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Rating:  - It's all vanity ... when we lose sight of love
The Cinder Path
It's all vanity ... when we lose sight of love
[150 minutes - genre: drama]
This 85 min. drama movie shows the intricacies of love, materialism, hasty marriage decision, war, lust, envy, and hatred in the life of neighboring families. Charlie grows up being overpowered by his father's decisions and the expectations of his family to marry a neighbor's daughter (Victoria), all for material gain (his family would expand their land territory and she would increase her family's treasure chest). After his father's death, Charlie grows up: learning how to run a farm, and how to fight in battle, and how to care for his comrades on the front (the Great War). His greatest achievement is realizing who he really loves - Nellie.
While realizing that his marriage to Victoria (Nellie's sister) was a sham, that his sister had robbed him and left his estate naked, and that he had killed a man - Ginger - in cold blood (because of built up hate), Charlie breaks down in front of his future wife, Nellie and says: "The truth is too much for me."
This great family drama (that portrays the vices of people, evil intentions, and ugly face of reality in our world) has a positive outcome after Charlie has a cathartic moment:
"The most frightening thing in life is to come face to face with yourself!"
Now, after a bloody marriage, bloody war, and blood-dried estate farm, Charlie and Nellie can start life afresh. Time does not wait for anyone. If only he had made wiser decisions in life, earlier.
Rating:  - Unbelievable story and acting
The hero was supposed to be a nice man, but I couldn't find any reason to like him. He lets his father bully him, covers up one murder, and later commits another; he marries, goes to war, and gets a commission because other people tell him to, not through any will of his own. His wife warns him that she won't be faithful, and he clearly doesn't love her, but still gets angry when she does exactly what she told him she would. Worst of all, he treats his own sister like a hired hand. Near the end when she steals from him and emigrates I cheered for her.
It wasn't helped by the lead actor looking like a deer caught in headlights in every scene.
Rating:  - Good story, but not enough depth...
Entertaining, but somewhat boring. Great acting, costumes, editing...just seemed like something was missing.
Rating:  - Die Hard Cookson Fans Will Love This
The Cinder Path was a long-awaited movie after growing up reading as many Catherine Cookson books as I could get my hands on. I have always been a die hard fan since I first read The Dwelling Place. This story, like most of Cookson's others, present a true-to-life hardship and how the characters react, deal with, and survive the sometimes cruel and unfair obstacles life throws their way.
This film features a pre-Hollywood Catherine Zeta Jones as the haughty and spoiled brat. She plays this role to a tee and was (before being "spoiled" by Hollywood) one of my favorite actresses previously because of this role.
Everyone can enjoy this movie, relate to the hardships and life's tough decisions. All in all, it has a great message, but learning life's lessons is not all that easy.
Rating:  - Dissapointing
I rented this purely for Catherine Zeta-Jones, and was dissapointed. The story is dull and depressing, with no redeeming qualities, bosting immorality (on both main characters' parts) and dryness. The guy does eventually get over his father's cruelty, but it doesn't change him for the better, while his wife sleeps with every soldier to come along. Overdrawn, and more of a guy's film than a girl's, with all the war sequences. Also, more than one character gets away with murder.
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