THE Straight Story is an unusual but powerful road movie that tells the story of Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old man who makes an epic journey across the American Midwest to reconcile with his ill brother, who he hasn’t spoken to for 10 years.
But Alvin, played by Richard Farnsworth, cannot make the journey by car because his eyes and legs are too impaired for him to hold a driving licence.
So, determined to make peace with his brother, he decides to travel the 240-mile journey from his home in Laurens, Iowa, to his brother’s house in Mount Zion, Wisconsin, on the back of a old lawnmower.
The 1964 John Deere 110 riding lawnmower featured a Kohler engine and could reach a top speed of just five miles an hour.
The film crew made one slight alteration to the vehicle for the shoot, adapting the seat to accommodate the 79-year-old Farnsworth, who was terminally ill with bone cancer and paralysed in his legs.
The lawnmower plays a pivotal role in the film, during which the machine’s frailties create several tense scenes in an otherwise serenely beautiful movie.
The film is carried by a captivating performance from Farnsworth, which saw him nominated for an Oscar.
It also features an eloquent score by Angelo Badalamenti, beautiful cinematography from Freddie Francis and masterful direction from David Lynch.
The film, a wonderful and heart-warming tale, teaches us about the importance of family, the kindness of strangers and the pains of growing old.
One of the most poignant moments of the piece comes when Alvin meets a young hitchhiker who has run away from her family after becoming pregnant.
Taking pity on her, Alvin offers her a place to stay for the night and, as the two sit around a campfire, Alvin recounts a game he used to play with his children when they were younger.
He said: “I’d give each one of them a stick, and I’d say: ‘You break that.’ Course they could real easy.
“Then I’d say: ‘Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.’ Course they couldn’t.
“Then I’d say: ‘That bundle... that’s family’.”
TOM JENNINGS
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