Tuck Everlasting Both the 1980 version , and the new Disney remake are based on a much-acclaimed children's novel by Natalie Babbitt published in 1975. Not having read the book, I've gathered both movies follow it fairly closely.
So asks the poster for the movie 'Tuck Everlasting',
''A secret is about
to be discovered.
TUCK EVERLASTING An adventure is about to begin."
IF YOU COULD CHOOSE TO LIVE FOREVER, WOULD YOU?
along with the beautiful young faces of Winnie Foster and Jesse Tuck
Both feature a wealthy young girl on the cusp of maturity, chaffing against the restrictions of her family. Winnie Foster goes out one day beyond the big fence of her large home, and goes exploring in the woods out beyond. She meets a fascinating and mysterious young man, and is soon caught up in the adventures of his family.
They have a secret, which Jesse reveals to Winnie. ''I am 104 years old, but you can call me 17,'' Jesse tells her earlier, when she thinks he is just joking. He was seventeen when he drank of the spring water that lies on her family's property. His mother, father, brother, and the horse drank of this water.
But there are complications. A man in a yellow coat is onto their secret, and seeks the cause for his own greedy purposes, ''People will pay big for a chance to live forever,'' he reveals. The book and movies all feature a family always on the go, greed, a kidnapping, a murder, a jailbreak and a decision a young girl has to make.
The first version was low budget, and therefore not as lushly filmed as the later attempt. Both work, though.
This story raises some deep questions about immortality. The earlier version was one of Laura's favorite movies, and I'm sure she would have loved the remake. All the actors did well and the visual effects were lush. It is a treasure. Alexis Bledel, the actress who plays Winnie Foster, inhabits her with a spirited vitality. Ben Kingsley, who plays the man in the yellow coat does a very convincing job of exuding EVIL. Some reviewers have said Jonathan Jackson is just another pretty boy like Leonardo DiCaprio, ala Titanic fame, not capable of much depth. I don't see that here, but it will remain to see how he does in future films.
Spoiler Alert! . . .Spoiler Alert! . . .Spoiler Alert! As I've said, this movie has personal significance for us. On the table which holds Laura's memorial 'shrine', I've placed a brass turtle. I explain why. The remake viewing was only three months after Laura died, and it evoked powerful and raw emotions. And lastly, I wondered what those who are immortal would think of this film, in a journal entry titled Vamps Would Have Hated It. And they would.
Read no further if you don't want the plot revealed!
But I enjoyed it. Those of us who aren't immortal get to consider the possibility, and the tender romantic scenes between Jesse and Winnie are so nice.
Would YOU take a sip of the spring, or a nip of the vamps blood, and venture across your time limitations? It's a fascinating question, indeed.
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