August is a widower and is on his way home after selling his homemade products and buying the supplies and goods he needs for the coming year. On his journey, he meets a runaway slave girl.August is a widower and is on his way home after selling his homemade products and buying the supplies and goods he needs for the coming year. On his journey, he meets a runaway slave girl.August is a widower and is on his way home after selling his homemade products and buying the supplies and goods he needs for the coming year. On his journey, he meets a runaway slave girl.
- Annalees
- (as Thandie Newton)
- Harrison
- (as Andrew Stahl)
- Gabriel
- (as Dean Rader Duvall)
- Sims
- (as Marlus C. Harding)
- Meg
- (as Lisa Roberts)
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsWhen Annalees (Thandiwe Newton) sees Sims hanging upside down, August calls her Thandie.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Harry (Son): [running to injured dog] Gracie!
Ben: One of my bravest. Scars from 14 battles, if a one.
August King: I see 'em.
Ben: Father was a huntin' hound. Mother a German dog, Tan.
August King: Might live, you doctor it.
Ben: Eh, never get the courage back.
[reloading his rifle]
Ben: I know dogs.
August King: [feeds the dog some bread]
Ben: He's mangled her innards. Can't digest bread.
August King: Can chew it any way.
Boy: Come away, Rebekah. They're gonna have to send him up to the fields.
Little Girl: Why they have to do that?
Boy: 'Cause he can't walk anymore.
Narrator: In the North Carolina mountains, the early settlers traveled the roads taking their stock down to the market, and trekking back up again with supplies, and new stock for the months ahead. Among them was a man named August King. He had been waiting his turn most of his life, never doing anything much different from one day to the next. He was alone on his journey, walking at his own gate, slow and steady, making his fate home.
- SoundtracksPretty Bird
Written by Hazel Dickens
Performed by Hazel Dickens
over end credits
Courtesy of Rounder Records
over end credits
I am a shallow, obvious man and I watched this film because I think Thandie Newton is not only a great actress but also really rather stunning! There. Cards on table! Anyway, I was interested in the title of the film and was not surprised to find that, as hinted by the title, that this is really more about a journey than the actual story. It is a little clichéd in the way that we more or less know where it is going, but it is still pretty engaging nonetheless. The story struggles a little bit to have as much meaning as it thinks it does, and too much of it is a little unsatisfactory, but it works well enough to do the job for 90 minutes. The journey is a little forced at times and doesn't always ring true but it is still worth seeing.
A big part of this working is due to the characters of August and Annalees and how they work together. I found both to be interesting and engaging even if nothing was really happening at several points. It was to be expected, but they become friends and it manages to be quite touching at several points. Most of the praise of this can be laid at the actors' feet as they make these characters and quite predictable narrative involving and enjoyable. Patric is great and gives his complex character room to grow as the film progresses - even though his character is not totally clear, he still engaged me. Newton is good even though she looks far too good to be an escaping slave. Her accent is good for the most of the film and only occasionally does she go silly with it! The support cast is not quite as good but Drake and Waterson both do OK.
The film looks good and has a gentle atmosphere to it that suits the landscape and also makes the tension easier to raise in the quicker moments (thanks to the contrast). It isn't a brilliant film, but manages to be an enjoyable one despite the lack of a strong narrative. The actors do very well to make engaging characters out of what could have easily been cliché and produce emotion out of what could have just been cloying sentiment.
- bob the moo
- Apr 9, 2004
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,381
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,955
- Nov 12, 1995
- Gross worldwide
- $14,381
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Sound mix