The Holden Landmark Aug. 10, 2006

'Lucy Keyes' earns raves from hometown fans
BY PHYLLIS BOOTH



PRINCETON - Last Thursday's crowd of more than 1,000 people were unstinting in their praise of "The Legend of Lucy Keyes," written and directed by local resident John Stimpson.

"Great movie," "spooky" and "scary" were just some of the reviews delivered by filmgoers after the movie was shown under the stars at Krashes Field on August 3.

The smell of popcorn and pizza wafted through the air as children ran in every direction, many waving or wearing glow sticks. Some had glow sticks wrapped around their waist, others as collars, anklets and wristbands. As night fell, all that could be seen of the kids as they streaked through the crowd were the bright circular colors bobbing in the darkness.

"I thought the movie was great," said Sterling resident Liz Jayanath. "It was very scary. ... Some movies are very predictable. This one wasn't. I thought it was very well done and the photography was beautiful. The story drew you in and was very suspenseful with an unexpected ending. In this day and age where everyone goes his or her separate ways it was a nice community event."

The entire night had a sense of smalltown camaraderie as scores of kids and young adults pitched in to help by collecting the donations, parking the more than 270 cars, selling glow sticks and picking up every piece of debris after the show. Tiki torches lined the driveway leading to the parking area, contributing to the ambiance as people filed onto the field, setting up chairs on the hillside and putting blankets on the ground in front of the giant inflatable screen.

The movie follows a parallel between the Keyes family in 1755 and the modern day Cooley family. Both have a young child by the name of Lucy, and both have a resentful neighbor.

Local flavor is everywhere in the film. The Cooley family is shown arriving in Princeton, traveling up Gregory Hill Road to the center of town and by the library and church.

"It was cool seeing things in Princeton and knowing people who were in the movie," said resident Marsha Dowdy. "I just loved the clam belly part. It was just fun and it was for a good cause. It would be nice if we could do something like this more often."

Princeton's windfarm project also played a prominent role, with residents in the movie depicted as being both in favor and opposed to the project. Close-ups of spinning windmills appear throughout the film. A vote by the town in favor of the windmills and a land deal that would benefit a local official spark a series of fastmoving, violent events in the film.

"It was excellent," said Princeton resident Chad Gowey. "I was really pleased with the turn-out. It was nice to see people come together in such a positive way for such a good film. I also appreciated the movie for its artistic quality. I can't wait for the DVD to come out. My family is planning on picking up at least two copies."

Princeton residents searched for familiar faces throughout the movie, especially in the crowd scenes at the Princeton Center building, which was used to stage the town meetings, the church and library scenes.

"It was fun to see the local people, familiar streets and houses in the film," said Christine Nichols. "Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was well-made and it's so wonderful we have people like John Stimpson in the community with that kind of talent, enthusiasm and dedication to the arts."

Said Princeton teenager Billy Jackson, "I had seen it before but seeing it on the big screen with the speakers and being out on the field with everyone, it was better the second time. Living here, I've heard the story of Lucy Keyes and it was even better to see it."

"The Legend of Lucy Keyes" was the Audience Award Winner for a narrative feature in this year's Independent Film Festival of Boston. Audience awards are determined by attendee ballots at the screenings as opposed to Jury Awards, which are selected by a small panel of industry professionals. "This means we were truly the favorite film at the festival," said Stimpson. "What a thrill for me."

The film will be out on DVD in September and available for purchase either through Blockbuster or Amazon or at Wal-Mart. MTI Home Video is releasing the film in North America starting September 5. Stimpson also has a deal with Lifetime Movie Network for a cable premiere.

"Everyone had such a good time," said Kathy Sweeney, one of the event organizers. "It was so nice to see such a good turnout. Everyone I talked to said they had a good time."

The event raised approximately $5,100 for the basketball courts at Krashes Field.