reviewed by Erin Daman
           

A Walk in the Clouds is one of those films with a classic plot... boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love.  There is of course a wrench thrown in the spokes of their romance -- boy is married to a woman he doesn't love and who doesn't love him. Add a few details and plot twists and its A Walk in the Clouds.

Paul Sutton is like many other men returning home after World War II -- he married his girlfriend not long before departure to have someone to dream of, live for, write to, and come home to. And write her he did. Every day he wrote letters filled with his hopes and dreams, and his plans for the future with Betty, his wife.  So when he returns home after years at battle, he is more than a little disturbed to find his wife only mildly excited to see him. Betty seems more interested in the fact she managed to get Paul's old job back for him-selling chocolates -- and he can start right away. What's more, he finds all of his tenderly written letters unopened and unread.

Betty has her excuses for the letters, though-as long as she got the letters, she knew he was alright, and she didn't read the letters because she didn't want to hear of the war and worry about him.  Confused and hurt that his wife seems more interested in his job and money than in his hopes and aspirations, he takes to the road to sell his chocolates and think things over. Not even sure of the destination, he boards a bus and sets off. On the bus, he meets a distraught young Hispanic-American woman named Victoria Aragon. Through a ticket mix-up, the two end up walking the last leg of their journey. As they walk along, Victoria pours out her story to Paul-how her parents reluctantly let her attend college, how she met a free-spirited professor there, and how she is now carrying his child. Knowing her families old fashioned values and traditions, she is terrified to face them with this news -- especially her father, who has a very volatile temper. 

Worried by her fear and hopelessness, Paul proposes a plan. His idea is this -- he will accompany her home posing as her husband, and after a few days, sneak off in the dead of night and abandon her, freeing her from disgrace and her fathers fury. She gratefully complies, and as they continue on, she tells him of her family and their large vineyard in the Napa Valley of California. Their arrival is met with a gale of emotions. Victoria's grandparents, mother, and siblings are happy for her and accepting of Paul. But her father is very angry; because she didn't ask or even tell them first, angry she kept it a secret, and angry she didn't marry a man of his choosing. Despite her fathers strong and obvious displeasure, Paul and Victoria keep up the fade and start to get into the swing of things at the vineyard. As they work with the family to save the grapes from frost, bring in the harvest, and press the grapes, the couple discover they are falling in love despite Paul's marriage to another woman and the continued disapproval of Victoria's father. Only heightening her fathers anger is the fact that the rest of the family is falling in love with Paul, too. His warmth and quiet, soft-spoken ways soon endear him to everyone but Senor Aragon. 

As the time draws near for Paul's secret departure, emotions come to a crisis.  The couple find themselves truly in love, but Paul does himself credit by telling Victoria that for him to stay would be wrong -- his being married comes before what he wants. He does the right thing, remaining faithful to his wife despite his love for Victoria. Life isn't always A Walk in the Clouds. Despite its PG13 rating, there is surprisingly little objectionable content. Smoking is present, and drinking is quite prolific. (It is set at a vineyard, so drinking is expected.) Language is limited to one misuse of Gods name, one SOB, and three misuses of hell. Violence consists of a fistfight and flashbacks of war. Many people may find the flashbacks disturbing and/or frightening. However, at least war isn't glorified. There is some immodesty, but nothing too shocking. Betty walks around in some rather cute 40s underwear and one of Victoria's nightgowns is a little slinky. Due to Victoria's pregnancy, premarital sex is implied.

Adultery is implied between two side characters, but nothing more is shown than a man pulling on his pants and a woman tying on a robe. Sensuality is pleasantly limited -- even though Paul and Victoria share a bedroom, Paul is a perfect gentleman and sleeps on the floor despite what the family thinks. He never once takes advantage of his position, which sets a great example and is such a refreshing attitude in filmmaking. Even though he loves another woman, he is faithful to his wife. I am so pleased with the display of morals in this film! There is so much emotion in this film, it really tugs at your heart strings. The filmmakers did a great job of drawing the audiences emotions into the film. And what a climax!  Another plus is the soundtrack -- the music is so gorgeous -- unlike any I've heard. If you don't see the movie at least listen to the music! All in all, I was very impressed with this film (though children wouldn't get much out of it) so next time you're in the market for a good romance and maybe a few tears, consider taking A Walk in the Clouds.