Robin Pilcher "A Risk Worth Taking" movie I bought a two-movie DVD set of Robin Pilcher (stupidly confusing the son for his mother Rosamunde). I watched "A Risk Worth Taking" and was PLEASED, and ASTOUNDED. Pleased because it was a heart-warming film. Astounded because the plot-synopsis on the DVD cover had NOTHING to do with the actual film. It seems that Robin Pilcher wrote a novel, with this title, and, although the DVD credits Robin Pilcher, and has the same title, the FILM is NOT the novel. Whoever compiled the plot synopsis for the DVD cover simply borrowed the plot of the novel – if the novel's plot at various web-sites is correct. But the FILM tells a very different story!! (!!!) Here is the FILM synopsis. The film is set in Scotland it is picturesque, and contains a mildly amusing sub-plot about a nasty scheming restaurant rival: but that is just light relief. A married man (James Wilby) has a Motor Neurone Disease that will soon kill him, and is crippling him. But he struggles to continue running his thriving seafood restaurant. His wife (Muriel Baumeister), wanting to support him, decides to sell her own thriving boutique fashion-design business, but needs legal advice. Her husband suggests asking his old friend (Tim Dutton), who has just quit his own job. The friend's wife died more than 8 years ago, and he has just begin to recover from his loss, along with his daughter, now a young woman. The friend comes to help. The restaurant loses its waitresses, and the friend's daughter (Olivia Hallinan) offers to work in the restaurant. She meets, and begins a promising romance with one of the male waiters. The sick man is unable to tell his young daughter he is really dying, and instead he distracts her with talk about deep-sea diving for a fabulous treasure. But this is loosely based on the special experimental forlorn-hope oxygen therapy he regularly undergoes. The sick man's wife is deeply distressed. The friend is sympathetic. Emotions of the friend who begins to fall in love with the sick man's wife, and the sick man's confused young daughter, and the distressed wife of the sick man, and friend's daughter who is afraid she will lose her father (to the affections of the sick man's wife, just as she lost her mother), and the sick man himself – all of these emotions swirl ... Death can NOT be postponed not indefinitely. Despite this, and to the film's great credit, there are many happy reconciliations to the otherwise sad circumstances. In particular, the MND husband faces his death with grace, humour, profound courage, grim practical resolve, and deep sympathy and understanding for his family and friends who will survive him. This is a deeply satisfying story even though the ending is sad AND happy in multiple ways. John Gough -- jagough49@gmail.com
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