Unless you have lived in a cave---you know who Nora Roberts
is---she is one of my very favorite writers and I love her movies from her
books.
Today I will talk about one of her movies titled: Midnight Bayou (2009)
This one is a bit scary but it keeps your attention to the
very end---are you ready?
Declan Fitzpatrick (Jerry O’Connell) a Boston law student was
invited by his roommate in college and best friend Remy (Chris Lindsay)
to his hometown of New Orleans; during Mardis Gras of 2001.
This is exhilarating for Declan and a group of other young
college kids as they drove through the outskirts of New Orleans. Declan was
standing up in the convertible shouting and taking picture when suddenly a
woman dressed in an antiquated maid uniform of over 100 years ago---was
standing in the road of front of the fast oncoming car.
Declan shouted stop and the driver stopped---he jumped out
of the car looking around for the woman but she had vanished---nowhere to be
seen. Then through the dead vines and trees Declan saw the house a beautiful old
dilapidated Southern Mansion.
Remy told him it was called Manet Hall---and had bad
juju. But amazingly it was love at first sight for Declan---then and there he
wanted to buy it. The house moaned and groaned and his friend Remy and his
girlfriend Effie(Ciera Payton) said
come on lets go or you will be walking to Boston.
Eight years later after he has been a practicing attorney
for years---Declan leaves Boston and buys Manet Hall from Odetta Simone (Faye
Dunaway). The improvements are magnificent bringing the place back from
dilapidation to becoming just what he wanted it to be. It was absolutely
beautiful when the interior of the mansion was refurbished.
While he and workers were moving his boxes into his new home
he has a beautiful visitor Lena Simone (Lauren Stamile) the granddaughter to
Odetta Simone. Lena’s grandmother told her about the new owner Delcan
Fitzpatrick. He was engaged to be married and broke it off two days before the
wedding and came to New Orleans to buy Manet Hall.
Odetta had bake cornbread and wanted her granddaughter to
take it to the new owner. Lena finally gave in and went to Manet Hall. Odetta
told Lena if my knees were not giving me trouble and I was 20 years younger---I
would go myself and you would not have a chance.
She and Delcan were instantly attracted to each other---but
why they did not know. The movie takes the main characters back 100 years to
the spirits which initially lived in Manet Hall. It shows how everyone is
connected to the past and if the mystery of Abigail Manet (Bianca Malinowski)
is not solved then the spirits who haunts Manet Hall will haunt it forever.
The Manet family is the mother Josephine Manet (Ashley
LeConte Campbell), the oldest son who married Abigail is Lucian Manet (Alan Ritchson)
and his evil no good brother is Julian Manet (Alejandro Rose-Garcia).
Lucian truly loved his wife and his brother loved her in his
own wicked way. The mother was always trying to get rid of Abigail because she
was once one of their maids and she did not think she was good enough for her
son.
I enjoyed this movie and I read the book also. The movie
made the book come to life for me and I am sure anyone who owns the DVD or buys
the movie will enjoy it for years.
I love all of Nora Roberts' movies and I have also reviewed
on this movie blog titled “Northern Light” and I have more to share with my
readers if you like this movie.
© BEPH 2013
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PurvisBobbi44
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