THE TIMEPIECE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Richard Paul Evans has become one of the most prolific writers of the modern age. His novels The Christmas Box, Timepiece, and The Locket have become international bestsellers. It was inevitable Hallmark would choose to film all three of them. This is perhaps the finest of the three. Following years later the same family from The Christmas Box, we are finally told the hauntingly beautiful story of Mary and David Parkin.

A successful businessman during the depression, David Parkin (Kevin Kilner) has never had need of a woman in his life. An avid clock collector, David is approached by his friend Lawrence (James Earl Jones) to purchase one of the finest pieces he has ever seen... a delicate woman's timepiece. Believing he has no need for it, he declines. But then beautiful redheaded Mary (Naomi Watts) comes seeking employment, and his heart is captivated. Over time he begins to pursue her, but she constantly pushes him away. At last the truth comes to light. Mary is pregnant with the child of a soldier recently having perished in the war. Unmarried and scandalized in England, she came to America seeking a fresh start. Who would want to marry a woman expecting another man's baby? David Parkin, that's who. 

Offering her love, security, and stability, he welcomes her into his home and heart and gives her the timepiece as an eternal promise. But even after the war's end, life remains hard. His business keeps long hours away from home, and Lawrence is facing a justice of his own. When a terrible accident occurs, David may risk everything to save another man's life.

I remember reading Timepiece and thinking it was a fine example of profound writing, but somehow on film it becomes all the more powerful. The messages entwined in the story are of racial tolerance, love, compassion, and forgiveness. There are very few men, particularly in the 1940's, who would marry a girl expecting another man's baby. Love is not self-seeking nor bitter nor resentful; it is kind and without fault. David's love is the truest, most pure form of love I've ever seen on film. His compassion takes him to new heights and provides the backdrop for a moral paradox that forces us to weigh the issues at hand. He does something in faith to save another man's life; yet it costs him something very valuable and precious. Was his original choice the right one?

References to God and faith abound; David says he never thought much about God or whether He exists... until he met Mary. She is shown praying, attending church, and encouraging faith to blossom in his slowly warming heart. Younger viewers should be warned the film does contain some mature thematic elements. A black man is attacked and presumably beaten (we only see shadows on the wall and later his bruised face). An assailant is shot and killed (only the gunshot is heard). A fire bomb is thrown through a window, and there's a few mild abuses of God's name. Although the film contains a tragedy, the ending is touching and the message uplifting. Grab a box of tissues and snuggle up on the couch with someone you love.