I am taking a course with Iversity. In the first week's lessons, the assignment was to state why you loved a particular story and a synopsis of the story.
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Warning: there are commercial links to reviewed dot com which I have not put on the blog post. I don't know why they are there. I want to get rid of them. I'll introduce any link I have placed.
I chose the movie "Second Hand Lion"
What I liked about the story.
One of my favorite
movies is “Second Hand Lion”. Robert Duvall (Hub) and Michael Caine (Garth) create a character that you can identify. In an interview I
watched, Michael Caine said “talent was only a small portion of his
acting ability. It was the years of training that made him a good
actor”. Training and practice makes all of us good at what we do.
Excellent work by the cast was evident.
The setting was
interesting. The house, the Arabian love story, delivery of the lion,
all added to the fascination of the story. The film seems to wander
in its subplots and the hero's journey of the boy character, Walter
Caldwell played by Haley Joel Osment. However, there are no scenes
which do not build story. Each scene is written to portray vivid
action. In classic film storytelling only one character is changed
and that is Walter. The subplots add to the hook and hold of the
film.
What I liked most
about the film are the characters. There was the fantasy that was
told in a way that it was possible. The movie was a celebration of
living life to the fullest which is a fantasy to think we could
always rise to that mindful of a life. The story was about love and
the connection between humans.
Story Summary
Walter is abandoned
by his selfish mother with two eccentric great uncles. He is not
welcome. In essence the hero's journey has begun. Initially, Walter
tries to keep in contact with his mom but he soon realizes she has
been dishonest with him about his whereabouts.
In the process of
living together, the boy and uncles bond. Through seemingly
outrageous stories of valor and adventure of Hub and Garth and the
uncles living life on their terms, Walter learns what it is to be a
man, a man of character and the right to live life well.
Hub and Garth were
“shanghaied” into the French Foreign Legion shortly after WWI.
Hub had an intense love for a wife named Jasmine. Her death and the
loss of Jasmine haunts Hub. He walks in his sleep ever searching for
his youth and Jasmine. Garth is the narrator in that he tells of
their exploits and makes sense of Hub's actions. One line I remember
is that “a man may grow old but his spirit never does”. This tale
in related in flashbacks by Garth to Walter.
Walter's mother
returns with a stepfather. They want Walter to show them Hub and
Garth's fortune. At first it is friendly and then it is abusive.
Walter does not show where his uncle's fortune is. The stepfather
gets his due after a series of events. Walter is forced to leave with
his mother and stepfather who is in a serious body cast.
The hero's journey
of change is evident. Close to the end, it looks like Walter will be
returning to a miserable life with his mother and abusive stepfather.
Walter pleads his case to be given a chance to have a good life. She
relents and he returns to his uncles.
You get a warning
that the superhuman antics of Hub in the story could be possible. Hub
beats up several “toughs” at a restaurant. The “toughs”
started the fight and Hub finished the fight. Then Hub takes them
home and feeds them a big meal after nursing their wounds. He gives
the “toughs” a talk about what it means to be a man. The “toughs”
are changed by the incident.
The payoff in the
end is accentuated where the boys story is moved to his adulthood.
Hub and Garth have been killed in a biplane accident. An helicopter
of an Arab man and his son arrive at the farm. Essentially, the man
confirms the adventurous tales of Hub and Garth in their younger
days. The payoff is cheered.
I am taking the course through Iversity. They offer many web based courses which are Free. It is about an hour long video class with optional supplemental materials and a weekly assignment. How much you want to participate is your choice.
This is a link to their course catalog.
https://iversity.org/courses?r=6e2fc