After checking this out of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library a couple of weeks ago, I finally watched Cut Off native Glen Pitre's The Scoundrel's Wife (or as printed in the movie proper-Home Front) with my parents. My dad was bored and left partly through but me and my mom stayed for the whole thing and both enjoyed it. Tatum O'Neal plays Camille Picou, a widow during World War II who's ostracized in her community that's the same as the director's because of something she and her late husband did during the '30s. Her teen children Florida (Lacey Chabert) and Blue (Patrick McCullough) don't find out what until the end. Meanwhile, a doctor from Germany (Julian Sands) has arrived and takes care of many other men from there as they arrive from U-boats wounded and sick. That doesn't sit will with many of the residents including a Coast Guard Ensign (Jack Burwell, played by Eion Bailey who I just found out lost the Batman role to Christian Bale for Batman Begins years ago) who is under pressure to make an arrest. I'll stop right there and mention that Pitre the director takes enough time with his and wife Michelle Benoit's screenplay to figure out who's with who and how times were in the Pelican State during the early '40s. There's also an amusing turn by Tim Curry as the local priest also originally from Germany who likes to drink. Many fine performances abound in this regional drama and besides McCullough who's from Metairie, other Louisiana natives acting in this production are Michael Arata (Coast Guard Commander) who was born in New Orleans and John McConnell (Dance Hall Owner) who was born in my now hometown of Baton Rouge and has a radio show in New Orleans. Wonderful location shots of Lafourche Parish and Lockport flow through the movie. This is the third movie written by Pitre that I've seen, the others being Belizaire the Cajun and Hurricane on the Bayou which I saw at the IMAX theatre in the Cresent City. For anyone interested in Louisiana period flavor, I highly recommend The Scoundrel's Wife (a.k.a. Home Front).
