Search - Restless Spirits on DVD

Poignant film for all the family

Kali | United Kingdom | 04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some films never quite make it to the big time which is a shame because they have so much too offer but don't have the pulling power of a big name star behind them. "Restless Spirits" is such a film that has been overlooked and because of this many people are missing a treat of a film. Juliana Wimbles plays a young girl Katie traumatized by the death of her test pilot father. With her younger brother she is sent by her mother to stay with her Grandparents in Newfoundland. In trying to come to terms with the loss of her father she finds herself drawn into a 70-year-old mystery, the disappearance of two French aviators who were trying to beat Lindburgh on his epic journey across the Atlantic in 1927. The two pilots were killed when their plane crashed into a swamp one foggy night and their spirits are doomed to return whenever go reappears. Katie, sensitive to her own recent loss soon realizes that her two new ghostly friends will never find peace unless they can continue the journey that was so tragically cut short 70 years previously. Through shear determination Katie manages to retrieve most of the plane and put it back together with duct tape and tarpaulin. Unfortunately aviation historians are hot on the trail of the two missing pilots and whisk away the plane before Katie can decide how she is going to set her friends free. Aided by a skeptical young friend the young girl sets about helping the ghostly pilots make that one last journey that will free their restless spirits. The ending is a joy to watch, with wonderful special effects, a haunting musical score, and acting that brings a lump to your throat. Only watch this film if you want a gentle, slow moving plot about human nature, the strength of the human spirit and the dream that life after death just might be real. All in all, an excellent film for all the family."

The kids loved this.

A. Gates | 09/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Showtime movie is available on video and we rented it from Blockbuster. The story is well-written and wraps up nicely at the end...just what the kids are looking for. I was intrigued by the overlap of time periods and weaving the father's interest in aviation and the impact of his death on his daughter. My kids watched it twice and were moved both times."

Touch of Aviation History with Disney Flare

Joseph L. Sudek | Old Forge, PA,USA | 05/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aviation Buffs will enjoy this story of 2 aviators trying to make first Transatlantic flight from France to USA. After crash landing in Newfoundland the deceased aviators spirits are seen by a girl with *The Gift* of being able to see them. The girls deceased father, a test pilot, had same insight. When they tell her there story she decides to help them retrieve their crashed plane from lake and help them to assemble plane to so they can continue their journey. Superb storyline that whole family can enjoy. Excellent ending, Don't miss this one. AAAAAAA+++++++"

Another "Groundhog Day"

D. Rosenfield | A suburb of Richmond, Virginia, USA | 08/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a paste from my IMDB review of the VHS tape. I am *so* happy that this is now on DVD. After publication of my review I was contacted by a French fellow who was researching the flight:



Shown on Showtime as "Restless Spirits," this is a fine tale of a pair of aviators flying from France to Newfoundland trying to be the first to cross the Atlantic. They crash in an odd fog and every time that fog reappears they crash again with no memory of the previous crashes.



At the time of the story it is sixty years later and they don't know that Lindbergh won the prize for the first crossing and they don't know they are ghosts.



The protagonist is the 12-year-old Juliana Wimbles playing Katie who finds them and figures out both their problem and the solution while they help her come to terms with her father's death in a test plane crash and with her mother's new romance.



I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and expect to view it over and over just as I see such similar movies as "Groundhog Day," "Somewhere in Time," and "Time at the Top" over and over.



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