Winter People

Good melodramas which harken back to the old days of moviemaking are rare today, but this powerfully plotted backwoods tale is reminiscent of those golden oldies. Set in the Depression, the story follows Wayland Jackson (Kurt Russell), a clock-maker, and his young daughter Paula, who leave Chicago for Philadelphia, and take a wrong turn into the Appalachian mountains. Taken in by an unwed mother named Collie Wright (Kelly McGillis), Wayland finds himself drawn to the mysterious woman who refuses to reveal who the father of her child is. Wayland agrees to stay in the small settlement and build a bell tower with a clock in return for a new truck (his old one died in the creek). The Wright clan, including Collie, are a little suspicious of the city boy Wayland, and in one hilarious episode, the Wright men take him on a bear hunt to test his prowess. Things turn serious when Wayland finds himself smack dab in the middle of a long standing feud, that not only calls into question his manhood, but also puts his heart on the line. An underrated film that generated very little interest at the boxoffice, this sleeper is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)