Customer Reviews

Christy - Return to Cutter Gap [VHS]

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This is a beautiful story. And well worth watching and owning. But if you already have Choices of the Heart, don't buy A New Beginning because they are identical. Apparently a studio trick to get you to buy dupes.

You're either a Christy fan or not, so I'm not going to bother summarizing the plot. If you're a Christy fan, you'll like it. However, I don't think I'd start a new Christy viewer out on these movies. They start after the series' end, with first "Return to Cutter Gap" and then "A Change of Seasons" and "A New Beginning." Start a Christy newbie with the first few series episodes. However, for returning Christy fans, this is another enjoyable movie with no objectionable language or behavior, and a pleasing addition to the Christy canon.

What is new to these movies from the series (besides cast changes) is the envelope, discussions between the aged Christy and her daughter "Catherine" as Catherine brings her mother to revisit Cutter Gap. (Those who have read Catherine Marshall's book _Christy_, on which the series and now the movie are loosely based, know that the Christy character is somewhat based on Catherine Marshall's mother.) And the whole Margaret McNeill sub-plot is ignored as if it had never happened (which, in the book, it didn't -- Margaret died before Christy ever came to Cutter Gap and didn't keep popping up to torment Neil and Miss Alice.) But the envelope and occasional voice-overs by the "older" Christy are okay and the story is involving, with poachers and an early aviatrix descending on Cutter Gap. Interestingly, the aviatrix Harriet Quimby was a real person and this episode left me wondering whether she and Catherine Marshall's real-life mother ever met.

The cast changes are neutral to slightly disappointing. Lauren Lee Smith's portrayal of Christy is as perky and naive as Kellie Martin's was. James Waterston doesn't have the presence of Randall Batinkoff's original David Grantland, and Diane Ladd seemed rather wishy-washy after Tyne Daly's characterization (and her "thee"s sounded totally artificial). But these are minor flaws. A flaw that bothered me more was the new Fairlight Spencer's emotional distance from Christy. Both in the book and in the series, their friendship was very important to both women, and I don't think Fairlight would have brushed Christy off no matter the provocation.

Finally, a word of warning about confusing titles. "Return to Cutter Gap" was shown on Pax-TV recently as "Christy: The Movie." Two other Amazon "Christy" titles, "Christy: A Change of Seasons" and "Christy: A New Beginning" were just shown on Pax as "Christy: Choices of the Heart" parts 1 and 2 respectively. Why rename them? Other than to confuse the viewers, I mean?

but not due to the storyline. I absolutely loved the tv series "Christy" when it first debuted with Kellie Martin and Tyne Daly. I was very, very annoyed when this wonderful, witty, romantic, dramatic, and all around exceptional show was canned.

I was dubious at first when I learned some "Christy" tv movies were coming out but I was willing to sit down and watch one to see if it held the same magic for me as the series held. Unfortunately, the magic that had me bowled over week after week with the series was not present in the movies.

Don't get me wrong, the tv movies might be of the highest quality and caliber but, for me at least, Kellie Martin will always be Christy. Tyne Daly will always be Miss Alice and Randall Batinkoff will always be David. These actors are forever going to embody the characters of the wonderful tv show which was "Christy" and no substitutes will do.

Which brings me to my real purpose of writing this review. PLEASE...I'M BEGGING the powers-that-be to release the "Christy" television show on DVD with all its episodes. The series is the only "Christy" that I'm interested in.

Out of the three Christy movies done starring Laurn Lee Smith, this one is the best. It's a good movie. I thought Lauren Lee Smith did a good job. The only problem was she wasn't the Christy we started out with and know and love. Kellie Martin did a great job as Christy. She and Stewart Finlay McLennan had great chemistry. If the series had starred Lauren Lee Smith as Christy from the beginning, the movies would have gone over a lot better, I think. I did not like the woman who played Miss Alice. Yuck. The guy who played the preacher did pretty well. The woman who played Fairlight-- she was okay, but you can't hardly replace main characters. Watching the new movies was almost like watching a totally different story. Since almost none of the orginal actors and actresses (save Stewart Finlay McLennan/ Doctor MacNeil) it was hard to take as an end to Christy. I enjoyed Doctor MacNeil. : ) He is a good actor and did well with Lauren Lee Smith. I do like Lauren Lee Smith, too. She just didn't start out as Christy.
We get to know who Christy chooses to marry in this movie and that's great. She picks the right man. :p Christy also kept her relationship with God in the movies, which I was glad to see. It's a romantic, adventurous movie and it's decent-- it won't burn your eyes or make you blush. Give it a try.

When I heard that PAX TV (bless their hearts) was making a three part movie about who Christy ultimately chooses to marry, I couldn't pass it up! I wasn't dissapointed. 'Choices of the Heart' was the best of the 3 and I haven't yet gotten sick of watching it. When the series came out and ended abruptly, I was dissapointed to say the least. And thought that we would never know who she chooses...now we do. ;)
The ONLY problem I had with the movie was the actors who played David, Miss Alice, Christy and the kids. Although all three of the main characters were talented, I felt that there was alot of over and underacting, and at times it didn't seem real. The kids were too clean and the hair-dos and clothes were too nice for the time era and hardships they lived. I missed Kellie Martin as Christy. To me, she'll always be christy..she was born for the part. To be honest, if it wasn't for Stewart Finlay McLennan (who played the original character Neil in the series) I probably wouldn't have been interested in this movie at all.
Other than that, I highly reccomend all three movies. I have the videos right now but eventually I'm going to get the DVD's.
Hope you Enjoy! :)

This mini-series takes advantage of the fans' interest in the love triangle. Two different endings were shot, so that not even the actors knew who Christy would choose. Unfortunately, this decision to keep the viewer guessing until the final scene makes Christy looks like a flake. By the time this soap opera ended, I didn't care about Christy's fate; I was feeling too sorry for both the men in her life. Catherine Marshall's characters deserve better. Stewart Finlay McLennan is excellent as Neil; I wish he had an experienced actress playing Christy and a script worthy of his talent.

They took a great series and killed it in these movies! The acting was horrible and I can't even begin to understand the casting choices. The only redeeming quality was the return of the doctor. If you liked the series don't watch these.

I can't believe how much the quality of this series has gone downhill. Seeing someone other than Tyne Daly playing Miss Alice is almost enough to drive me to tears. No one can play Christy as effortlessly as Kellie Martin did. Thankfully Dr. McNeil is still played by the same actor, and he has become the only good reason to keep watching. The producers should have done anything, everything, whatever it took to re-assemble the original cast.

I came into this movie with lots of expectations and sweet memory from the original tv series but only found myself shocked and heart broken.

The previous viewer was right about the problem of charactors inconsistency which was the main reason that destroyed everything good left from the original series. In my heart, Kellie Martin is always the Christy I remembered in the smoky mountain who was willing to fight for her children and Rand was the pastor who shared God's love in whatever he said or did.

All of the above was missing in the movies and to my worst nightmare, what the charactors portrayed was just the opposite!!! The only actor I like is Dr. Neil McNeil. Please bring back the original cast back to the film production.

Christy: A New Beginning has to be the best of the 3 PAX movies. The story starts out with Christy Huddleston (The beautiful Lauren Lee Smith) prepairing for her wedding day to Reverand David Grantland (played by cuttie James Waterston, son of actor Sam Waterston) With everything Christy has to do (Clean, bake, teach school, amoung other things)she is still troubled about what happend three months before when typhoid hit Cutter Gap, killing her beloveded friend, Fairlight Spencer. And if that isn't enough to deal with, Christy's other beau, Dr. Neil MacNeill (played by handsome and wonderful actor Stewart Finlay McLennan) shows up on the Mission door step just two weeks before her wedding to David! Neil invites Christy to go for a ride with him. After a short talk on Neil's research on Typiod he's doing, the conversation moves to Jeb Spencer who has still not got over his grief for his wife, Fairlight. Neil reflects how he and Jeb are alike, because, they both have lost the women they love and before another word is said, Neil tells Christy that he loves her and wants to marry her. But, at that moment, the biggest storm that Cutter Gap has ever had, hit. The hard rain forces Neil and Christy to take shelter in a old cabin. Christy there tell's Neil that he doesn't love her and runs out into the rain. She falls down a steep revene and Neil has to come to her rescue. Meanwhile, people from all over Cutter Gap go to the Mission House for shelter. Miss Alice has her hands full getting food, making sure everyone is kept warm, worring about Christy and Neil. David, who is in El Pano when the storm hits, finds out about Neil being back and desides to hike 7 miles through the hard rain just to get back to Cutter Gap. After Neil saves Christy, she starts burning up with fever, and there is nothing Neil can do to help her. Will Neil turn to God? Will David get back to Cutter Gap safe and sound? Which man will Christy choose? Find out in Christy: A New Beginning!