Little House on the Prairie
By Jane Louise BoursawAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: not rated
If you’re a fan of the Little House television series that starred Michael Landon, you might be worried that this one won’t measure up. Let me put those fears to rest. This six-part Disney miniseries, originally broadcast on ABC in 2005, is a wonderful, movie-theater production that brings the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to life in a way the earlier series didn’t.
It begins with the Ingalls family in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Young Laura (Kyle Chavarria) and her dog, Jack, are frolicking in the woods when a shot suddenly rings out. A hunter has fired at them, mistaking them for a deer. Laura’s Pa, Charles (Cameron Bancroft, who reminds me of a young Clint Eastwood), quickly sets the hunter straight, but the writing is on the wall. The woods are getting too crowded, and Charles needs space and some land to call his own. And he's tired of making ends meet by doing carpentry jobs for other people.
When Charles learns that the government is giving away land out west, he and wife Caroline (Erin Cottrell, who resembles a young Kelly Preston), pack up their two girls, Laura and older sister Mary (Danielle Chuchran), say a tearful goodbye to their family, and head out in their covered wagon, pulled by a team of old farm horses.
We follow the family on their treacherous journey, as they encounter gravesites of other travelers who’ve perished, lots and lots of mud, and one terrifying scene where they cross the Mississippi River just as the ice is starting to break up. Along the way, one of their horses goes down, and Pa makes the difficult decision to shoot it (the shot is heard off-camera). A farmer takes pity on them and agrees to trade their remaining horse for two young mustangs, whom the girls name Pet and Patty.
Once in Kansas, the Ingalls settle on a rugged piece of land along the Verdigris River. They painstakingly build their log cabin (which nearly burns to the ground from a chimney fire), and come face to face with mysterious Indians, ravenous wolves, life-threatening illnesses, and their new neighbors, the good-humored Mr. Edwards (Gregory Sporleder) and the quirky Mr. and Mrs. Scott (James Cosmo and Gina Stockdale). The series ends when the family is forced to move on as the result of a technicality with the U.S. Land Office -- Charles never made an official claim on the land.
This is a wonderful production that really brings the pioneer life alive. It’s warm, funny, dramatic, and thrilling, all at the same time. It’s also a more accurate portrayal of the books than the Michael Landon series, although some argue that the early Little House books were more fiction than fact, as Laura likely wrote them based on the memories of other family members.
I admit that a few things had me scratching my head. For instance, the creators chose not to include baby Carrie, and Jack looks more like a border collie than the bulldog he really was.
But inconsistencies like these don’t detract from the breathtaking cinematography, great acting, and thoughtful music, all of which draw the viewer in from start to finish. The series also brings out emotions not always portrayed in the books, because, well, brave people weren’t supposed to show fear back then. They were supposed to soldier on in the face of adversity.
But here, we see it all -- heartache at saying goodbye to family, fear of the unknown, bravery in the face of adversity, and a strong will to keep going, no matter what.
PRE-SCHOOLER (ages 2-5): While this is a wonderful series, it’s also quite dramatic, and the peril of some scenes is too intense for little ones. It’s heartbreaking when Pa has to shoot their horse, and frightening when he’s attacked by wolves. For this reason, this DVD is best suited for kids aged 7 and older.
GRADE-SCHOOLER (ages 6-10): In our modern world of GameBoys and Xboxes, it’s good for grade-schoolers to see what life was like in pioneer days. Good for them to know that kids actually got excited about new shoes, white sugar, and windows with glass in them. Good for them to see kids who respected their elders. And good for them to see a family working together towards shared dreams and goals. Maybe your kids will even feel a little better about pitching in around the house, knowing how easy they’ve got it!
TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): Although this series is based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, it shows us more of the big picture than the books did. We see Pa break down when things get tough, and Caroline assure him that she’ll follow him to the ends of the earth. We see the struggles of life back then, with all its gritty details. All in all, this DVD is a thoughtful version of the familiar story, and one that might even spur tweens and teens to read the books again.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries.
