Craig residents pleased to recognize local scenes in film
Opal Caldwell, her sister and sister-in-law were pleased to see the old Bradley farm larger than life and spread across the screen at the Grandin Theatre last week.
Part of the independent film, “Blue Ridge,” was made on her family’s home place, as she proudly pointed out.
The ladies and other Craig County residents were among the crowd gathered on June 14 to see “Blue Ridge” that was made near New Castle and other parts of Craig.
“I thought the film was very good,” said Caldwell.
She and sister Helen Stapleton and sister-in-law Shirlene and Dwight Bradley, who was also at the showing, knew the small white farm house at Paint Bank well. “The house was my mother’s,” said Caldwell. “Of course, they added curtains and other decorations.” In the film, the house was supposed to be the home where character Sara and her grandfather lived, and where he died, leaving her adrift.
“It was interesting to see,” said Stapleton.
Throughout the showing of the film by former Cave Spring resident Vincent Sweeney and starring his brother, Eric Sweeney as J.T., people who live in Craig County or who have ties to it were whispering to themselves about places they recognized or thought they did, including Pinetops Restaurant where the young lovers had an awkward date to eat, but neither of them did.
The old Catawba Grocery is thanked in the credits, as is New Castle resident Holly Wadey, who helped with locations.
National Public Radio WVTF morning reporter Beverly Amsler showed up in two different places in uniform, a questionable one in a party room of an adult book store and near the end, as a legitimate police officer.
“I look pretty good in uniform, don’t I?” Amsler quipped after the showing. She and another police officer, “Who really is a Roanoke County cop named Mike,” she said, approach J.T., who is armed and out of control, with predictable results.
Basically, J.T. kills everybody in sight – except I’m not sure about the yappy poodle next door that he really wants to shoot.
And yet, overall, it’s a sweet story that has some funny lines, and glorious scenes of Craig County mountains in the fall.
“Blue Ridge” should be out on DVD in July, Vince Sweeney said, and according to his publicist, is coming out on iTunes and Vudu too.
