Ever since he founded his world-famous Sundance Resort thirty-two years
ago, Robert Redford has steadfastly refused to allow any
motion picture except his legendary "Jeremiah Johnson"
to shoot on his ruggedly beautiful property in Utah. It
was not until he read the script for a film called "Christmas
In The Clouds" that permission was granted. As with
1998's "Smoke Signals", which was developed
with the help of the Sundance Institute, "Christmas
In The Clouds" is another breakthrough project; the
first romantic comedy set in Indian Country. With a nod
to the screwball comedies of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra,
this is a lighthearted tale of love, bingo, tribal enterprise,
and mistaken identity.
The film introduces Choctaw
actor Tim Vahle as 'Ray Clouds on Fire', the well educated
but overly conscientious General Manager who dreams of sold
out suites and 4-star reviews for his tribes' struggling ski
resort. When a letter arrives from the exclusive Worthington
Travel Guide to announce that an anonymous critic has booked
a suite there for the holiday, Ray is determined to get a
good review...he has his work cut out for him.
The resort's Vegetarian
Chef (Graham Greene) doesn't want to cook meat, the maids
need to bring their kids to work with them, the resident handyman
is only interested in impressing the ski bunnies, Ray's loyal
assistant, Mary, (Sheila Tousey) is living in a fantasy of
romance novels, and Ray's father Joe, a retired Chief (Sam
Vlahos) just wants to win the new Jeep Cherokee at the big
holiday bingo.
When the old chief's pen
pal "Tina" (Mari Ana Tosca) arrives from New York
hoping to meet the man who has been sending her so many lovely
letters, she is mistaken for the "anonymous" critic.
In a matching comedy of errors, she believes that Ray is her
pen pal.
As Ray and Tina set out
to charm each other, they begin to fall in love. And while
everyone at the resort bends over backwards making Tina's
stay a pleasure, the real critic (M. Emmet Walsh) encounters
one misadventure after the next and begins to question not
only the resort's quality - but also his own sanity.
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With memorable performances by Rita Coolidge, Wes Studi,
and "Warrior Mouse", Kate Montgomery's feature
debut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,
where it played to sell-out crowds and received standing
ovations.
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