- For the novel, see Bridge to Terabithia (novel)
- For the movie adaptation of 2007 see Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film)
| Bridge to Terabithia | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Eric Till |
| Produced by | Edward K. Dodds |
| Written by | Katherine Paterson Nancy Sackett |
| Starring | Julian Coutts Julie Beaulieu Tom Heaton Annette O'Toole |
| Music by | George Elian Thomas Richard Sharp |
| Cinematography | Philip Linzey |
| Distributed by | PBS Disney Channel WonderWorks |
| Release date(s) | February 4, 1985 |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Country |  |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | Bridge to Terabithia (2007) |
| IMDb profile | |
Bridge to Terabithia was the name of a telefilm shot in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for PBS in 1985, starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts, and Julie Beaulieu. The film is based on the children's novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
Contents |
Plot summary
10-year-old Jesse Aarons (Julian Coutts) is an aspiring yet shy elementary school boy living in a financially-struggling family. 10-year-old Leslie Burke (Julie Beaulieu) is the new girl at Jess's school, just arriving on the school's athletics day. She enters a running event which she wins with ease, despite her classmates calling it a "boys only" race. Jess is, at first, quite sour about this and wants nothing to do with Leslie, but Leslie's persistence in meeting him soon pays off, with the two becoming friends. Jess shares his secret love of drawing with Leslie; Leslie shares with Jess her love of fantasy stories. Together they venture into the woods, where they swing across a rope and find a tree house on the other side. Here, the two friends invent a whole new world—Terabithia—and it comes to life through their eyes, which they explore together. Jess and Leslie base the evil creatures of Terabithia on the people that give them a hard time at school. Their music teacher, Ms. Edmunds (Annette O'Toole), notices Jess's artistic skills and decides to take him on a field trip to an art museum. Jess has an unspoken crush on the teacher and does not want to share the trip with Leslie, so he goes to the museum alone (though, the day before, Jess appears to be in love with Leslie after the trip to Terabithia). When Jess returns home, his father (Tom Heaton) yells at him, as Jess neglected to tell them where he was going, then tells him the horrific news: Leslie has died after trying to cross a fallen tree over a rain-swollen river, falling into the river, hitting her head on a rock knocking her unconscious and drowning her. Jess suffers much grief, and he and his parents attend the funeral together. Jess feels overwhelming guilt for Leslie's death, thinking that it would not have happened had he invited Leslie along on his trip with Ms. Edmunds. He is consoled by his father that their intense friendship should be kept alive for her sake. So, Jess re-imagines Terabithia and builds a bridge across the river to welcome a new ruler. He invites his sister to be that new princess, who is delighted after being previously denied every opportunity to enter Terabithia. She and Jess bring back Terabithia in even greater splendor; Jess the king and his sister the princess, and they rule over the free peoples of the kingdom together forever.
Cast
- Julian Coutts as Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr.
- Julie Beaulieu as Leslie Burke
- Annette O'Toole as Miss Edmunds
- Gloria Carlin as Mrs. Aarons
- Tom Heaton as Jesse Oliver Aarons, Sr. (Mr. Aarons)
- Peter Dvorsky as Mr. Bill Burke
- Darlene Bradley as Mrs. Judy Burke
- Sharon Holownia as Brenda Aarons
- Jennifer Matichuk as Maybelle Aarons
- Tyler Popp as Gary Fulcher
- Bridget Ryan as Janice Avery
Criticism
This film is often criticised for its inferiority to the 2007 version.
