THE LAMP
US, 2011, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jason London, Meredith Salenger, Louis Gossett Jr, L. Scott Caldwell, Cameron Ten Napel, Muse Watson.
Directed by Tracy Trost.
The Lamp is a family film – a contemporary fairy tale with religious dimensions, especially with the motto used frequently in the film, ‘Just Believe’.
The film opens with the death of a young boy and the grief of his parents. In fact, the father (Jason London) withdraws for two years, snapping at people, morose with his wife (Meredith Salenger) going to watch baseball practices and criticising the coach, remembering his son.
When his wife gives all his son’s clothes to a charity sale, he erupts. The lady next door, Miss Esther (L. Scott Caldwell) who runs an orphanage, gives a lamp to the wife. The film then becomes a kind of magical religious fantasy with a genie, in the form of Louis Gossett Jr (looking much older) appearing and wanting to do good things for the couple. The lamp is the opportunity for the husband to come out of himself, realise his aggressive selfishness. He takes an interest in one of the orphans from next door who is skilled at baseball. He also takes over coaching of the Little League team. Audiences will appreciate that this will eventually lead to a champion baseball match, good words from the genie, and an adoption of the young girl, with her sister, by the family – learning unselfishness, Just Believe.
This is a film for undiscriminating audiences – a pleaser for families who have experience of grief, struggles, themes of sport, and friendship with children and adoption.
1. The target audience for this film? Parents? Children? Family audiences? Television audience? DVD?
2. The setting of the town, middle America? The homes? The baseball fields? Offices? Audiences identifying with this ordinary presentation of life? The musical score?
3. The title, the look of the lamp? The evocation of lamps in fairy stories? The expectations of the genie? The rubbing of the lamp, Charles arriving, the motto of Just Believe? Not having three wishes – but granting them? The repetition of the theme of belief, Charles and his explanations, as it affected Lisa and Stanley?
4. The collage of the death of the child, the funeral? Stanley’s grief? Lisa’s grief? The two years passing, Stanley and his becoming even more morose, his snapping at Lisa, his self-absorption in his grief? Lisa becoming desperate? With her friends, her work at the gym? Yet her patience with Stanley?
5. Stanley’s being upset when Lisa gave all the clothes to the charity sale? For uniforms for the Little League? Stanley and his interest in the Little League, his son’s abilities? His meeting Sam while watching the play, his criticism of the coach, discovering Josh, and that she was a girl? Her skills?
6. His anger at Lisa? His attack on her that she did not grief sufficiently? His seeing the lamp, trying to smash it?
7. Lisa, the lamp, rubbing it, the light? Just Believe? Charles and his arrival, his talking with Lisa, the sudden disappearance? Stanley’s scepticism? The fact that the lamp was given by Miss Esther?
8. Miss Esther, her kindness, the orphans, Stanley’s encountering them? Josh, her care for Rachel, Rachel not speaking? The boys?
9. Stanley and his encounter with Charles? The explanations? Charles challenging his grief, his beliefs? The discussions about the wishes?
10. Stanley and Lisa, the reconciliation? Discussions about what they wished for? Stanley and his being a failed writer, the phone calls from his publishers? The bills? His interest in the Little League, in Josh? Beginning the story, the advance? Their being secure as regards money? The reconciliation and their love for each other? The wish for a family?
11. The news that Josh was to be adopted? Stanley and his reaction? Josh, the play? The new uniforms? The final match? The play, Josh and her throwing the ball at the boy? Stanley trying to calm her down? The prospective parents watching? The final round, Stanley getting all the children to declare their belief? Josh’s smile? The success of the match?
12. The prospect of adoption, Josh in the office? The revelation that Lisa and Stanley wanted to adopt her, to adopt Rachel?
13. Rachel, the dog, running on the street, Rachel calling out and speaking to save the dog, Stanley rescuing her from the oncoming truck?
14. The fulfilment of all wishes, Stanley’s final visit, the vision of Esther with Sam and Charles? The happy ending – satisfying for a family audience identifying with the characters, following through the story, responding to the themes?
