Power for Life Thursday
Today’s film(s) is a popular set. Based on a set of novels by Janette Oke, Love Comes Softly is a series of novels set in the Canadian prairies. It follows the lives of one family down through 3 or 4 generations, and chronicles their tragedies and triumphs in settling the “Wild West.”
One unique thing about this series is the prominent role of women. They’re pretty progressive: raising children, going to medical school, caring for entire communities; all the while fighting the stereotypes of women of that time.
Most of the films were directed by Michael Landon, Jr., whose father Michael Landon wrote and directed another popular western series: Little House on the Prairie.
What do you think makes these series so popular? Is it nostalgia for what seems like simpler times? Is it the prominent role of strong women who are able to care for families and have careers? Maybe it’s the men, who Janette Oke said she patterned after her “dream man.”
In the coming months, there will be two more films made to go with the Love Comes Softly series. I’ve heard that they’re “prequels” to the series, and may give us more of the backstory of the fascinating Davis family.
