Meredith Baxter is Margaret Reed; Chris Cooper is her husband James, a wealthy man convinced greatness and greater wealth lies in California.
So in spite of his wife’s objections, the couple, their four children and Margaret’s mother join an immigrant train headed West.
Most members of the party resent the Reeds because of their wealth. Their wagon, for instance, is mockingly referred to as the palace since it’s equipped with a stove and an organ.
So the other members of what would become known as The Donner Party are quick to turn on the family when James’ shortcut West proves to be anything but.
Then, when Chris kills a man in self defense, he’s banished from the wagon train, forced to head to California alone, leaving his wife and four children behind.
That’s when the snowstorms hit, closing the passes to the West and threatening members of the party with death by starvation.
Margaret finds herself in a desperate struggle to make sure her four children survive the ordeal, always wondering when and if her husband will return.
Meredith Baxter as Margaret Reed in One More Mountain (1994)
Chris Cooper as James Reed in One More Mountain (1994)
Review:
Better than some versions of this oft-told tale because it focuses on the plight of one family. And regardless of their wealth, they lose nearly everything on the trip West.
Of course, being a Disney movie, the canabalism that made the party infamous is glossed over in one quick scene, and the Reed family doesn’t partake.
Meredith Baxter turns in a stand-out performance in a role that’s by no means glamorous.
Chris Cooper is a far less sympathetic figure since he ignores her good reason at every critical juncture, landing his family in danger in the process.
Larry Drake as Patrick Breen in One More Mountain (1994)
Laurie O’Brien as Elizabeth Graves in One More Mountain (1994)
Directed by:
Dick Lowry
Cast:
Meredith Baxter … Margaret Reed
Chris Cooper … James Reed
Larry Drake … Patrick Breen
Robert Duncan McNeill … Milt Elliot
Laurie O’Brien … Elizabeth Graves
Frances Conroy … Peggy Breen
Jean Louisa Kelly … Mary Graves
James MacDonald … James Stanton
Matthew Walker … George Donner
Jean Simmons … Sarah Keyes
Don S. Davis … Franklin Graves
Grace Johnston … Virgina Reed
Lachlan Murdoch … James Reed Jr.
Joshua Silberg … Tommy Reed
Aline Levasseur … Patty Reed
Runtime: 100 min.
Robert Duncan McNeill as Milt Eliot in One More Mountain (1994)
Frances Conroy as Peggy Breen in One More Mountain (1994)
Memorable lines:
James Reed: “Margaret, it’s Eden. I’m certain of it.”
Jean SImmons as Sarah Keyes, Margaret’s mother, in One More Mountain (1994)
Jean Louisa Kelly as Mary Graves in One More Mountain (1994)
James MacDonald as James Stanton in One More Mountain (1994)
Byron Lucas as John Snyder in One More Mountain (1994)
){kind=link}