The Help

I've had the chance to see the movie 'The Help' twice; once in Utah with LuAnn and Cherie and then back home with Pat. It is a gorgeous look at America's history with relationships. While provocative, it doesn't upset you or cause anguish. It actually has some great humor while also conveying a very serious storyline. It has given me much to think about. Cherie has read the book and said it is even better than the movie and I will also read it in a couple of months for Book Group. I look forward to it.
One scene in the movie has aerial views of one of the homes in Mississippi where a main character in the movie lives. What you hear though is a descriptive dialogue of something happening. This goes on for several minutes until it becomes clear that it is the TV broadcast of John F. Kennedy's funeral.
Hearing that description and then seeing the black and white images of Mrs. Kennedy and family bring back very vivid memories of the actual event. It was a scary, heart-stopping time in American history. What I most remember about the funeral, and why I wanted to blog about it, is seeing my Dad silently sit in his chair in the living room, watching the funeral on TV (everything shut down for a national day of mourning so Dad was home from work). He was not relaxed but literally sitting on the edge of his chair and he had tears streaming down his cheeks. He was never comfortable crying and letting others see his tears but I was so touched by his emotion. It communicated volumes about his feelings about America and this tragic event.