Part one of this two-part TV movie didn't really start to send until nearly the end where conflicts between leading character Ben Quick (Don Johnson) and Jody Varner's rivalry began to take off, and they don't even really sure those that many scenes together. A fire in the barn of the hard-working, honest Albert Hall is pointed towards being Ben's fault, and the situation of the unhappy Eula (Cybil Shepherd) and husband Jody (William Russ) explodes by her infidelity and being beaten up by lover Wings Hauser. Patriarch Jason Robards continues to stir the pot with mistress Ava Gardner stepping in to point out the error of his ways, wondering why father and sons are always at odds. Here, the heat between Ben and Noel grows after he tells her that he does love her, but not in a way that exudes passion. Of course, all it takes is a woman to break down crying for a man to finally feel passionate to her, or maybe it's the promise of power that leads Ben to take action.
Judith Ivey, one of my favorite actresses and what I've seen on stage numerous times, may not be the beauty that Cybill Shepherd is, but her character is certainly beautiful, spunky and an excellent choice for a life partner. She tells Ben that she wants a man she can be an equal with, would never attempt to change them, and would stand by them through thick and thin, good and bad, it's definitely a moment to cheer her, and it's one of the finest moments in the movie. But characters in sagas like this are never allowed to be happy for too long, and soon, Ben is a suspect in a murder, that of Hauser's charscter. Even Will Varner has no power in presenting his son-in-law to be from being tried, but it's pretty obvious who the killer could be.
As the saga thickens, the heat rises, and the second part it comes much better than what came before. There's a great scene where Ben and Armistead Howlett (Hall) exchange pleasantries, and shake hands, and Hall, who had earlier accused him of racism, now looks on him as a friend. But the other townsfolk aren't so easy to come onto Ben's side with the division of father and son increasing as people take sides and creating conflict in the community that threatens to create more violence which equals more tragedy. While the first part focused mainly on character development, the stronger plot points of part two add even better character development as loyalties indicates who has integrity and who has their own self interests at heart. It is still fun soap opera like trash, but this time, that keeps the viewer more interested, that is if they had the patience to get to this point.
Judith Ivey, one of my favorite actresses and what I've seen on stage numerous times, may not be the beauty that Cybill Shepherd is, but her character is certainly beautiful, spunky and an excellent choice for a life partner. She tells Ben that she wants a man she can be an equal with, would never attempt to change them, and would stand by them through thick and thin, good and bad, it's definitely a moment to cheer her, and it's one of the finest moments in the movie. But characters in sagas like this are never allowed to be happy for too long, and soon, Ben is a suspect in a murder, that of Hauser's charscter. Even Will Varner has no power in presenting his son-in-law to be from being tried, but it's pretty obvious who the killer could be.
As the saga thickens, the heat rises, and the second part it comes much better than what came before. There's a great scene where Ben and Armistead Howlett (Hall) exchange pleasantries, and shake hands, and Hall, who had earlier accused him of racism, now looks on him as a friend. But the other townsfolk aren't so easy to come onto Ben's side with the division of father and son increasing as people take sides and creating conflict in the community that threatens to create more violence which equals more tragedy. While the first part focused mainly on character development, the stronger plot points of part two add even better character development as loyalties indicates who has integrity and who has their own self interests at heart. It is still fun soap opera like trash, but this time, that keeps the viewer more interested, that is if they had the patience to get to this point.
