The story of gaining the West with dedication of the people that built it. All framed up in a photograph of a couple's legacy.
A photographer, who has been hired to photograph the wild west of America where he has lived his entire life, tells his client of a photograph he has that was taken one hundred years ago by his French great-grandmother that epitomizes what he is trying to capture. The story behind the photographer's heritage and that photograph... In the early 1870s, photographer Francis Leroy and who would eventually becomes his wife, Jeanne Leroy née Perriere, a baker's daughter and an aspiring photographer in her own right, move from Paris, where strife has taken hold due to Napoleon's loss in the Franco-Prussian War, to the American west, where the light is more conducive for their photography work. The move is despite not knowing about life at their destination and not knowing how to speak English. Veterinarian David Williams and his wife Mary Williams love each other, but their wants in life are incompatible with each other, David who loves his work treating real animals on farms and ranches, while Mary would rather live in Philadelphia where she was raised, especially as she feels isolated more often than not being alone on their remote farm. Several years later after both Francis and Mary are tragically killed in separate incidents, Jeanne and David meet for the first time as they both drop their respective children off at the same boarding school run by its unconventional teacher, Alice. Despite Jeanne and David's attraction to each other, a second chance at love for both may be impeded by the memories of their respective first spouse, for David especially as Mary's murderers were never caught.—Huggo
France 1870: Napoleon III has just lost the war against Prussia and left the country in poverty. Young Jeanne falls in love with photographer Francis, who soon takes her with him when he emigrates to America. In a small town in the still wild west, they build up a small photo shop. Meanwhile animal doctor David lives on his lonesome farm together with his unlucky wife. It takes years and two tragic accidents until Jeanne and David meet. She has already decided to return to France as soon as possible, but then they silently and carefully fall in love for the second time in their lives...—Tom Zoerner <[email protected]>
France 1870: Napoleon III has just lost the war against Prussia and left Paris in poverty. Young Jeanne ditches her lieutenant fiancee when she falls in love with photographer Francis. They emigrate to America,catching a Wagon Train to the West. While on the wagon train Jeanne sees a Polish fortune teller who predicts Francis will die and Jeanne will never return to Paris.
Jeanne marries Francis and they have a daughter. They settle in Redwood in the still wild west, where they open a photography studio. Francis becomes the town photographer and follows the news although the Redland Gazette cannot print his photographs and cannot afford to transfer the photos to etchings. But he persists in photographing fires and hangings of criminals.
SPOILER: Francis is shot by men who object to his incessant photographing of events.
In the parallel plot veterinarian David Williams lives on his remote farm with his unhappy wife who wants him to move to Redwood else she will return to Philadelphia for family and company. She gives birth to their son Simon and threatens to take him to Philadelphia never to return. "Over my dead body" David retorts.
SPOILER: David blows off steam at the town saloon where he shoots "polo pool" (billiards on horseback) and wins. He is kind of a gambler. He returns home to find his wife murdered.
David starts his new life in the town where Jeanne and Francis have set up their photo studio. He takes his son Simon to the town schoolteacher who also takes care of the children of "saloon girls." There he meets Jeanne whose daughter goes to the school, and they become acquainted. Because of their mutual past tragedies, they eventually fall in love.
David, ever the gambler, enters the "race of the century" where runners, buckboards and horse riders vie for plots of land given by the owner of the town newspaper.
SPOILER: After the race David is kidnapped, blindfolded and taken to an outlaw hideout to treat a man who had been shot. He notices one of the outlaws is wearing his wife's bracelet. When the outlaws return him he waits a while and follows them back to their camp and confronts them.
The authenticity of this film captures you as it is shot with such verissimilitude. You can almost smell the unwashed people and taste the prairie dust and gunsmoke. Reminds you of the HBO series Deadwood with its quirky characters and fast paced turn of events.
