DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's hard to find a good old-fashioned movie these days, isn't it? What we used to call a family movie, as in something you could take your kids to that isn't animated, and that grownups would enjoy as well. So for lots of reasons I was eager to see THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, and although we watched at it home, our daughter and son-in-law took our 8-year-old granddaughter to see it in the theater.
And it is a good old-fashioned story, where you get to root for the remarkable achievements of the sporting underdogs. (Think Seabiscuit, with oars!!) and there is some nice history thrown in.
But what kept me glued to the screen was the rowing, because this is one of my not-so-secret fan girl passions, and the subject of one of my personal favorites out of all of my novels, NO MARK UPON HER.
The book is set in Henley-on-Thames, where a female rower, who is also a police officer, is training for what she hopes is a comeback in the upcoming Olympics. When she is found murdered, Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid's boss orders him to investigate, and many twists and turns ensue.
I spent a lot of time in Henley when I was researching this book. I even got to go out in a double scull with an Olympic gold medal-winning rower, Steve Williams OBE,. This was undoubtedly the scariest research thing I have ever done, but also the most fabulously exhilerating, and the most memorable. Even reading the opening passage in the book still gives me goosebumps, and I'm still chuffed that Stevie Williams said that I got everything just right.
And now back to THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. While the rowing scenes in the film are supposed to be in Washington and in Germany, they were actually filmed in and around Henley! I'm sure I drove my poor husband crazy all the way through the movie, saying, "Look! Look! That's Henley! That's the Thames!"
It was a lovely bit of novel-revisiting for me, so to celebrate I'm giving away a signed hardcover of NO MARK UPON HER to a commenter over on our REDS & READERS Facebook group!
How about it, REDs, have you seen the movie? Did you enjoy it? Any other recommendations for "family-friendly" recent fare?
P.S. I also highly recommend the non-fiction book on which the film is based, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, by Daniel James Brown. It's a great story.
We have not yet seen the movie, but it sounds like one we'd really enjoy . . . .
ReplyDeleteDid you know before you saw the movie that the rowing scenes were filmed in and around Henley? It must be exciting to see places you've been showing up in a film . . . .
I did know, Joan, because I follow British Rowing on social media and someone posted a piece about the location filming. I had wanted to see the movie, but after that I REALLY wanted to see it.
DeleteI’m seeing it today!
ReplyDeleteYay! Hope you enjoy, Rhys!
DeleteIt’s so hard NOT to do that when you recognize places. We watched BOSCH during the lockdown and I probably drove my husband nuts saying, “I’ve had lunch there. I’ve gone there for happy hour. Oooh, there’s my favorite waitress!”
ReplyDeleteI'm really bad about doing that with London scenes. We were watching a British Crime show last night I kept interjecting, "Look! There's the Gherkin!" etc.
DeleteI've heard such great things about the movie. I really need to see it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that lovely recommendation! I'll look for it to come to our local art theater.
ReplyDeleteI should have added that I loved your book and enjoyed your posts about the research!
DeleteThank you, Edith!
DeleteThat sounds like a movie I would enjoy. A few years ago I drove us and my in laws to a cousins wedding in CT and as we were getting closer there was a river and we got to see them rowing and I was amazed. I've seen them do in the Boston area on the Charles River several times and I always find it fascinating to watch.
ReplyDeleteI live in a pretty landlocked part of Texas (we do have a river, but rowing is not a big thing here.) So when I first saw scullers on the Thames I was absolutely fascinated, and have been ever since.
DeleteYou had me with "Seabiscuit, with oars." I remember seeing the trailers for this one and thinking it sounded like something I'd like.
ReplyDeleteI love that book! And listening to the audiobook, read by Edward Hermann, was fantastic. So I guess I’ll complete the trifecta this weekend and see the movie. Since I obviously love The Boys in the Boat, I’m sure that I need to read No Mark Upon Her too…
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about listening to the audio version. I will check that out. I think you'd enjoy NO MARK, and the audio version of that is good, too!
DeleteThe Boys in the Boat is a GREAT movie. We saw it at the theater last week and highly recommend it. I was inspired to read the book which I just started. It too is excellent and extremely well written.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. I had read the book when it first came out--I think it was the year after NO MARK UPON HER, when I was still saturated with rowing research, so it made many connections for me.
DeleteI adored the book on which is based, a classic in historical non-fiction. I have resisted going to see the movie, because I was so disappointed in George Clooney's GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, a historical drama based on Edward R. Murrow and the McCarthy hearings. I'm a huge Murrow fan, and oddly enough I thought Clooney paid scrupulous attention to the historical details and forgot to create an emotionally involving story of individuals. Is BOYS IN THE BOAT better in this regard? We will still watch it, of course, streaming at home. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteSelden, yes it was very emotional. VERY. And at the end of the movie people clapped. It was a real nail bitter at the end.
DeleteYes, I think Clooney did a good job with the story.
DeleteGreat news! Thank you. It's on our list to stream at home. (Selden) P.S. Another great Depression era story is Ron Howard's film, CINDERELLA MAN.
DeleteDebs, NO MARK UPON HER is one of my favorite of all your books. The rowing in it is great, and if going on the river was part of your research, it sounds positively exhilarating. Your secondary characters, especially Doug, really step up in that story!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't been to the movies in ages. I'll suggest this one to Irwin. I've also heard that the book tells the story really well.
I think you'd enjoy, Judy. And you can rent it if you don't want to go out.
DeleteJudy…I completely agree…loved that book!
DeleteAnd the award for causing the best coffee snort goes to Deborah Crombie “Seabiscut with oars”…oh, my! Elisabeth
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteCoffee snort!! Love it!! Yes that was a good one.
ReplyDeleteI do want to see it! I can just imagine the scenery and the boat shed in No Mark Upon Her. It's very cool that it was filmed in Henley. I loved Seabiscuit (the book and the movie), and I'm sure I will love this one.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Depression era scenes were very well done. And the cinematography tricks they used to make Henley and the surrounding areas look like the book settings in the 30s was pretty amazing.
DeleteThat book is one of my favorites, too! It got me interested in learning more about the sport of rowing.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has been trying to get me to read the book for years. Thanks for the recommendation; we are always looking for a movie we can both enjoy. My middle daughter was on the club team at Ohio State the year she was there, but we never got to see her on the water. She has a big voice, so she was coxswain.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen Lessons in Chemistry? And did the show include the rowing part?
The cox in the THE BOYS IN THE BOAT was my favorite character. Your daughter should enjoy it if she hasn't seen it.
DeleteI think I am the only person who hasn't read Lessons in Chemistry (it's sitting on my piano, for heaven's sake) so I have watched the series because I didn't want to spoil the book.
I listened to LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY and with my husband watched the series. The show is fun -- not quite the book, but of course so much of the book is interior monologue it was always going to be hard to film. I thought they did a good job of hitting the high points. They touched on rowing but not to the degree of the novel. (I was disappointed but philosophical.) My husband, who had not read the book, enjoyed the series very much.
DeleteOur son rowed at Henley when he was a high school freshman--it was very exciting! Will have to watch (and of course, loved the book)
ReplyDeleteBut you didn't get to see him row there, did you, Lucy? That would have been such fun. Leander Club!
DeleteDid you live in England Lucy? That is my goal - to someday spend a long vacation (6 months) living in the Cotswolds - a place we've been many times and love.
ReplyDeleteI'll take that daydream and double it!
DeleteI saw a trailer for it and thought it was something I'd enjoy. But I haven't seen it yet.
ReplyDeleteYou can rent it now, Liz, on Amazon I think is where we saw it.
DeleteI have yet to see the movie although I want to do so. It’s so fun to have the inside story about it being filmed where your book is set! I enjoy watching the rowing in the Olympics. It must take so much discipline and practice to stay perfectly synchronized.
ReplyDeleteIt is an incredibly hard sport, and rowers must be both incredibly disciplined and obsessive. One reason it fascinates me so much, I think. That, and because it is so beautiful to watch.
DeleteI haven't seen the movie, but I read the book several years ago and loved it.
ReplyDeleteYou should enjoy the movie, Jim!
DeleteI loved the book, BOYS IN THE BOAT and am looking forward to the movie. NO MARK UPON HER is one of my favorites of all of your books. I feel like I am right there either in the boat or watching. Coincidentally one of my friends has twin daughters who have been on a rowing team here and who have just been awarded rowing scholarships next year at (Ta Da!!) Washington! They , the family, have just been to Seattle to see it for the first time. My friend only regrets that they will be so far away as we are in Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteOh, congrats to your friend's twin daughters! How wonderful! What an adventure they will have. And interesting that they rowed in Atlanta. I don't think of Atlanta as a big rowing area, but maybe it is!
DeleteNot in the city proper but north of the city. The club is called St Andrews and it’s been active a long time. We do have the Chattahoochee River and the Ocoee River.
DeleteThe book (adult and children's versions) are flying off the shelves at our local library--people are getting copies from any available library in the system--both before but especially after seeing the movie. No Mark Upon Her still sends chills down my spine along with a big dose of melancholy for the character's death. (Flora)
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a haunting death for me, too. But I love the other characters in that book so much--Kieran and Tavie (and the dogs) and Freddie, that it make up for it a bit.
DeleteDeborah, the movie looks like something I would want to watch. I learned that you can rent THE BOYS IN THE BOAT movie for almost $20 on streaming video!
ReplyDeleteNO MARK ON HER is one of my favorites in your Gemma and Duncan series.
Kid friendly movies that I recently watched? I do not know if it is a kids movie. I just watched Barbie on streaming video for almost $6 rental. It was well done. I can see why America Ferrera was nominated, though I am surprised that Rhea Perlman was not nominated for her role as Ruth.
Diana
Yes, you can rent The Boys in the Boat, which is what we did. But unless you have a really big home screen, I'd recommended seeing in the theater while it's still showing.
DeleteThank heavens for your neighbors, Margo! (Flora)
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see this movie, Debs, it’s such an incredible story.
ReplyDelete( Coming to you from West Palm Beach! And I have no idea what day it is – – I have book tour brain!— on to Miami this afternoon )
And one interesting movie observation from my now five days of flying – – on every flight, people have been watching Oppenheimer, and I see them staying in their seats when the plane lands, just so they can watch more of the movie. It’s amazing.
Hank, that's fascinating. And we still haven't seen Oppenheimer, so I suppose we should watch it.
DeleteI hope you get to enjoy West Palm at least a bit, in all your book tour madness, Hank!!
Oh, Margo!! Life is not supposed to turn into a movie!! Please keep us posted, and please send your sister all of our best wishes for her treatment and recovery. And as Flora says, thank goodness for neighbors!!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Margo! That's a lot going on in your life. Sending up prayers for a much easier way to navigate these hurdles.
ReplyDeleteDebs, this book came out the summer before The Sailor started at Trinity - where he rowed. I devoured the book and liked it so much I got the audio version for him (because as a freshman, who has time to actually read another book, right?)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big sports fan, and I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't about the sport my son was doing, but once I read it, I recommended it to everyone. It's about SO much more than rowing.
I hope he enjoyed it, Julia. And did he love rowing?
DeleteThanks everyone - it was good to vent! In even better news bulldozer is on the way - only $1000.00!
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful, Debs, I will keep an eye out for the movie, and the book is on my TBR.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I agree with you--I loved THE BOYS IN THE BOAT as a book, even though I know no one who rows. As you say, it's about much more than rowing and is astonishingly exciting, considering the outcome of all the races in the book are part of history! Now I can't wait to see the movie, but it hasn't come to Bern yet. Deb, I remember particularly enjoying No Mark upon Her because of what I learned about rowing--and what exciting research you did! I've been punted on the Cam by a Cambridge grad (that was a dream come true!), but I've never been rowed in a Henley-style boat.
ReplyDeleteYou have to actually row, unless you are the cox!
DeleteKim, you reminded me, I have been punted (at Oxford, not Cambridge) by none other than Laurie King!
DeleteI have seen the movie and enjoyed it. I didn't pick up on the Thames being the location, though. And that comes after spending a week in a house on the Thames this past summer--duh.~Emily Dame
ReplyDeleteThey did a good job of camoflaging, didn't they?
DeleteI love the boat books. When we were in Chester a few years ago I was fascinated with the narrow boats, just like the ones you write about too.
ReplyDeleteBTW, my second great grandson was born Thursday night. Samuel Mason Surovell! . 7 lb, 13 oz
Ann, welcoming Samuel to the world. Elisabeth
DeleteCongratulations, Ann! He's a gorgeous boy!!
DeleteCongratulations Great Grandma!
DeleteCongratulations, Ann!!
DeleteAbsolutely loved the book, "The Boys in the Boat"! I actually put the movie on hold at the library just last evening and am looking forward to it. Rowing is also plays an important role in "Lessons in Chemistry." How exciting for you to get to row with an Olympian! I'll be adding "No Mark on Her" to my TBR list. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was exciting and SO scary! But I'm so glad I did it.
DeleteYikes, Margo. Wishing your and yours an easier time of it (all of it).
ReplyDeleteMargo, what an ordeal! I am not one to say “thoughts and prayers”, but in your sister’s case, definitely sending them. And for you and Harrumpher (Harrumper?) because you are obviously worrying, too. Take care and good luck with the bulldozer! — Pat S
ReplyDeleteI haven’t seen the theatrical version of The Boys in the Boat, but did see a documentary about it a few years back. It is a great story and we really should get ourselves to the theater to get the full big screen effect. And I look forward to reading No Mark Upon Her now that I know about your research, Debs! (I started your series at the beginning, but with all of the books/authors you Reds keep introducing me to, it’s taking me awhile to catch up! But I’m dedicated so will keep reading, I promise.) — Pat S
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it yet but I plan to. I love historicals! We don't get out to the movies much but the last one we saw was Oppenheimer.
ReplyDeleteEdith, I am reading one of your books (biscuits and Slashed Browns), and at 4 am, it was just not making any sense. Maybe tonight as I reread what I read, with some of the worry gone, it will return to being a good book. I know who I want to be the culprit, let's just see if you fool me.
ReplyDeleteYou described the rowing so well that I felt as if I were there. -- Storyteller Mary
ReplyDeleteI became interested in The Boys in the Boat when I saw a documentary show about it. I thought it was an amazing story, but I haven't read the book yet or seen the movie. I bought the book for my son-in-law, so I guess I need to borrow it from him. Debs, I loved No Mark Upon Her, and how cool that you got to go out in a boat with an Olympic Gold Medal winner. Rowing does fascinate me, as there are so many skills that go with it. I enjoyed rowing being a part of the book Lessons in Chemistry. It didn't get much attention in the streaming series, although I thought that series was wonderful, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thrill for you: a film that meets your family friendly goal and shows you geography you know!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the book…devoured it is the right word but have been ambivalent about the movie…just hoping they didn’t screw it up. Sometimes Hollywood works so hard to make things “heroic” that they spoil the natural, inherent worth of the story. I hope they let the story tell itself…..
ReplyDeleteI loved the book and the movie of The Boys in the Boat and I loved your book also.
ReplyDeleteWe saw it the other evening in a theater and both of us liked it very much. It’s beautifully shot, has a compelling story, and is emotionally involving. I’ve seen it described as an old fashioned movie, and that fits in the best way.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it yet, but plan to, for all the reasons you make clear from the start. It's so interesting, the feelings one has about seeing familiar places on screen. Growing up in Southern California, I was just accustomed to seeing "home" on tv. I didn't even think about it until we moved, suddenly, to Idaho (of all places) and I was incredibly homesick and had the shocking realization that other people did not see their freeways and surface streets, liquor stores and elementary schools on tv every week. As we said back then, it blew my mind. Fast forward to fifty-something me, living on a rural property in the Pacific Northwest. I LOVE to watch Bosch, and The Lincoln Lawyer, and old Rockford Files episodes. "Look! That's my Grandma's neighborhood! That is what the sky looked like at home in the 70's! That's down the street from that place where we hung out...Oh, I love those tacos!" It is traveling through space and time and I am ready to go.
ReplyDeleteSaw the movie and enjoyed it, but I want to read the book for more detail. Rowing seems to be having a real moment! In addition to all the other things mentioned, it is a good part of Lessons in Chemistry-- at least in the book.
ReplyDelete