His hearing his father weeping but no communication? His feeling that Mary was imposed on him as a stepmother? His surly demeanour?

6. Maddy, Vanessa Redgrave and her appearance, her age, her hair, coat and hat, the bike, going fishing? A strong woman, direct? Fixing the fence because James broke it? The slap and challenging him? The strong woman?

7. Charlie and his background, the drugs, growing tomatoes, a nice man, with James, telling the truth to Nathan, his confrontation with Mary, his friendship with Maddy, watching her when she was sleeping, his advice to the family?

8. Mary, trying to cope, her love for her husband, care for James, her being hurt by his manner, dealing with it? Her anger at the alleged lies of Maddy about the death of her son? James and his being rude to her? Mary advising her to stand up to James? Packing, including the photo, the reconciliation at the end?

9. Nathan, absent, his grief, the phone calls, his deals? His taking the situation for granted? Charlie and his strong advice? His angers, his criticisms of Maddy, confronting her? The accident, getting James to promise to come home, James not returning? James’s reaction, his outburst against his father, the walk along the beach, listening to each other, the experience of the light at the lighthouse, the ending?

10. Maddy and James, their bond, Maddy and the background of her being a widow, her husband the archaeologist and his death, her smile? Her grief at the death of her son? Her firing the gun at James? Getting him to fix the fence? Her saving him from Mary, saying that she had contracted with him to paint? The painting, the fence, the music, the rhythms of the painting? Maddy and James eating together, talking, his relaxing, her finding him in the house and thinking of her son? The Morse code signals? The explanation of Morse code, his learning it? The bike ride, her wanting to take the road through the woods, the no through road, her holding James, getting him to remember, the flashbacks, James’s experience, his grief, the animal running across the road? With his mother as she died? His blaming himself? Maddy enabling him to face the situation and deal with it?

11. The memory of Robbie, her son, Vietnam, on the boat, the date of his death, the message, the letter? The doctor and his help, the friendship with Maddy, the visit, the meal, the dancing, getting James to dance, Maddy refusing to take her pills, the doctor’s being upset at her stubbornness?

12. The book of stories, the Morse code messages, James on the rock, Maddy and James sending messages to each other? The writing, the imagination, James reading the book, Mary reading it, her anger, Nathan demanding that James cut off friendship with Maddy?

13. His return, the lies and her admission, her collapse? James rescuing her? The doctor?

14. The vigil, his helping Maddy, reading from the book to her? Her recovery? The doctor, Charlie helping? Her talking with Nathan? The final reading, her quietly dying?

15. The end, the lighthouse, Ave Verum? The credibility of the experience, the symbol of message from the lighthouse, the voices of angels, the rumor of angels?

16. The themes of family, communication, grief, role modelling, communication between the generations?