Search - The Other Side of Heaven on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 04/01/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 53 mins Studio: Walt Disney Video Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Adventure, Drama, Adventure Drama, Coming-of-Age

A young man from Idaho finds himself in a beautiful but dangerous land in the South Pacific as he follows his faith and tries to spread it to others in this adventure-drama, based on a true story. In 1953, John Groberg (Christopher Gorham) is a 19-year-old student at Brigham Young University, whose greatest adventure in life had been to leave home to go to school in Utah. That all changes when Groberg accepts a missionary assignment in the Tonga Islands near Fiji; Groberg is instructed to "build a kingdom" and educate the natives about the Mormon faith, even though he knows little of their customs and nothing of their language. Leaving behind his sweetheart, Jean Sabin (Anne Hathaway), Groberg arrives in Tonga and is quickly immersed in the native culture, and strives to teach the Tongans about the teachings of the Latter-Day Saints while trying to respect their cultural traditions and face the joys and struggles of primitive life in the South Pacific alongside them. Groberg makes a valuable ally in Feki (Joe Folau), a Tongan who becomes an avid follower of the Mormon faith, but he also finds his loyalty to Jean (with whom he's been maintaining a long-distance relationship through cards and letters) tested when a native girl makes her attraction to him quite clear. Based on the real John Groberg's memoir -In the Eye of the Storm, The Other Side of Heaven was produced by Jerry Molen, Academy Award winning producer of Schindler's List and Jurassic Park; it also marked the directorial debut of screenwriter Mitch Davis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Christopher Gorham - John Groberg
Anne Hathaway - Jean Sabin
Joe Folan - Feki
Miriama Smith - Lavinia
Nathaniel Lees - Kelepi

Mitch Davis' The Other Side of Heaven comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. Thee are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Mitch Davis, a making-of documentary, and a still photo gallery. This is a solid release from Disney/Buena Vista that boasts excellent sound and picture quality. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide