The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)
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During World War II, a pregnant woman and a lonely farmer find unexpected connection in a remote Colorado farming community.
The story
During World War II, Olivia "Livy" Dunne, a Denver minister's daughter, finds herself pregnant by a Navy flight instructor. To manage the situation, her father arranges for her to marry a man she has never met: Ray Singleton, a hardworking and patient man living on a remote farm in southeastern Colorado. While Livy initially feels stifled by the rural lifestyle and Ray is a man of few words, they begin to find common ground through shared interests and the complexities of life during the war. As the conflict of the era looms, the two must navigate their growing connection while dealing with the pressures of their circumstances.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
During World War II, Olivia "Livy" Dunne is pregnant by a Navy pilot. Her father arranges a marriage for her to a man named Ray Singleton, a quiet farmer in Colorado. Though they are different in many ways, they find common ground through archaeology and the shared experience of the war. Livy's situation is complicated by her sister's advice to leave Ray and the arrival of a letter from the baby's father, who claims he cannot be the father. Amidst the tension, Livy befriends two Japanese-American women, Florence and Rose, who are being held in an internment camp. She helps them hide a German POW, Walter, by letting him use her truck. After a series of events involving the truth of the paternity and the danger of the POW, Livy and Ray realize their love for one another. The film ends with them together as a family, beginning their first archaeological dig on the farm.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brent Shields
- Writers
- Camille Thomasson · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Keri Russell · Olivia "Livy" Dunne-Singleton; Skeet Ulrich · Ray Singleton; Mare Winningham · Martha; Tania Gunadi · Florence; Gwendoline Yeo · Rose; Steve Strachan · Hank; Katie Keating · Ruth; Ken Pogue · Reverend Case
- Genres
- Period romance
- Themes
- Unconditional love; Sacrifice; War-time survival
- Tone and mood
- Romantic; Poignant
- Setting
- Southeastern Colorado during World War II.
- Premise and plot tags
- WWII; Arranged Marriage; Rural Life
- Source material / true-story basis
- novel of the same name by Ann Howard Creel
- Reception
- The premiere broadcast on CBS in 2005 attracted 18.7 million viewers, making it the highest-rated television film since the 2001-02 season.
- Production trivia
- The film received an encore broadcast on CBS exactly five years after its premiere.; A screenplay for a sequel was written and approved as of early 2009.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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