MovieChat Forums > The Homesman (2014) Discussion > I thought they said they'd start their j...

I thought they said they'd start their journey in May ...

posted 9 years ago by arielle-88152
11 replies | jump to latest

From the meeting when they decide who'll take the 3 women to their haven, I understood they were leaving in May and would be able to be back in July ... then they travel during Winter ... what did I misunderstand ? (I'm French) - I liked this film, the acting, the fact that life in these days was shown as it sometimes is : awful (especially then & especially for women). I couldn't help but think "congrats to those who managed to live there & then and raise a sane family". I'm feeling lucky !

[–] credly 9 years ago

I noticed the same thing. I figured it was a comment on how harsh the winter had been that there was snow and cold even in May.

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

There was one scene where Briggs covered one side of the carriage with a tarpaulin, where it did look very cold for summer or near summer weather.🐭

[–] hankpac 9 years ago

may is still damn cold up north. Nebraska, and that country (Montana, Wyoming, nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, all are ice boxes for most of the year, with a few short months of overheated summer. It can snow in May. Often does.

[–] drivenkick43 8 years ago

Nebraskan here. I wouldn't say it "often" snows here in May. A May snow would be very, very rare. And enough snow to accumulate on the ground even more so. You're more likely to have a 90 degree day in May than snow.

To say it's an "icebox" here except for a few months of the year. We actually have four seasons here. Summers are very hot. Indian summers with 70 degree days into early November are not uncommon. Winter and snow are pretty much relegated to three months: Dec. through Feb. Sure there can be snow storms as early as Haloeeen and late as April, but those are kind of freak deals. Spring and fall are very pleasant (minus the damn spring winds).

To summarize my rambling, a winter/spring like depicted in the movie is possible, but certainly not common or typical.

[–] ChristmasTiger 8 years ago

Another Nebraskan, I do agree with your statements about the weather but I actually don't know for sure if we could determine the weather back then based on how it is now simply because of climate change.

Heck, who knows what the weather was like back then? That said, it is incredibly rare in central Nebraska to see snow in May. Possibly farther up north in the Dakotas or Minnesota, but NE usually gets less precipitation because the Westerly global wind that would carry rain clouds gets blocked by the Rocky Mountains.

[–] lonnie-adamsjr 8 years ago

True, global warming due to ozone layer depletion would significantly change how the weather is now compared to then.

[–] clearthinkernow 8 years ago

Actual temperature has only changed 1.7 degrees since 1800=something.

[–] eveline_j_gordon 8 years ago

I live in far north minnesota, and snow even into June can happen in a bad year.

[–] lonnie-adamsjr 8 years ago

Warm Spring - ... May (mean temperature: 57 F) was more seasonable in temperature with just over 4 inches’ rain. The bulk of this came from a spell of torrential falls around mid-month. The first days continued mostly warm, 76 F recorded on the 3rd and 78 F on the 6th. But early of the second week a cool, cloudy, and wet pattern set in to persist through the next two, most afternoons in the 50’s and low 60’s, the llth 32 F at sunrise. Like ’52 and ’53, raw, wet, and generally unpleasant weather comprised the middle portion, some 3.70 inches’ rain drenching the Post over the 12th-17th. Nearly 3 inches of this came on the 16th and 17th alone, gale-force northeasterly winds and temperatures in the mid-40’s noted on each. Warmer, drier, but increasingly humid weather made up the remaining days, most afternoons in the upper 70’s to low 80’s, nighttime readings in the 60’s.

The full story for MN weather in 1854 is here https://www.climatestations.com/minnesota-weather-for-1854/.

[–] Zando777 8 years ago

The midwest sometimes has snow in May.

[–] MNRebecca (750) 6 years ago

The movie's flashbacks and 'discrete' conversations are very misleading. The events that caused 3 women to go insane happened in winter. The trip happened in spring/early summer. Yes, the harshness of the winter bled into spring, but usually, when people referred to the hard winter, they meant to refer to what happened to the 3 women. It just sounded like they were talking about the traveling weather.