Review: A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998)

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

The latest collaboration of James Ivory, Ismail Merchant and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is 'A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries.' Following the life of an American girl and her family living in Paris and later on Long Island, the film explores many of the sweet and sour moments of growing up. It also convincingly depicts the bonds that glue together these lively Americans, though it reaches an ending that is flat and under-realized.

Because of his tough-guy reputation, one wouldn't think the American novelist James Jones (1921-77) would be a devoted husband and wise father. If the real Jones resembled Bill Willis in Kaylie Jones' novel 'A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries,' then indeed he was a breaker of stereotypes. Kris Kristofferson, who plays Bill Willis, paints his character with gruff but sweet strokes, and what comes across is a family man who will go to any lengths to protect his children and ensure their happiness. Most viewers would agree he is a bit too liberal, encouraging his daughter and her current beau to sleep together in her bedroom, so at least they will not be doing it in cars. Kristofferson hands in one of the strongest acting jobs in the film, with his straight-on approach and easy relationships with others in the cast.

And a strong ensemble it is, too. Willis and his wife Marcella (Barbara Hershey) have a daughter Charlotte "Channe" (Luisa Conlon as a child, and as a teen, Leelee Sobieski), a child much adored by her French nanny Candida (Dominique Blanc). James Jones saw action in the Pacific theater in World War 2, and was part of a second, post-war wave of American expatriates living in Paris. Daughter Kaylie doubtless writes about herself in Channe, a girl much loved by her prosperous parents. The girl's world is at least mildly upset by the arrival of a boy from an orphanage, Benoit (Samuel Gruen and, later, Jesse Bradford). Benoit soon adopts "Billy" after his new American dad, and we see several escapades starring Billy and Channe in which they grow close as brother and sister. In one touching scene, young Channe invites Billy to sleep with her, as his bed is wet. Gratefully he gathers his suitcase, which he carries everywhere in anticipation of another displacement, and follows his strange blond sister.

Once we know the characters and their situation, a three-part storytelling structure begins with the name "Billy" across the screen. His character is developed well in this segment, partly through his relationship with mother Marcella. Hershey plays a rabidly protective mother who throws sand in the face of a teacher who has been confining Billy to the coat closet. She loves Billy unconditionally and tells him frequently, most movingly when he expresses a type of survivor's guilt after Marcella has a miscarriage. But the character to whom he relates the most is Channe, who seems to be the post to which the other characters are tethered. Relationships in the story appear to go against type - there are a lot a group hugs going on - but the lack of dysfunction does not draw doubt from the viewer, and this is quite a feat of the depiction of sincerity.

'Francis' is the second name heading: Francis Fortesque, he of the brilliant ability and eccentric taste. Think of child confidantes like Dill from 'To Kill a Mockingbird', or the little country boy from 'My Father's Glory'. He's a good foil to Channe, drawing some of the negative attention away from her and even from Billy, who are having tough times adjusting to their new school. Anthony Roth Costanzo lets himself loose as Francis, a boy nurtured by his mother but misunderstood by his peers - except the Willises. Costanzo's performance is the centerpiece of the second narrative segment, though it falls off (along with the beloved presence of Candida) when the Willis family returns to the States.

'Daddy' is the third segment. Because of a heart condition, Willis wants to be under the care of American doctors, and wishes his children to know more of their American roots (instead of becoming "Euro-trash brats" like many of their friends' children). The film falls off a bit in its magnetic narration, perhaps because the family now lives in rural Long Island instead of a diverse European culture-haven. But Bill Willis' relationship with Channe takes center stage, as he gives life lessons and directions for handling matters after his heart does him in.

Leelee Sobieski sports an uncanny resemblance to Helen Hunt as a teenager, tall and blond and willowy, eyes often partially shut in her insouciant manner. Sobieski does nicely in portraying the conflicts, awkwardness and joy of adolescence.

The last minutes of the film stop the gradual momentum of the entire story. I have not read the autobiographical novel, so I don't know about its end. But director James Ivory seems to be missing an action to trigger the resonance he is after.

The film did not see wide distribution in the midwestern United States, an indicator that it is a "small" film. Aside from the flatness of its conclusion, 'A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries' features a very likable and functional family growing together through the 1960s and '70s. I would bring it home on video and enjoy it, although not with the entire family, as its language and sexual references label it with a big 'R'.

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