Cheap Strangers in Good Company (Video) (Alice Diabo, Constance Garneau) (Cynthia Scott) Price

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Customer Reviews of Strangers in Good Company

At the time the film was made, the 7 women, all non-actors, were feeling old and marginalized in their lives. Their situation changed one magical summer when they became unlikely movie stars. This film is a record of that summer. The viewer is caressed by the presence of these women as they open up and blossom before our eyes on screen. Enduring friendships were forged among cast members, many of whom felt their participation in this film was the best experience of their lives. Inevitably, most of the cast members are now gone. It is rewarding to know that these women lived to experience their standing ovations when the film was initially released.

Please note that there is a companion book about the making of the film (and more), written by cast member Mary Meigs titled "In the Company of Strangers" published by Talonbooks. It is a splendid read and is available from Amazon.com.

Simply Marvelous
This is one of those miraculous surpises in life. Each of the women in the movie presents their real lives and spirits in the fictional setting of a bus broken down 20 miles from civilization. They spend three days surrounded by the most beautiful scenery possible, exposing their humanity to each other and to the audience. It's the kind of movie and story that makes you happy to be alive, even while it forces you to confront your mortality. It also serves as a gentle reminder that every person you meet has a rich and nuanced personal history. No one can be simply judged and ignored, as our normally hectic lives might pressure us to do.

Sisters at heart
The American historian Page Smith once wrote, "After an acquaintance of ten minutes, many women will exchange confidences that a man would not reveal to a lifelong friend." It's true that "Strangers in Good Company" is set in beautiful country and that the friendships that are born and explored during its hour-and-a-half length are absolutely charming and endearing to the Nth degree, but I believe more than anything else, it portrays the sense of sisterhood that exists among women over the age of 40. There's just something about being a woman who's no longer thought of as "young" that bonds women to each other, when they finally realize that gravity and hemorrhoids happen and there are worse things in life than growing old, and that being married (all a girl thinks about when she's young) isn't the be-all and end-all of a woman's existence. The women in this film are generally older than me but still, I felt that sense of sisterhood among them, and loved watching as each revealed her past, noting how some still revel in being alive while others seem to have given up and now wait to die. What really tickled me was, each character reminded me of a person I know in my own life (altho' I doubt my great aunt---a former school teacher---would be pleased to hear that "an ol' Lesbian" reminded me of HER [hahahahahahahahaha!]): Winnie, the dancer, who still thinks of herself as graceful and sexy; sweet little Cissy, almost overcome with emotion whenever she thinks of her son; Mary who, for all her art and appreciation for birds and nature, seems to take the world so literally; Catherine singing hymns while she works; Michelle who's younger than the others, but still senses that she has more in common with these "old ladies" than she thought at first glance; Beth, the loner, who at 80 is still self-conscious about her appearance; Constance, whose physical presence, as she sat and walked about, reminded me SO much of my dear little maternal grandmother (except that Grandma was full of joy until the moment of her death at age 92); and Alice, dear Alice. I've always had an "Alice"-type person in my life, an Earth mother sort who, when faced with the possibility of her own death, decides to go fishing instead. Lord, if I can be anything I want before I die, please let me be an Alice. In short, I LOVED this movie.... and you will, too!