THE MAN IN THE MOON

US, 1991, 99 minutes, Colour.
Reese Witherspoon, Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Jason London, Emily Warfield, Gail Strickland.
Directed by Robert Mulligan.

The Man in the Moon is an autobiographical screenplay by Jenny Wingfield. The setting is Louisiana in 1957, farms and small towns. It is the period of Elvis Presley.

The film introduced Reese Witherspoon as the fourteen-year-old Dani, the lively and perky daughter in the Trent household. The severe but loving father is played by Sam Waterston. The loving mother by Tess Harper. Emily Warfield plays the older sister and Jason London the young man who befriends both.

The film is interesting in seeing Reese Witherspoon at a young age – a sure sign of a strong career and a strong screen presence.

The film shows Dani and her falling in love with a neighbour, played by Jason London. However, he is attracted to her older sister, which causes a great deal of turmoil in her. Her father is angry with her at times, especially when his pregnant wife has a collapse and there is a premature birth of a baby.

While many of the issues are resolved at the end, there is an unexpectedly sad ending – which leads to understanding between the two sisters.

The film was directed by Robert Mulligan who had a strong career in television in the 1950s, made the feature film Fear Strikes Out in 1957 and, from 1960 to 1991 had a strong career with some significant Hollywood features, the most prestigious of all being To Kill a Mockingbird for which Gregory Peck won an Oscar as best actor in 1962.

1. The title, Dani’s explanation, confiding to the moon one’s inner secrets? The end, Dani as young, and her regrets?

2. Louisiana in 1957, the farms, the town, the hospital? The realistic atmosphere? The score?

3. The film as Dani’s story, Reese Witherspoon and her strong screen presence? Fourteen years old, her place in the family, sharing the room with Maureen, their talking things over together, admiring her sister? Her mother and her pregnancy? The father and his sternness? His kindness? Her looking after the youngest daughter? A strong-minded girl?

4. The Trent family, the father and his hard work, love for his family, the detail of life in the house, in the fields? His wife pregnant, their daughters? His concern about Dani, about Court, not wanting her to be deceitful, getting her to invite Court to the house? His anger at Dani’s behaviour and his wife’s fall, getting the strap to her, in the hospital, his apology to her? Her knowing that he was sorry, her strength? At the end in the hospital? The mother and her kindness, the pregnancy details? And the final reconciliation of Dani with her father, the embrace?

5. Maureen and her age, going to college, her beauty, bond with her sister, in the family, away, the return? Meeting Court again, her attraction to him, his to her? Love, sex? Court’s death, the grief? The deep clash with Dani? Yet their sharing their grief and reconciling?

6. Court and his family, the back-story, the two women and their husbands? Friendship? Marie’s husband’s death, coming back to the farm, Court and his hard work, the detail of the work, the visits to the Trents, Court and the swimming, Dani and her being smitten, talking with Court, the kiss, the night swim? His reaction? Court and his explanation, Court and the attraction to Maureen, the relationship? The effect? The hat on the branch, the tractor accident, his death?

7. Themes of birth and death to end the film?

8. A coming of age story, for Dani, for Maureen? What each learnt?
9. The portrait of the parents, the Trant family – and life having to go on?