The Notebook: Difference between revisions
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{{plot|date=August 2008}} |
{{plot|date=August 2008}} |
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In a modern day nursing home, an elderly |
In a modern day nursing home, an elderly man named Duke begins to read a love story from his notebook to a female fellow patient he has befriended. |
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The |
The story begins in 1940. Seventeen-year-old Allie Hamilton ([[Rachel McAdams]]), the only child of a rich plantation owner, and her friend, Sara ([[Heather Wahlquist]]), are spending the evening at a local carnival in [[Seabrook Island, South Carolina]]. This is where Noah Calhoun ([[Ryan Gosling]]), a country boy who is with his friend, Fin ([[Kevin Connolly]]), first sees Allie. Noah is immediately smitten with Allie and he continuously asks her out on dates, only to be playfully rejected until she eventually accepts. Soon, they spend the evening with each other and attend a late night show with Fin and Sara. On a midnight walk through an empty Seabrook, Noah learns about Allie's regimented life. Noah sees a deeper side of her, a side yearning to be free, and he likes that. We first hear the theme "[[I'll Be Seeing You (song)|I'll Be Seeing You]]" as they dance in the street. |
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Noah and Allie spend an idyllic summer together. Allie lives with her parents, John and Anne Hamilton, who are staying in Seabrook only for the summer. Allie's father, a Southern millionaire, appears to be okay with Allie and Noah's relationship. Noah lives with only his father, Frank Calhoun. Allie's mother, however, is not so approving. One night, a week before Allie is to leave, Allie and Noah go up to an abandoned house called The Windsor Plantation. Noah tells her that he hopes to buy the house, and Allie makes him promise that the house would be white, with blue shutters, a walk around porch, and a room that overlooks the creek so she could paint. This is the place where Allie and Noah plan to make love for the first time. A nervous Allie keeps interrupting Noah as he kisses her. Fin comes in just as they were about to continue after Allie's interruption and tells them Allie's parents have every cop out looking for her. When Allie returns to the house, her parents ban her from seeing Noah again. Allie fights with Noah outside and the two decide to break up. Allie immediately regrets the decision but Noah drives away. The next morning, Allie's mother reveals that they're going home that morning instead of next week. Allie frantically tries to find Noah, but is forced to leave without saying good-bye. The Hamiltons then send Allie to New York, where she begins attending [[Sarah Lawrence College]]. Noah, devastated by his separation from Allie, writes her one letter a day for a year, only to get no reply because Allie's mother keeps the letters from her. They have no choice but to move on with their lives, and Allie continues to attend school, while Noah and Fin enlist to fight in World War II. Fin is killed in battle. |
Noah and Allie spend an idyllic summer together. Allie lives with her parents, John and Anne Hamilton, who are staying in Seabrook only for the summer. Allie's father, a Southern millionaire, appears to be okay with Allie and Noah's relationship. Noah lives with only his father, Frank Calhoun. Allie's mother, however, is not so approving. One night, a week before Allie is to leave, Allie and Noah go up to an abandoned house called The Windsor Plantation. Noah tells her that he hopes to buy the house, and Allie makes him promise that the house would be white, with blue shutters, a walk around porch, and a room that overlooks the creek so she could paint. This is the place where Allie and Noah plan to make love for the first time. A nervous Allie keeps interrupting Noah as he kisses her. Fin comes in just as they were about to continue after Allie's interruption and tells them Allie's parents have every cop out looking for her. When Allie returns to the house, her parents ban her from seeing Noah again. Allie fights with Noah outside and the two decide to break up. Allie immediately regrets the decision but Noah drives away. The next morning, Allie's mother reveals that they're going home that morning instead of next week. Allie frantically tries to find Noah, but is forced to leave without saying good-bye. The Hamiltons then send Allie to New York, where she begins attending [[Sarah Lawrence College]]. Noah, devastated by his separation from Allie, writes her one letter a day for a year, only to get no reply because Allie's mother keeps the letters from her. They have no choice but to move on with their lives, and Allie continues to attend school, while Noah and Fin enlist to fight in World War II. Fin is killed in battle. |
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When Noah returns home, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can go ahead and buy The Windsor Plantation, the old abandoned house he had taken Allie to. While visiting Charleston to file some paper work, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant. After seeing Allie, Noah goes a little crazy and convinces himself that if he fixes up the house, Allie would come back to him. |
When Noah returns home, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can go ahead and buy The Windsor Plantation, the old abandoned house he had taken Allie to. While visiting Charleston to file some paper work, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant. After seeing Allie, Noah goes a little crazy and convinces himself that if he fixes up the house, Allie would come back to him. |
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In the present, it is made clear that the elderly woman is Allie — suffering from [[senile]] [[dementia]] which has stolen her memories — and Duke is her husband. Allie does not recognize their grown children and grandchildren, who beg Duke to come home with them. He insists on staying with Allie. |
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| ⚫ | While trying on her wedding dress, Allie is startled to read about Noah completing the house in the style section of a [[Raleigh]] newspaper and faints. She visits Noah in Seabrook and he invites her to dinner. During dinner Allie tells Noah that she is now engaged. Noah is startled by the discovery and questions whether Allie's future husband is a good man. She reassures Noah that he is. Later in the evening, Noah invites Allie to come back. |
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| ⚫ | While trying on her wedding dress in the 1940s, Allie is startled to read about Noah completing the house in the style section of a [[Raleigh]] newspaper and faints. She visits Noah in Seabrook and he invites her to dinner. During dinner Allie tells Noah that she is now engaged. Noah is startled by the discovery and questions whether Allie's future husband is a good man. She reassures Noah that he is. Later in the evening, Noah invites Allie to come back. |
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| ⚫ | The next morning, Allie arrives and Noah surprises her by taking her rowing on a nearby lake. Soon, they both begin to reminisce about their summer together. It starts to rain, and Noah rows to shore. Their conversation intensifies and it becomes obviously clear that the two are still very much in love with each other. After the exchange of words, and the revelation that Noah had indeed written Allie, they share a passionate kiss. |
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| ⚫ | The next morning, Allie arrives and Noah surprises her by taking her rowing on a nearby lake. Soon, they both begin to reminisce about their summer together. It starts to rain, and Noah rows to shore. Their conversation intensifies and it becomes obviously clear that the two are still very much in love with each other. After the exchange of words, and the revelation that Noah had indeed written Allie, they share a passionate kiss. They repeatedly make love to one anothe throughout the night and all through the next day. |
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| ⚫ | In the midst of the next afternoon, Allie’s mother |
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| ⚫ | In the midst of the next afternoon, Allie’s mother appers on Noah’s doorstep. She tells Allie that Lon has followed her to Seabrook after Allie's father spilled the beans about Noah. Her mother then decides to take Allie out for a drive and tells her that there had been a time in her life when she could relate to Allie’s present situation. When her mother drives Allie back to Noah’s house, she hands her daughter the bundle of 365 letters that Noah had written to her the year following the summer they had spent together. Noah is already waiting for Allie’s return on the front porch. Noah asks Allie what she is going to do; Allie is confused and confesses that she doesn’t know. Noah is hurt as they end up arguing and Allie starts to head for her car. Noah asks her to just stay with him. He admits that it is going to be really hard, but he is willing to go through anything because he wants to be with her. Confused as ever, Allie drives off. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The film goes back to the elderly couple, and Allie asks Duke who Allie chose. She realizes the answer herself, and the scene, briefly, goes again to years earlier, with Noah coming out of the house after hearing the sound of a car. Allie gets out with her luggage, |
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| ⚫ | The film goes back to the elderly couple, and Allie asks Duke who Allie chose. She realizes the answer herself, and the scene, briefly, goes again to years earlier, with Noah coming out of the house after hearing the sound of a car. Allie gets out with her luggage, having chosen Noah, and they embrace in reunion. |
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| ⚫ | Allie suddenly remembers her past and she and Noah joyfully spend a brief intimate moment together, |
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| ⚫ | Elderly Allie suddenly remembers her past and she and Noah/Duke joyfully spend a brief intimate moment together; after originally finding out about her illness, she had herself written their story in the notebook with the instructions for Noah to "Read this to me, and I'll come back to you." But soon Allie relapses, losing her memories of Noah yet again. She panics, and has to be sedated by the attending physician. This proves to be too difficult for Noah to watch and he breaks down. The next morning, Noah is found unconscious in bed and he is rushed to the hospital; he later returns to the nursing home's intensive care ward. He goes to Allie's room later that night, and Allie remembers again. The next morning a nurse finds them in bed together, having both died peacefully holding each other's hand. The last scene shows a flock of birds flying away. |
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==Critical reception== |
==Critical reception== |
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Revision as of 21:20, 3 October 2008
| The Notebook | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Nick Cassavetes |
| Written by | Nicholas Sparks (novel) Jan Sardi Jeremy Leven |
| Produced by | Lynn Harris Mark Johnson |
| Starring | Ryan Gosling Rachel McAdams James Garner Gena Rowlands James Marsden Joan Allen Sam Shepard David Thornton |
| Cinematography | Robert Fraisse |
| Edited by | Alan Heim |
| Music by | Aaron Zigman |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates | June 25, 2004 |
Running time | 123 min. |
| Budget | $30,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $115,603,229 |
The Notebook is a 2004 romance film directed by Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars James Garner and Gena Rowlands as an elderly couple; Garner reveals the story of when they fell in love during the early 1940s. The younger versions of their characters are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
Synopsis
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2008) |
In a modern day nursing home, an elderly man named Duke begins to read a love story from his notebook to a female fellow patient he has befriended.
The story begins in 1940. Seventeen-year-old Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), the only child of a rich plantation owner, and her friend, Sara (Heather Wahlquist), are spending the evening at a local carnival in Seabrook Island, South Carolina. This is where Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a country boy who is with his friend, Fin (Kevin Connolly), first sees Allie. Noah is immediately smitten with Allie and he continuously asks her out on dates, only to be playfully rejected until she eventually accepts. Soon, they spend the evening with each other and attend a late night show with Fin and Sara. On a midnight walk through an empty Seabrook, Noah learns about Allie's regimented life. Noah sees a deeper side of her, a side yearning to be free, and he likes that. We first hear the theme "I'll Be Seeing You" as they dance in the street.
Noah and Allie spend an idyllic summer together. Allie lives with her parents, John and Anne Hamilton, who are staying in Seabrook only for the summer. Allie's father, a Southern millionaire, appears to be okay with Allie and Noah's relationship. Noah lives with only his father, Frank Calhoun. Allie's mother, however, is not so approving. One night, a week before Allie is to leave, Allie and Noah go up to an abandoned house called The Windsor Plantation. Noah tells her that he hopes to buy the house, and Allie makes him promise that the house would be white, with blue shutters, a walk around porch, and a room that overlooks the creek so she could paint. This is the place where Allie and Noah plan to make love for the first time. A nervous Allie keeps interrupting Noah as he kisses her. Fin comes in just as they were about to continue after Allie's interruption and tells them Allie's parents have every cop out looking for her. When Allie returns to the house, her parents ban her from seeing Noah again. Allie fights with Noah outside and the two decide to break up. Allie immediately regrets the decision but Noah drives away. The next morning, Allie's mother reveals that they're going home that morning instead of next week. Allie frantically tries to find Noah, but is forced to leave without saying good-bye. The Hamiltons then send Allie to New York, where she begins attending Sarah Lawrence College. Noah, devastated by his separation from Allie, writes her one letter a day for a year, only to get no reply because Allie's mother keeps the letters from her. They have no choice but to move on with their lives, and Allie continues to attend school, while Noah and Fin enlist to fight in World War II. Fin is killed in battle.
Meanwhile, Allie becomes a nurse for wounded soldiers. There, she meets the wealthy Lon Hammond Jr (James Marsden). She is surprised at how fast she falls in love with Lon, he is a well-connected young lawyer, handsome, sophisticated, charming and comes from old southern money. Allie spends time with him and the two eventually become engaged, to the joy of Allie's parents(although she sees Noah's face when he asks her to marry him).
When Noah returns home, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can go ahead and buy The Windsor Plantation, the old abandoned house he had taken Allie to. While visiting Charleston to file some paper work, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant. After seeing Allie, Noah goes a little crazy and convinces himself that if he fixes up the house, Allie would come back to him.
In the present, it is made clear that the elderly woman is Allie — suffering from senile dementia which has stolen her memories — and Duke is her husband. Allie does not recognize their grown children and grandchildren, who beg Duke to come home with them. He insists on staying with Allie.
While trying on her wedding dress in the 1940s, Allie is startled to read about Noah completing the house in the style section of a Raleigh newspaper and faints. She visits Noah in Seabrook and he invites her to dinner. During dinner Allie tells Noah that she is now engaged. Noah is startled by the discovery and questions whether Allie's future husband is a good man. She reassures Noah that he is. Later in the evening, Noah invites Allie to come back.
The next morning, Allie arrives and Noah surprises her by taking her rowing on a nearby lake. Soon, they both begin to reminisce about their summer together. It starts to rain, and Noah rows to shore. Their conversation intensifies and it becomes obviously clear that the two are still very much in love with each other. After the exchange of words, and the revelation that Noah had indeed written Allie, they share a passionate kiss. They repeatedly make love to one anothe throughout the night and all through the next day.
In the midst of the next afternoon, Allie’s mother appers on Noah’s doorstep. She tells Allie that Lon has followed her to Seabrook after Allie's father spilled the beans about Noah. Her mother then decides to take Allie out for a drive and tells her that there had been a time in her life when she could relate to Allie’s present situation. When her mother drives Allie back to Noah’s house, she hands her daughter the bundle of 365 letters that Noah had written to her the year following the summer they had spent together. Noah is already waiting for Allie’s return on the front porch. Noah asks Allie what she is going to do; Allie is confused and confesses that she doesn’t know. Noah is hurt as they end up arguing and Allie starts to head for her car. Noah asks her to just stay with him. He admits that it is going to be really hard, but he is willing to go through anything because he wants to be with her. Confused as ever, Allie drives off.
Allie drives to the hotel and confesses to Lon. He is angry but admits that he still loves her. He tells her that he does not want to convince his fiancée that she should be with him, but Allie tells him he does not have to, because she already knows she should be with him.
The film goes back to the elderly couple, and Allie asks Duke who Allie chose. She realizes the answer herself, and the scene, briefly, goes again to years earlier, with Noah coming out of the house after hearing the sound of a car. Allie gets out with her luggage, having chosen Noah, and they embrace in reunion.
Elderly Allie suddenly remembers her past and she and Noah/Duke joyfully spend a brief intimate moment together; after originally finding out about her illness, she had herself written their story in the notebook with the instructions for Noah to "Read this to me, and I'll come back to you." But soon Allie relapses, losing her memories of Noah yet again. She panics, and has to be sedated by the attending physician. This proves to be too difficult for Noah to watch and he breaks down. The next morning, Noah is found unconscious in bed and he is rushed to the hospital; he later returns to the nursing home's intensive care ward. He goes to Allie's room later that night, and Allie remembers again. The next morning a nurse finds them in bed together, having both died peacefully holding each other's hand. The last scene shows a flock of birds flying away.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregate at Rotten Tomatoes reported that 51% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 142 reviews.[1] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 53 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.[2]
The film was far more popular with women than with men. On the IMDb Women's Top 50 Films it is #27, but men only scored it 7.4/10, far off the equivalent list.
On Septemper 2008, Yahoo did a poll and the movie was ranked the No. 1 as the most romantic movie between 35 different movies, voted by Yahoo users.
Box office performance
The film was released June 25 2004 in the United States and Canada and grossed $13.4 million in 2,303 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #4 at the box office.[3] The film grossed a total of $115.6 million worldwide — $81 million in the United States and Canada and $34.6 million elsewhere.[4]
Television performance
The UK television premiere of the film was Sunday 21 September 2008 on Channel 4. It was watched by 1 million viewers, a 5% share between 9pm and 11.25pm. An additional 70,000 viewers watched on catch-up service Channel 4+1 an hour later.[5]
References
- ^ "The Notebook - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "The Notebook (2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "The Notebook (2004) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "The Notebook (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/tvratings.television3?gusrc=rss&feed=global
External links
- The Notebook at IMDb
- The Notebook at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Notebook at Metacritic
- The Notebook at Box Office Mojo
- The Notebook at AllMovie
- Love story analysis in The Notebook
- James Garner interview for The Notebook
- James Garner Interview on the Charlie Rose Show
- James Garner interview at Archive of American Television
