Customer Reviews

Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story

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Rabid Canadian patriotism can't take the fun out of this fast-moving film freely adapted from a real-life event: the 1954 contest to be the first to swim across Lake Ontario.

Hell, I'd swim Lake Ontario just to get at ultra-talented and super-cute Caroline Dhavernas (dah-ver-na) who plays Marilyn Bell -- whose 21-hour conquest of the lake and the weather and the limits of human endurance unquestionably demonstrates 'heart'.

The campy bits with the typical anti-American caricature may not work for some, but for me, it took the edge off the melodrama of the story. Just don't expect historical accuracy, such as Marilyn's missing years with the swimming club before the crossing, and the unmentioned other swimmer who attempted the crossing and didn't make it (she was Canadian and it seems only Americans are allowed to be shown failing).

We've all heard of Esther Williams and Florence Chadwick as famous swimmers, but have you heard of Marilyn Bell? I never had, but this film, based on a true story, is about a difficult child who has trouble succeeding at anything she tries, until she finds a swimming coach who realizes that her determination and stamina are the makings of a marathon swimmer. Marilyn has trouble shining in the midst of award-winning swimmers all around her on the team, but through persistence, she ends up having the opportunity to do a marathon swim never tried before, between the US and Canada, across Lake Ontario. Even Florence Chadwick gives up, but 16-year old Marilyn Bell makes it. After watching this moving film, I looked Marilyn Bell up on the Internet and found she had once swum the Straits of Juan de Fuca, near where I live in Washington. This is a family film, because it focuses on parent-child interaction, as well as the stresses of growing up and finding a niche in which to excel. I found it a very inspiring movie.

I have seen this movie several times and enjoy it each time. A true, heart-warming story.