Fly Away Home (1996)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Carroll Ballard

Writers (WGA):

Bill Lishman (autobiography)
Robert Rodat (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family

Tagline:

A family of orphaned geese who lost their way. A 14 year old kid who will lead them home. To achieve the incredible, you have to attempt the impossible.

Plot:

A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.

Plot Keywords:

Geese | Canada | Inventor | New Zealand | Death

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jeff Daniels	...	Thomas "Tom" Alden
Anna Paquin	...	Amy Alden
Dana Delany	...	Susan Barnes
Terry Kinney	...	David Alden
Holter Graham	...	Barry Stickland
Jeremy Ratchford	...	DNR Officer
Deborah Verginella	...	Amy's Mother
Michael J. Reynolds	...	General
David Hemblen	...	Dr. Killian
Ken James	...	Developer
Nora Ballard	...	Jackie
Sarena Paton	...	Laura
Carmen Lishman	...	Older Girl
Christi Hill	...	Older Girl
Judith Orban	...	Teacher

Also Known As:

Father Goose
Flying Wild

MPAA:

Rated PG for an opening accident scene and some mild language.

Runtime:

107 min | Netherlands:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate no. 34000) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Belgium:KT | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:G | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to the credits, the military aircraft were from New York. The F-16s belonged to the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard, and the C-130Hs belonged to the 914th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve. They were not, however, located on the same base. The F-16s come from Syracuse, NY, and the transports were located at the time at Niagara Falls, NY.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Tom runs outside in his underwear, the lace curtain is visible in his view of Amy's window. From inside the room, the curtain is pushed to the side.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Thomas Alden: Amy? It's your dad.
Amy Alden: Dad?
Thomas Alden: I came down from Canada. I've come to take you home.
Amy Alden: Where's Mom?
Thomas Alden: Um...
Amy Alden: Mum died, didn't she?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: 'Fly Away Home': Leading the Flock (#3.6)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Yakety Axe

A Story of Returning to Joy

The greatest challenge any of us will ever face is how to regain the ability to reach for joy after the loss of a loved one. Especially, when that loss is abrupt and occurs at an age before one has developed the capacities to manage it. That is the over-arching and powerful theme that "Fly Away Home" manages to evoke so beautifully.

It's difficult to pin-point which of the masterfully developed elements of filmmaking that make this movie such a joy to watch again and again. But, surely, it all comes down to the great story-telling ability of Mr. Carol Ballard. Everything is harnessed to tell the story (a basic element of drama surprisingly ignored these days in Hollywood) of a girl who loses her mother at a critical point in her life, and has to find a way to the rest of her life, while reeling from the trauma and uncertain of how to survive her grief.

The discovery of an abandoned nest of Canadian geese eggs is the simple overlaying metaphor that takes us on her journey. The great difference between this movie and other movies of its type is that Mr. Ballard resists the temptation to explicate the transcendent story of Amy's emotional triumph over her loss and grief. Simply put, the story is about the geese, but it's really about Amy's recovery and reconnection with her future, with her life, though there isn't one line of dialogue explaining that to the viewer. It seeps out of the story through the masterful, chekovian performances of Anna Paquin as Amy and Jeff Daniels as her father. This theme is supported with such unerring consistency in the music (Mark Isham at his most sublime), the cinematography, editing, lighting, art direction and casting. All of the casting is just perfect. Especially in the sense that none of the actors ever seem to be pulling anything out of their "bag of tricks" or doing some bit you've seen them do before. The quality of the work is such that much of the dialogue in the movie seems spontaneous and almost ad libbed. The final sequence is a thing of sublime, subtly powerful beauty that is rarely seen in movies these days. A powerful, wordless climax. Something that happens so effortlessly, because the story that comes before has been told so completely and with such skill. I cry every time I watch it.

Thank you, Carol Ballard, for this beautiful gift of compassion and belief.

Note: Did Anna Paquin actually move from little girl to adolescent in the course of making this movie, or is it more of the master magicianry of Carol Ballard and his team?