Tulip Fever

TULIP FEVER is adapted from a novel by Deborah Moggach.  Tom Stoppard is the screenwriter. The story is set in 17th century Amsterdam during a period known as tulip mania. The lively scenes of the movie take place at the tulip market. People invest in tulips and behave similar to what we would see in today's New York Stock Exchange.

Dame Judi Dench plays a nun, The Abbess of St. Ursula, who grows tulips at the convent for people interested in the tulip market. Her convent is where Sophia (played by Alicia Vikander) is raised. Sophia leaves the convent upon her marriage to an older gentleman named Cornelis (played by Christoph Waltz).

Cornelis desperately wants a child, but he and Sophia are unable to conceive. To place his mind on other matters, Cornelis hires artist Jan van Loos (played by Dane DeHaan) to paint a portrait of him and Sophia. Unfortunately, Sophia and Jan are immediately attracted to each other and begin an affair.

Meanwhile, Cornelis and Sophia's maid, Maria (played by Holliday Grainger), discovers she is pregnant by her estranged betrothed. The story becomes a soap opera when Maria knows Cornelis may not keep her on as help if he learns she is pregnant. As a result, Sophia suggests pretending she is the one who is pregnant. She and Cornelis will then have a child and everyone will be happy.  However, due to Sophia's peculiar plans and promises to Jan, events do not flow so smoothly.

TULIP FEVER is currently playing in theatres. The official Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/TulipFeverFilm/.

The Light Between Oceans

Lighthouses have a certain mystique. Some have unique features, but most look the same. Yet they are still fascinating. The romantic period drama film THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS takes place at a lighthouse, and the cinematography by Adam Arkapaw is beautiful.

War veteran (World War I) Tom Sherbourne (played by Michael Fassbender) is a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island in Australia. He meets a lady, Isabel (played by Alicia Vikander), in a nearby town, they fall in love, get married, and then want to start a family. Unfortunately, Isabel suffers two miscarriages.

One day a newborn washes ashore in a boat with its deceased father, and Tom, at Isabel's urging, agrees they should raise the child. He reluctantly buries the baby's father. For five years this is a happy family. When Tom discovers who the child's mother is the best part of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS begins.

Rachel Weisz gives an excellent performance as Hannah, the young girl's mother. Hannah enters the story during the most compelling part of the film. She is a grieving mother and wife who believes she has lost her two beloveds forever.

This is a movie that shows someone who desperately wants to be a mother and one who is a mother experiencing the pain of loss. The person who raises a child is the parent, regardless if she is the birth parent. But is she entitled to keep the child once she discovers who the real mother is? This is an ethical question that seems easy for an observer to answer, but difficult for those who are involved.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is based on the novel by M.L. Stedman and is currently playing in theatres.

Lighthouses I have visited:

Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Fisgard Lighthouse - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse - Mendocino, California, U.S.A.

Point Arena Lighthouse - Point Arena, California, U.S.A.