DANIELLE STEEL'S REMEMBRANCE

US, 1996, 96 minutes, Colour.
Eva La Rue, Jeffrey Nordling, James Calvert, Angie Dickinson, Tom Kurlander, Cecilley Carroll.
Directed by Bethany Rooney.

Danielle Steel's Remembrance is one of many films of the 1990s, versions of Danielle Steel's popular novels. They are all romantic novels, touches of tragedy, set in an affluent world, with themes of death, marriage, and happy endings. Eva La Rue is attractive as the Italian princess who marries Jeffrey Nordling, an American colonel. However, she falls foul of the colonel's ambitious mother, played with severity by Angie Dickinson. James Calvert is a sympathetic brother-in-law.

Bethany Rooney directed several of the Danielle Steel films.

1.The popularity of Danielle Steel's novels? The film versions? For television?

2.The American settings? New York and San Francisco? The affluent world? Politics, the world of modelling? The musical score?

3.The opening, Serena's death, Vanessa and her seeing her mother dead? Teddy and his intervention? The returning to this theme at the end, Vanessa's inability to remember Vasili? Idealising her life with her widowed mother? Her being consigned by the courts to Greg and his wife? Her unhappiness? Running away to Teddy? The court hearing, the judge's interrogation? Teddy and his wanting to adopt Vanessa, his mother's stances? The irony of his mother relenting, advising the judge, her final words towards Teddy and her softening? A happy future for Teddy and Vanessa, Vanessa and her going to Greece to see her half-sister?

4.Serena and Brad, arriving in New York, the war experience? The happiness, meeting the family, Teddy and his being present? The father, his drinking? Margaret, her being late, her imperious manner, demanding to see Serena, trying to buy her off, investigating her family, getting her to sign the paper that she would not inherit anything? The effect on Serena? The secret, talking to Teddy? Brad? Keeping the secret?

5.The happiness, going to live in California, Teddy helping with the birth of Vanessa? Their life in California, away from Margaret Fullerton? Brad and his army career, his choice, not wanting to go into politics? His going to Korea, the news of his death? The effect on Serena, on Vanessa? Teddy's advice, getting a job? Teddy organising the photo shoot?

6.Serena, her modelling career, success? Love for her daughter? Meeting Vasili, attracted to him, going out, the proposal, marrying him? Teddy and his disappointment?

7.Teddy, meeting Linda, his relationship with her, the possibility of marriage, Linda and her seeing that he was in love with Serena? Breaking off? The background of Greg, his drinking, weak character, his relationship with his wife, her spurning him? Their concern about their social position?

8.Margaret Fullerton, not acknowledging her granddaughter, Brad's funeral, Vanessa asking who she was? Serena giving her the flag?

9.The marriage, Vasili and his work, drugs, Vanessa seeing him, talking about his medicine? Serena and her blaming herself? The struggle, her death? Vasili and the courts, going to an institution, his death? His brother taking the child and adopting her?

10.The build-up to the happy ending? Sorrows of life, pain? Holding firm? The possibility that there can be happy and positive endings?