Kate & Leopold

Starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman

Leopold, Duke of Albany, is spending 1867 in New York City, sent there by his family in disgrace because he is 30 and not yet married. While watching a speech by the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, Leopold sees someone behaving oddly in the crowd.

Later that evening, at the ball where he has promised his uncle he would announce an engagement to some wealthy young lady to be determined, Leopold again sees the stranger. The man turns tail and runs, Leopold gives chase and they end up on the upper levels of the half-built Brooklyn Bridge where they wrestle and fall.

Leopold wakes up the next day in a very, very strange place. “Where am I?” he demands. “This is not New York!” It is, but it’s the New York of 2001, not 1867. Stuart, a scientist in 2001, had found a time portal that just happened to be in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Leopold meets Kate, Stuart’s upstairs neighbor, former girlfriend and a career-minded research marketer. Stuart tries to explain who Leopold is, and Kate refuses to believe him. Kate has no use for Leopold until he helps her retrieve her bag from a purse snatcher and her attitude toward him thaws.

Kate is under pressure at work, where she is one of two employees being considered to run the New York office. Leopold helps her recognize her boss’ posturing and self-serving behavior and shows her that it’s possible for ethical behavior to exist in business.

Naturally, Kate and Leopold fall in love. Kate asks, “Do you miss where you’re from?” Leopold responds, “I miss its rhythm.” They spend an idyllic Saturday together, and Kate wishes for a life that’s paced to 1867.

Monday is a momentous day. Kate gets the promotion, and Leopold sadly takes advantage of the portal’s opening again to return to his own time. Stuart warns him that he will arrive back during the same day he left, and that the day, or part of it, may be repeated. We watch as Leopold enters his uncle’s house and has the same conversations with the same people, enters the same ballroom, and catches sight of Stuart exactly as it happened before.

Meanwhile Kate is in the exact same house – in 2001 – attending a company event which will present her as the new Vice President.

But wait! Stuart gets back the roll of developed film from his foray into 1867 – it was his use of the camera which first caught Leopold’s attention that day – and sees something very surprising. He gate crashes the company event and gives the pictures to Kate.

The lovers are reunited – no spoiler there, but I won’t tell you how it comes about. There are a few fun little twists and turns along the way.

So how is this fluffy little romantic comedy an expat movie? Living an expat life is all about adjusting to different cultures and customs. What could be more different than life in the horse and carriage days and life in the 21st-century fast lane with its noise, automobiles, airplanes, remote control everything, Palm Pilots, cell phones, computers, dishwashers and automatic toasters?

Leopold adjusts beautifully without losing any of his authenticity. One only hopes Kate can do the same.

Well, it’s not exactly an expat movie, although various characters do travel to and stay in other countries. But it’s a sweet Christmas-time romantic comedy, so I thought it worthy of a review at this sentimental time of year. It also features an unusual character – the Home Exchange website, a great place to arrange for low-cost living arrangements in another country.

The film was written and Directed by Nancy Meyers, and stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law. It’s about love – unabashedly and with a great many words of dialog. It’s also about opening up to change, in this case geographic change leading to important internal growh.

Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), a young British journalist, treasures an unrequited passion for co-worker Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell). Amanda Woods, movie trailer editor extraordinaire, has just broken up with her live-in boyfriend Ethan.

Scene: The newspaper’s company Christmas party. “And then, there’s another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. It’s called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert,” says Iris. “You know,” Iris’ friend remarks, “I’ve just noticed how pathetic you are.”

Suddenly, Jasper’s engagement to Sarah Smith-Alcott (Circulation, 19th floor) is announced. Iris leaves, and dissolves into floods of tears upon reaching the safety of her home, a darling little cottage in Surrey.

Cut to LA, where movie trailer editor Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is throwing shoes at cheating boyfriend Ethan and throwing him out. No tears here! Amanda hasn’t cried since she was 15 years old. Instead, Amanda decides to go away by herself over Christmas. She searches the internet and finds the Home Exchange website. Amanda likes the looks of the little Surrey cottage and impulsively sends a message of interest.

Amanda and Iris exchange instant messages. “Where are you?” Iris asks, adding “Please say somewhere far away.” Amanda has one question for Iris: are there any men in your town? “Zero,” Iris answers. They agree to trade houses – the next day!

The huge differences in their styles of living are immediately apparent: on the airplane, Iris is squashed between two oversized, middle-aged ladies in coach, while Amanda stretches out in her chair-cum-bed in First Class, a stack of books on the table next to her and a pink-striped mask protecting her eyes from the light.

On arrival, Iris finds warm temperatures, verdant growth, colorful bougainvillea cascading over high walls, beautiful large homes, and the blue Pacific Ocean. Amanda faces snow, cold, and a lane so narrow the driver won’t attempt it so she has to hike, with her oversized suitcase, to the cottage.

Iris dances with excitement when she discovers the swimming pool, restaurant-sized kitchen, media room with an enormous flat-screen TV (as well as a terrifying amount of equipment and thousands of DVDs), an exercise room, an in-home movie-editing studio, and a bedroom with curtains that create a blackout with the touch of a button.

Amanda is so bored after six hours at the charming cottage that she plans to return to LA the next day.

Iris befriends Arthur Abbot (Eli Wallach), Amanda’s elderly neighbor. Graham Simpkins (Jude Law), Iris’ brother, shows up at the cottage at 1 AM on Amanda’s first night, after a long session at the pub. He’s insanely good looking, somewhat drunk, and very surprised to see Amanda instead of Iris.

Amanda explains that they’ve switched houses for two weeks, and Graham asks, “People actually do that?” “Apparently,” Amanda replies.

Graham asks how it’s going for her, and she tells him she is leaving on the noon plane. “I came here on a stupid whim,” she states.

“Honestly, I’ve never thought about anything less. It’s very unlike me. . . I didn’t want to be alone over the holidays, and I guess I thought that, if I were somewhere else, I wouldn’t realize that I was alone but then I got here and I’ve never felt more alone in my life.”

Graham ends up spending the night, and the next morning Amanda arrives at Heathrow for the flight home.

Meanwhile, Iris has spent a restful night alone, and wakes up to bright sunshine (once she remembers to flick the switch to open the blackout curtains.) Arthur Abbott, former Hollywood screenwriter, introduces her to the Hollywood of bygone times through his anecdotes and movie recommendations (all starring strong women with gumption). Arthur asks why she came to LA for Christmas, and Iris admits she is trying to get away from an ex-boyfriend who just got engaged. “So he’s a schmuck,” Arthur announces calmly. Arthur explains,

“In the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady. But for some reason you’re behaving like the best friend.”

“You’re so right,” Iris replies. “You’re supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for God’s sake.”

Miles, a young movie music composer, and Iris become friends as well.

After several romantic interludes, Amanda discovers that Graham is not the footloose bachelor she thought, but a widower with two young daughters. Their situation suddently goes way beyond complicated. Graham tries to explain:

“Until I get to know somebody really well, it’s easier for me to be a normal, single guy because it’s way too complicated for me to be who I really am. . . . I have no idea how to date and be this.”

On Christmas Eve, Iris and Miles are in the video store together (with a cameo by Dustin Hoffman as himself) when Miles sees his actress girlfriend Maggie, who was supposed to be on location in New Mexico, walk by clutching another man. He rushes outside and confronts her, returning dejected. Back at the house, Iris tries to console him and describes her own situation with Jasper. Iris tells Miles:

“And after all that, you’ll go somewhere new and you’ll meet people who’ll make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.”

Graham and Amanda try to figure out whether they can maintain their relationship long distance. Miles and Iris are lunching when he gets a phone call from Maggie and rushes off.

Jasper shows up unexpectedly in LA, looking for Iris’ editing help on a book he’s writing. “I don’t want to lose you, babe,” he tells Iris. Jasper suggests they sneak off to Venice together after she comes back to London.

“Are you free to do that?” she asks him. “Are you not with Sarah any more? Is that what you’ve come here to tell me?”

“I wish you could just accept knowing how confused I am about all this,” Jasper responds.

“Ok, let me just translate that. So, you are still engaged to be married.”

“Yes, but. . .”

Iris explodes at him.

“But you waltzing in here on my lovely Christmas holiday and telling me that you don’t want to lose me whilst you’re about to get married somehow newly entitles me to say ‘it’s over.’ This twisted, toxic thing between us is finally finished! I’ve got a life to start living! And you’re not going to be in it. Now, I’ve got somewhere really important to be, and you have got to get the hell out.”

Iris shoves Jasper out the door and slams it in his face. Later that evening, Miles tells her he’s through with Maggie, and asks what Iris is doing for New Year’s Eve. “I’ll be back in England by New Year’s Eve,” she responds. “I’ve never been to England,” Miles tells her. “If I go over there, will you go out with me New Year’s Eve?” “Love to.”

Meanwhile, Amanda and Graham have a serious parting. As she leaves the village in the back seat of the hired car, her eyes fill with tears. She orders the driver to turn around, and rushes back to the cottage where Graham meets her, red-eyed. “Why would I ever leave before New Year’s Eve?” she asks. “That makes no sense at all!” “ I have the girls New Year’s Eve,” he tells her. “Sounds perfect” Amanda responds.

They all gather for a New Year’s Eve party at Graham’s house with Iris, Miles, Graham, Amanda and the little girls, Phoebe and Olivia.

Will Amanda exchange the verdant abundance of her LA lifestyle to stay in England with Graham? Will Miles decide to experience London and Europe a while longer? Will Iris go back to LA with Miles? Or will their holiday become just another holiday, another blip in their “normal” lives?

I don’t know the answer, but I’m pretty sure that Iris will move forward with self confidence and gumption, and Amanda will have a more open heart as a result of their willingness to try on each other’s lives for a brief time.

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is multi-layered expat novel, which was made into a TV mini-series in 1981. It has been one of my favorites for a long time, not only because of the expat themes, but because it also features a strong female protagonist who overcomes some truly daunting obstacles. Author Nevil Shute is interesting in his own right. A prolific author, with over 20 novels to his credit, Nevil Shute Norway was by profession an aeronautic engineer and pilot. Shute became an expat himself. He was born in 1916 in London, and emigrated with his wife and daughters to Australia in 1950 following World War II. His books strongly reflect his love of airplanes and flying, and his adopted country. He died in Melbourne, Australia in 1960.

London, After World War II

The book is divided into three distinct sections: London just after World War II, Malaya during the War, and subsequently in Malaya and Australia. When we first meet her, Jean Padgett is a young woman, living by herself in London after the end of World War II. She receives a letter from solicitor Noel Strachan who informs her that her uncle Douglas Macfadden has died, and that if she can prove she is his niece she may be entitled to part of his estate. Jean meets with Mr. Strachan and discovers that Mr. Macfadden, whom she barely remembers, was reasonably well off and has left her his entire fortune. However, being a confirmed bachelor and not trusting a woman’s ability to handle her own financial affairs, Jean’s legacy is to be held in trust for her by Mr. Strachan and his partner until she reaches the age of 35.

During the War

Jean shares her history with Mr. Strachan over the next several months. He learns that she lived as a young child in Malaya (modern-day Malaysia), where her father worked in the rubber industry. Jean and her brother Donald learned to speak Malay, and their mother encouraged them to continue using the language even after they went to England to attend school. After finishing school, Donald got a job in Malaya, and Jean went to live there as well in 1939, working as a shorthand typist. War had broken out, but the family felt Jean would be safer in Malaya than in England.

However, Malaya was taken over by the Japanese. Jean’s evacuation to Singapore was slowed down when she detoured to help a family with three young children, and she was captured by the Japanese along with others who had not made it out in time. The men and older boys were removed to a prisoner of war camp, but there were no accommodations for female prisoners or children. Instead, the Japanese Captain ordered them to march, under guard, to Kuala Lumpur, from whence they would be transported to new prison camps being built in Singapore.

There was no prison camp for women, in Singapore or anywhere else, and the group was marched from one end of Malaya to the other. After months of forced marches, near starvation and lack of medical attention, and during which two-thirds of the original number died, they found a safe haven in a small village. Their Japanese guard had fallen ill and died, and Jean persuaded the headman of the village to let them stay and help with the rice planting in exchange for food and shelter. They stayed there for three years, until the war ended.

At one point during their travels, the women and children had come across several Australian prisoners who were driving trucks for the Japanese. The men felt sorry for the women, and obtained some food and medicine for them. One of the men also stole several chickens for the women, and when the theft was discovered, he was punished so severely that he died while the women were forced to watch.

After the war, Jean returned to England, went to work for Pack & Levy, a firm that made high-end shoes and handbags, and tried to forget her war experiences. Her brother Donald had died while a prisoner of the Japanese, and their mother had also died.

After the Legacy

Jean leaves her job and goes to Malaya to dig a well as a way of thanking the village that sheltered her during the final three years of the war. While chatting with the well diggers, Jean discovers that Joe Harman, the Australian prisoner who had stolen the chickens for them, had survived his ordeal and recovered after months in the hospital. She decides to travel on to Australia to see for herself how he is doing.

Jean and Joe are reunited, after a few twists and turns, and fall in love. Jean never does return to England but marries Joe. After learning how girls from the small Outback town near the cattle ranch that Joe manages leave home and move to cities thousands of miles away because there is no work for them, Jean starts a business employing a few young women to make fancy alligator shoes and handbags like those she became familiar with while living and working for Pack & Levy in London. This starts a snowball effect: instead of leaving for the cities, the girls who work for Jean stay in town, get married, and start families. They leave their jobs, and more girls come to work for Jean, which attracts more stockriders and other male workers to the town. Jean opens up an ice cream shop to give them someplace to spend their money. The shop employs a few more girls, attracting more men to the area, and giving Jean ideas for more businesses. The town is gradually transformed from a dusty Outback hole to a vibrant little community, with plenty of entertainment for the young families. The initial source of all this growth is Jean’s inheritance, doled out to her in small pieces by Mr. Strachan according to the terms of his trusteeship. Ironically, the Macfadden family money was earned by a grandfather, who worked in one of the “gold towns” of the Australian outback, towns which had boomed during the country’s gold rush, and then gone bust.

Postscript

Fascinating to me is the fact that the middle portion of the story is based on a true circumstance, and the author explains in a note at the end that he expects to be “accused of falsifying history.” In fact, he states, the forced march of the women happened in Sumatra in 1942, not in Malaya. According to Shute:

“A party of about eighty dutch women and children were collected in the vicinity of Padang. The local Japanese commander was reluctant to assume responsibility for thse women and, to solve his problem, marched them out of his area; so began a trek all round Sumatra which lasted for two and a half years. At the end of this vast journey less than thirty of them were still alive.”

“In 1949 I stayed with Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Geysel-Vonck … Mrs. Geysel had been a member of that party. … In the years that followed Mrs. Geysel marched over twelve hundred miles carrying her baby, in circumstances similar to those which I have described. She emerged from this fantastic ordea undaunted, and with her son fit and well.

“I do not think that I have ever before turned to real life for an incident in one of my novels. If I have done so now it is because I have been unable to rsist the appeal of this true story, and because I want to pay what tribute is within my power to the most gallant lady I have ever met.”