A Walk in the Clouds (1995)
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A wounded WWII veteran finds himself entangled in a complex web of romance and tradition after meeting a pregnant woman on a train journey.
The story
In 1945, following World War II, United States Army Sgt. Paul Sutton returns to San Francisco to reunite with his wife, Betty. However, their reunion is strained as Paul discovers Betty has kept his letters unopened. Seeking a new career, Paul travels to Sacramento where he meets Victoria Aragon, a graduate student whose Mexican American family owns a vineyard. After Paul intervenes to protect Victoria from two men on a bus, he learns she is pregnant by her professor. Paul offers to introduce himself to her traditionalist family as her husband, leading him to stay at the vineyard and become involved in their harvest.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1945, after World War II, United States Army Sgt. Paul Sutton returns to San Francisco to reunite with his wife, Betty. Their reunion is strained because Betty has kept his letters unopened. Paul travels to Sacramento for work and meets Victoria Aragon, a graduate student whose Mexican American family owns a vineyard. After Paul protects Victoria from two men on a bus, he learns she is pregnant by her professor and offers to marry her. Victoria's father, Alberto, is furious about the marriage, but her grandfather, Don Pedro, encourages Paul to stay for the harvest. During the harvest, Paul grows close to the family and falls for Victoria. After she reveals the truth to her family, Paul attempts to return home but discovers Betty has been having an affair and seeks an annulment. Paul returns to the Aragon estate and asks Victoria to marry him. An argument with Alberto leads to a fire that destroys the vineyard. Paul saves a single plant with intact roots, which leads Alberto to accept him as family. Paul and Victoria marry and begin rebuilding the vineyard together.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States; Mexico
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfonso Arau
- Writers
- Robert Mark Kamen · screenplay; Mark Miller · screenplay; Harvey Weitzman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Keanu Reeves · Paul Sutton; Aitana Sánchez-Gijón; Anthony Quinn; Giancarlo Giannini; Angélica Aragón; Evangelina Elizondo; Debra Messing
- Genres
- period romantic drama
- Themes
- interclass romance; tradition; veteran trauma; rebuilding
- Tone and mood
- romantic; melodramatic; glossy
- Setting
- San Francisco, Sacramento, and Napa Valley, California, USA in 1945
- Premise and plot tags
- period piece; romance; drama; war veteran; Mexican American; wine country
- Source material / true-story basis
- Four Steps in the Clouds (1942 Italian film)
- Content notes
- nudity waiver
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $91 million against a $20 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 46% · review count: 28; Chicago Sun-Times · score: 4 · scale: 4
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Original Score · win
- Production trivia
- The film was a commercial success, grossing $91 million against a $20 million budget.; The wine festival scene was staged in the Large Courtyard of Pasadena City Hall.; The 1997 Indonesian television series Melangkah Di Atas Awan contains a literal translation of the film's title.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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