I noticed that Laban, Inna, and Werenro were missing from the cast list. Not to say that those characters haven't been casted.
I can see where they can do without Inna or Werenro for the story (although it'd be a little sad because they are great characters), but I don't see how the story can be told without Laban.
I'm with you! They have Ruti, so Laban should be there.
I also noticed they only have 4 brothers listed in the cast.
I was going to wait til November to read it, but now I'm thinking that might not be a good idea. I have read it every year for the last 12 years, usually in June.
May I ask why you've read the book 12 times?
shareThe story is that good. I just finished my 4th reading. It reminds us women of the connections that we all share. It is a well written story that empowers women. Our strengths, our emotions, our times of weakness are all included in a beautifully woven tale that gives a voice to the voiceless.
shareI have read it many more times than I have given the book away which is at least ten. It is a complex story about family love, hate, jealousy, pain, pardon - all the human emotions rolled into a group of people one is inexorably tied to throughout life. "Fate makes your relatives, choice makes your friends."
If you really want to watch a great movie about the complex relationships and the inner strength and determination of women see if you can find a copy of "Westward the Women."
Based on historical record, this wagon train saga details a 2,000 mile journey from Chicago to California. Buck Wyatt (Robert Taylor) is a tough, experienced scout who leads a wagon train full of women, including two prostitutes (Denise Darcel and Julie Bishop), a hearty widow (character great Hope Emerson), and an Italian immigrant widow, with fifteen men acting as guides. When one of the men disobeys Buck's orders not to fraternize with the ladies, Buck shoots him, causing the others to desert. Instead of turning back, the determined women insist on going on, learning to ride, shoot and drive mules. Although treacherous terrain and a deadly ambush lay ahead, these tough ladies are filled with the American frontier spirit and nothing will stop them!
You can't stream it anywhere, but Amazon does (finally) have a DVD for sale.
Great post! Given your insight into The Red Tent book, I'm curious what you thought of the treatment of it in the mini-series. I was quite disappointed. They did a great job of creating and populating the story's world, but they did not trust the source material -- the novel that so many love -- to provide the meat of the project. They made some ridiculous changes in plot and character, and gutted the story of its magic (and made it downright formulaic). Such a missed opportunity.
shareI was very disappointed too. They left out SO much of the relationships but then spent time on things the Rutti situation that came and went without any real explanation why it was there. Also, after re-reading the book the last couple of days I was struck once again about how ridiculous it was when Dinah seemed to be in charge.
Somehow on the second night it was only recorded the last half hour and after I saw the ending was glad I wasn't able to spend more time on this classic book turned into television travesty.
LOVE the movie Westward the Women....have seen it many times and have longed to see it again. You are the first person outside my family to even know about it.
shareI forced my adult daughter to watch it recently. Her ten year old son watched it too and both thought it was great.
It truly shows the fortitude and strength of women. In reviews NO one mentions the portion of the movie about the wagon trains going down that hill, that I think is as important as the women holding up the wagon in the middle of the desert while the young girl has her baby. Life is about birth, struggles and death and this movie tastefully has it all.
I can't watch this movie enough.
I have read it so many times because it's such a beautiful book. Even though we don't know what women's lives were like in Bible times Anita does such a wonderful job of bringing this to life.
I thought the Lifetime TV version was horrible. The 1st part of the book is about a daughter & her relationships with her mother/aunties and their relationship with their one husband. The 2nd part is how she comes into her own & makes a new life for herself in a strange place.
In watching the finished product, Laban was present and just as cranky and disagreeable as one might expect from the book. Inna was indeed missing--possibly due to time constraints?--and Werenro's story was considerably watered down, although there was in the movie some context for her wish to escape Rebecca's service.
Judah and Benjamin is missing too.
shareMissing as, they are credited, or missing as, no characterization?
If the characters are there, and you know the names of the actors, you can add them yourself, OP, that's part of the way the site works.
BOHICA America!
As I recall, Benjamin was largely missing from the book as well, mainly because Dinah had already left the family and gone to Egypt by the time he was born, therefore never had an established relationship with him. Judah I would indeed have anticipated having at least some mention in the film, as he and Rueben were the two amongst Jacob's older sons with whom Dinah had at least some relationship in the novel.
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