DO YOU MISS BEING ABLE TO WATCH wholesome movies which had character development, charm, dignity, honour, worth, cleanness, with no gratuitous violence, no sex scenes, no reliance on resident evil? While only a few have been bordering on wholesomeness, the vast majority have always been tainted with a sinful heart containing the kind of people who I do not want in my living-room. Frankly, while I have never been a ‘movie buff’, there has always been a few that were rivetingly about some conspiracy or social issue which were well-produced and had a message. But it has reached the stage in the last few years when I cannot watch movies anymore and haven’t been able to do so for some while. They seem to have become so banal, over-stylised, full of hype, with sex-scenes bordering on soft-porn, many scenes designed to shock and terrorize, full of weird unsavoury characters and overblown with pyrotechnics, whacked-out CGI, and a far-fetchedness which arises from the sick minds which direct them.

You probably feel the same way. So (if you haven’t already heard of it) I am going to point you in the direction of a movie (and several which grew out of it) which will warm the cockles of your heart with its disarming simplicity, convincing character development, and spiritual backbone. It is called “Love Comes Softly” (2003) and was directed by Michael Langdon Jr., the son of the late Michael Langdon Sr., who played Charles “Pa” Ingalls in the well-known (and equally wholesome) TV series (which he also directed) “The Little House on the Prairie” (1974-1982) which was “about a strong Christian family struggling to practice Christian principles”, and carried a very similar vibe to the TV series “The Waltons” (1972-1980). Michael Langdon Sr. obviously instilled the same values in his son, as the message of “Love Comes Softly” is very much along the same simple lines of Christian principles and values, yet without being at all preachy or schmaltzy (unlike some ‘Christian’ movies) or full of false teaching (like the “Left Behind” movies! 😊).

The film is set as a “Western” in the USA in the late 1800s. The two main characters are played by Dale Midkiff and Katherine Heigl, and there is a young girl, Missie, played by Skye McCole Bartusiak. The acting is of a high standard — especially the ten-year-old child actor who plays Missie in a very moving and convincing manner in which grief plays a major part. (Sidenote: That little actress only lived to the age of 21 then died in unfortunate circumstances connected with a seizure. Somehow, the knowledge of that gives her presence in the film all the more pathos).

Please note that this is a very simple film with simple themes involving faith and personal growth in the face of adversity. Unlike so many movies today, there is nothing at all ‘flashy’ about it. This was the first in a series of eight movies which are:

Love Comes Softly (2003)
Love’s Enduring Promise (2004)
Love’s Long Journey (2005)
Love’s Abiding Joy (2006)
Love’s Unending Legacy (2007)
Love’s Unfolding Dream (2007)
Love Takes Wing (2009)
Love Finds a Home (2009)
Love Begins (2011)
Love’s Everlasting Courage (2011)
Love’s Christmas Journey (2011)

I would start with “Love Comes Softly” and take it from there. Where are they available? I hear you say. In the UK, you can watch these movies on the “Faith and Family Channel”, aka the “New Faith Network”, which is here:
https://newfaithnetwork.com/en .
You get a 14 day free trial during which you can watch what you want for free. Thereafter it is £9.95 per month (or £79 per year). You can cancel anytime. In the USA, I believe that it is available on Amazon Prime Video or on Apple TV. Maybe you can find it in other locations that I don’t know about. Just try searching for it.

Well, I leave you with that and hope you appreciate the wholesomeness. One last thing: That movie is definitely moving in parts and you may need a hankie/tissue or two 😉

Love & Blessings from me.

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