Reviews

"Restoration" is an overlooked jewel of a movie, a fascinating and atmospheric journey to another time and place. Robert Downey, Jr. is outstanding as a young physician who develops depth and compassion. The music, costumes and settings are full of rich detail. While Meg Ryan's character as an insane Irish girl was perhaps a bit overwrought, I found little to fault in the movie. I have seen it three times and enjoy it thoroughly each time. I'm sorry I missed it on the big screen. Interesting scenes portraying 17th century medical practice, the plague, the Great Fire of London. Not for the squeamish, but not overly violent either.

Every time I see it, "Dances with Wolves" touches something ancient in me that still grieves for the loss of the way of life and for the place that was once this land. The line at the end in which the Indian says "I will never forget" especially triggers something within that knows that in another time I lived on those plains and loved them deeply, that I, too, made promises to guard the earth and never, never to forget... Feel the tenderness for the earth as the Sioux man caresses the grasses of his beloved prairies...Feel the passion as Dunbar dances around the campfire. Feel the gentleness of his love for the people and the land. I treasure the sensitivity and spirituality in those who created this masterpiece and find it hard to understand how anyone could seriously fault this brilliant movie. Dunbar's/Costner's transformation into the Sioux way is compelling, stirring, agonizing, funny, beautiful. Thank you, Kevin Costner, if you ever read this, for letting those of us who have these feelings know that we are not alone and that we will never forget. For me, this is more than a film; it's a spiritual journey to the homeland of my soul, perhaps to all human souls, who lived in this way for far longer than we have lived in this modern, built world. This film gives a voice to my heart. And is it the ancient heart of us all?

One of my most favorite movies for its courage in portraying a vision of a lively and creative heaven-realm, where characters breathe goodness and develop bonds that draw them together again on earth. I happen to think, from my own life's experiences, that this is what really happens, and it's refreshing to find a movie that artfully and enchantingly shows us a view of our divine nature. I agree with all the above reviews. If you're a fundamentalist or a cynic, it's probably not for you, but if you think love is "the greatest of all these things," you, too, will be charmed by this wonderful film.