FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
US, 2004, 133 minutes, Colour.
Jon Voight, Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Dagmara Dominczyk, Steven Grayhm, Michael Imperioli, Callum Keith Rennie, Rebecca Jenkins.
Directed by Lloyd Kramer.
Five People You Meet in Heaven is based on the book by Mitch Albom. He wrote Tuesdays With Morrie (filmed so effectively with Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria). Albom also wrote One More Day which was filmed in 2007 by Lloyd Kramer and had an Oprah Winfrey presentation. Kramer had also directed several films for Oprah Winfrey including Amy and Isabelle.
The film shows the life of a boy growing into an elderly man. From the early part of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century he encompasses all the major movements of the US, the Depression, service in World War Two, the aftermath, the succeeding decades in American prosperity. However, like his father, he spent his life working as a supervisor of the machines in a carnival.
Jon Voight portrays the older man. When he dies, trying to save a young girl from an accident on one of the machines, he has a journey, encountering five people who had some influence in his life, whether he realised it or not – and who also contributed to his living on as well as his being instrumental in their lives and deaths. He meets Jeff Daniels as the Blue Man, a man with a skin disease who worked in the carnival. He meets the captain from his war service (Michael Imperioli). He also meets the woman whose husband constructed the weir where his father and he himself worked (Ellen Burstyn). Towards the end, he encounters his wife (Dagmara Dominczyk). Finally he meets a young girl from Asia who indirectly leads him to understand what happened when he tried to rescue the young girl at the carnival.
The film is at great pains to recreate each era with vivid sets and décor, and different colour patterns to indicate the different times.
The general response to the book and the film was very positive, people feeling that it made a revelation about the meaning of life for an ordinary person, and life after death.
1. Mitch Albom and his books, Tuesdays with Morrie, One Day More? Issues of life and death, the afterlife? Ethics and morality? Faith and religion? Albom adapting his own book for television?
2. The variety of locations, the life of a 20th century man? The 40s and the city streets, labour, Ruby Pier, war and the jungle and the Japanese, the prisoner of war camps? Post-war hospitals, the pier? The pier and the changes over the decades? The musical score?
3. The title, Heaven, personal judgment, forgiveness, new awareness, choices, happiness befitting one’s life?
4. The theme of everyone’s life interconnecting, life and death and our mutual dependence, even in tragedy?
5. The voice-over, Ruby and her narration, the insights into Eddie, Ruby’s own appearance? Telling Eddie the truth, about his life, the regrets?
6. Jon Voight as Eddie, his age, his work, his label for maintenance, the rides? A friendly man? The narration about his death, the ride, the young people trapped, the rescue, the cable, Eddie asleep, waking, seeing what was happening, rushing with the phone, the phone bumped out of his hand, saving the girl, the hand reaching out, his death?
7. Eddie and his life, an ordinary person? The film saying there were no nobodies? Eddie within his family, working hard, his father and his demands, the war, marrying, not having any children, continuing to work at the pier?
8. Meeting the Blue Man, seeing him as a boy as one of the carnival attractions? The Blue Man’s story about his nerves, taking the nitrate, the effect on his skin, blue, labelled as a freak, going to the carnival, his quiet life, enjoying his life? Knowing Eddie? His driving, the crash to avoid hitting Eddie and Eddie not realising it, getting the ball? His heart attack and death? The funeral, his mother taking Eddie to the funeral, his not wanting to go because of his birthday, his mother slapping him, at the graveside?
9. Eddie as small, his brother Joe, his brother Joe getting into trouble, the coat? The father’s demands? Eddie fighting, the effect on his hands, his mother’s reaction? The father and his hard attitude, the jobs, drinking?
10. Meeting the Captain, the experience of war, the jungle sequences, the men in the platoon, tough, the running, the capture? The confrontation with the Japanese? In the camp, the brutality, the soldier who was ill, the collapse, shot? Eddie and his capacity for juggling, the Japanese soldier and his wanting to juggle, the authorities? The severity of the commander? Eddie and the Captain, the plan for the attack, the flames, his leg being wounded, Eddie’s anger, his being saved? The fire and the little girl in the house? His dreams about the fire? The revelation that the Captain had died, the Captain had shot him in order to save him, the little girl in the house which he thought was empty? The dreams recurring?
11. Ruby, her story, marrying Earl, at the diner, the wedding, his wealth, building the pier, her image in the gate? The fire, the business losses? The injuries? Selling the pier? Ruby’s memories of love? Memories of Eddie’s father? The true story of his father’s death – the friend, out of work, attacking the father’s wife, escaping, falling into the water, the father trying to save his friend despite his attacking his wife?
12. Finding Margaret, memories of the courtship, the wedding, dancing despite his leg, his wife’s illness, their life together, not having children, talking this over, their care for the children at the pier? Margaret’s Heaven – and the happiness of people marrying?
13. Tala, at the river, in the fire, her talking with Eddie, her burns, their being cleansed and healed in the water? Her hands? The importance of Eddie discovering what happened with the little girl at the carnival, his not pulling her to safety, rather pushing her to safety meaning his own death?
14. The themes of saving a life, the interconnections of people, the pier as a microcosm?
