User Reviews

I submitted a review not long ago, but I don't think it was accepted because I had a lot of political commentary about not so politically correct stuff.

In 1985, when I was 14 years old, my mother came into my room and handed me a paperback book called FOLLOW THE RIVER. "This is the most INSPIRING story I've read in a long long time." I, not being much of a reader at that age, took this book, and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!!

It is, to this day, my all time favorite novel. That they made a little TV movie based on this wonderful work was bad enough. They should have made an epic feature film about the unforgettable protag and her true story. But to make a TV movie that squishes 5 months in a woman's life into 2 commercial ridden hours, and sanitizes the facts too??? Foul!!!

Mary Draper Ingles was a young mother of three. Her third baby was actually due to be born any day. On July 8, 1755, Shawnee Native Americans raided her settlement in Virginia, killed many of her neighbors, and even killed her mother. Then they abducted her, her two little boys, her sister in law Bettie, and a neighbor named Lenard, and took them from Virginia, up into W. Virginia thru the New River Gorge, on to the mighty Ohio River, and into Southern Ohio (present site of Portsmouth). Mrs. Ingles' life is scattered, devastated and all but destroyed. Eventually, in a few weeks as a captive, she loses her family. Her sons are adopted and taken to still another faraway Shawnee settlement. Bettie is given as a wife to a Shawnee man, and Mary herself is sold to French traders, along with a new friend, Ghetel, an elderly Dutch widow. Her life further ruined and disrupted, she makes a fateful decision: either return home to Virginia and to her husband William, or life is not worth living. Will is all she has left to remind her of who she truly is. She must return to him.

The movie devotes a mere 20 mins. to Mary's 1000 mile walk home. The book is so much more fun to experience, so rich in detail, and author James A. Thom constantly lets you inside Mary's head to know her thoughts, fears, regrets. She decides she must abandon the baby girl she had en route to her slavery. A Shawnee woman has pretty much taken over the baby anyway.

In September 1755, Mary and the elderly Dutch woman Ghetel escape while on a salt making assignment at the Big Bone Lick in western Kentucky, even father from home than the town in Southern Ohio, and from western Kentucky, through Southern Ohio, through W. Va and the formidable New River Gorge, formed through the centuries into tall, dark, rocky palisades that Mary, who has been weakened, starved and fatigued by her travels already, is forced to CLIMB in order to reach her husband. On top of this, it is already wintertime.

None of these wonderous facts are in the movie. Instead, we are given a completely fictitious segment at the end. It just seems all watered-down, sanitized, politically correct. The ending of the movie is NOTHING AT ALL like the one in the book. Mary's two sons were taken from her. Her younger boy died right after he was taken from his mother. Thirteen years passed before Mary laid eyes on the older son again. The baby daughter was NOT BROUGHT BACK TO MARY BY CAPT. WILDCAT. The baby daughter was adopted by a Shawnee woman and never seen by her natural mother again. The ending of the TV movie was like a politically correct fairy tale.

Because of the depression, the emotional toll the events took on Mary Ingles' life, her hair turned prematurely white at the age of 23. But thankfully, she did return to her husband William, she did recover from her malnutrition, and she had four more children. In 1768, she and her oldest son, Thomas, who was 5 when she saw him last, were reunited after he was ransomed. Bettie Draper, who was given to be the wife/concubine of a Shawnee man, was also ransomed, but died at the young age of 42, doubtlessly having never fully recovered from her ordeal.

Fact: Life isn't fair. Bad things happen to good people. Things don't always end up well and fine. The history of this country is not a fairy tale.

In my opinion, if you're afraid of not being politically correct in telling the facts, don't make the movie.

Follow The River was the best book I have ever read, and knowing it was a true story made it even more interesting. It has been about a year and a half since I read the book and I was quite excited to learn that the story had been made in to a movie. Even though the movie had been around since 1995 I didn't know it existed. The movie was quite a disappointment. From what I read in the book, Mary Ingles appeared to be a strong, passionate, brave and courageous woman. I don't understand why some of the events of the story were changed in the movie. There was no need for changes.Why didn't the script stick to the story just as it happened. It was a true life event---not a work of fiction. More time should have been given to her journey home. So much was left out. I don't think the acting was strong enough either. Maybe some day there will be a remake with actors that will fit the roles and it will be in the movie theaters so it will include many of the events that were left out and give more time to the journey back home.

This is one of my favorite movies to watch. I so admire the main character's, Mary Ingles', courage and perseverance under great trial. I had a chance to read the story of the real Mary Ingles that this was based on, and what an amazing lady she was!

Good performances by Sheryl Lee, Eric Schweig, and Ellen Burstyn. Hallmark told this tale without a lot of violence, no profanity, and no trashy sex. This film is well worth seeing.

I know it has been 10 years since this show aired, but now that I'm registered at IMDb I felt it necessary for my FIRST comment to go to the one show that has forever been stuck in my mind as having been ruined - Follow The River. I, like Mari-36, read the book in my teen years (my mother's copy as well) loved the book so immensely. When the movie aired on television, I was dumb-founded that anything could be so contrived. Especially when the book (even though itself was only based on the true story of Mary Ingles) layed everything out on the table. The screenplay was molly-coddled for all of the sensitive people out there in tele-world and it would have to be considering it is public television, aired during family hours. Would public television, in 1995, be able to show a gray-haired Mary in nothing but her "bare" essentials? It REALLY should have been made into a 3hr movie for the true movie buffs out there (preferably directed by James Cameron). That way, the people involved with writing the script wouldn't have to mamby-pamby around. It's possible that THEY even wanted to give it a broader scope, but considering the audience is a must when you write for t.v.

My advice - skip the show, read the novel.... twice. :)

This is a family film based on the James Alexander Thom book detailing the real life experiences of Virginia pioneer Mary Ingles, who was taken captive by Shawnees Indians in 1755. Although the film does not follow the book at times, the spirit and courage of Mary Ingles shine through. (At times, the book contained brutality that cannot be included in a family film.) Filmed in the mountains of North Carolina, the scenery is spectacular. Eric Schweig does an excellent job as the Shawnee chief Wildcat who controls Mary's fate. Sheryl Lee plays the indomitable Mary Ingles, and Ellen Burstyn is particularly effective as Gretel. The film is a testament to the courage of early American pioneers; it's hard to believe that anyone could withstand what Mary Ingles went through in trying to return to her beloved husband Will. Those interested in American history, American Indians,and inspiring love stories will enjoy this movie.

This was probably the worst adaptation of a book I have ever seen. The book was absolutely unforgettable, the movie is very forgettable. This is not to say the actors were bad. I thought Sheryl Lee, Renee O'Connor and Eric Schweig all did credible jobs acting, considering the Political Correct dribble that was passed off as writing. If I were James Alexander Thom I would NEVER option another book to Hollywood considering the treatment of this book. If you want the real story of a woman who trekked nearly 1000 miles from Northern Kentucky to her farm in Virginia as winter was coming on. No weapons, no blankets, her clothes rotting off, and the only food was that which was found along the way, Follow the River by Jim Thom is the book for you.

A few years ago, I was at a pub in Santa Monica, CA. Having a beer and reading John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meaney". A man was sitting next to me and we struck up conversation about the book, and if it could be made in to a movie (Which, sad to say, it sort of was in the guise of "Simon Birch", another book ruined by Hollywood, but I digress)This man then asked me what great book I had read which I thought would be a great movie, and I said "Follow the River". I explained the story to him (Mari's review is great)and even that I would cast Eric Schweig as Wildcat. Less than a year later, viola, this god-awful movie shows up on television (and I don't think it was a coincidence). This book is so beautiful, a tale of strong will and courage, overcoming great odd's. And it's turned into American-pie everyone lives happily ever after fodder. Why must Hollywood take wonderful books and ruin them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

If I could give a rating lower than 1 star, this movie would deserve it. It has almost no connection to the reality of a great and true story and should never been made like this.

The true story of Mary Draper Ingles in readily available and like others, I read the novel of "Follow the River" by Mr. Thom and it was outstanding and hugely impressive story of a real American heroine. Her real story deserves to be told as awful as it was without the revisionism of someone politically correct with little connection to the true story other than names.

Because I loved the Thom novel so much, I sought out and bought the manuscript written by her son in the early 1800s. Looking at her son's account (as told to him by his mother and father), Thom did very little embellishment to the true account, whereas the writers of this movie changed most everything to make it a happy little story.

Don't waste your time or money to see this version, get the basics from and Internet search and a fuller understanding of the reality by reading Thom's novel.

Mary Draper Ingles was probably one of the strongest women that I have ever heard (or not heard) of, not only physically, but mentally, spiritually, and of will. She deserves an accurate portrayal of her losses and her indomitable will. She is a true heroine to me, not this worse than sugar-coated fairy tale.

I really enjoyed the movie. What is the saying? "If fate hands you lemons, make lemonade." Mary Ingles makes the best of her situation, but in the end decides it better to leave her children with the Shawnee and try and make it back to her husband many days travel away. That would be one tough decision. But then she is very STRONG. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/21/2021

James Alexander Thom writes novels that absolutely grip you with their intense realism, authentic settings and sometimes unexpectedly amusing content. His greatest work I believe is Panther in the Sky (a story of the Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenkswatawa the Prophet). Don't miss it! Hopefully it will not be made into a movie as unfeeling as Follow the River.

This movie has the two returning women (on a 1000 mile journey) wearing clothes whose length would never permit them to travel through the woods, let alone do so without being torn to shreds. Everyone is portrayed as being forever clean, looking well-fed and with their hair always in place. The constantly changing relationship between the two women (as shown in the film) is obviously contrived and ultimately became very boring. An excellent adult book was made into a children's fantasy.

This movie was very pleasing and uplifting. It showed strength and courage. The women in their attempt to get home had to be brave. It also showed the Indian people to be merciful and with big hearts and a sense of humor. Their ways were different from the whites but still they knew that family is the most important thing there is in life.

Several years ago I read this book. I loved the book. So when I saw it was on TV this afternoon I decided to watch it.

I know that books are nothing like the movie and movies are never like the book but after 30 minutes I had to turn this drivel off.

It was bad enough that it is not accurate to the book or even history but the fact that everyone looked like a character from a romance novel just sent me over the edge.

Just a bad bad movie. Not even worth writing anymore about.

But it is seems I have to write more to get this posted! It amazes me that people will take the time & money to make movies based on books and then just take the title and character names. This movie is a great example of why if you are to read the book you can't get away with watching the movie!