merklekranz Review of The Donner Party

The Donner Party (2009)

Crispin Glover in a restrained and believable performance ....................

[6/10 · 15 February 2010]

Crispin Glover leads the ill fated Donner Party in this entertaining fictional, though based on fact, movie. The audience is immediately aware of the party's desperate situation, stranded and starving in the snow covered Sierra Nevada Mountains. The film, though relentlessly downbeat, does try to realistically portray how individuals might have reacted to the extreme conditions they were subjected to. Cannibalism is portrayed in a dignified manner, not sensationalized, and there is actually very little blood. The haunting soundtrack seems very appropriate, and the Donner Pass locations beautifully, though bleakly, photographed. Recommended, and especially recommended if you want to see Crispin Glover in a restrained and believable performance. - MERK