“Continuities” in The Notebook

Abstract

Reminiscence therapy (Myers & Harper, 2004), an intervention commonly used with individuals in the throes of Alzheimer's disease, is the conceit driving the movie depiction of Nicholas Sparks's (1996) best-selling novel, The Notebook (2004). Audience members are supposed to be taken in by the ruse that a beguiling story of youthful Allie and her lover, Noah, is merely a fairy tale recorded in a notebook from which an old man reads aloud. Yet it does not take long to recognize that the aging Duke, portrayed by James Garner, is in fact trying to evoke some recognition of the past–and most important, of him, her husband–in the disoriented Gena Rowlands, portraying the emotionally fragile but still lovely Allie. Is the film worth seeing? Robert Fraisse's cinematography alone begs viewing. The film captures both the exigency of nature, mimicking the throbbing passion that Noah and Allie felt for each other, and the ethereal, serene beauty of the environment, emulating the calm steadfastness of the lovers' commitment. Aaron Zigman's musical score, replete with evocative violins, only furthers one's desire to surrender to the hope that eternal love surmounts disease, decline, and death. Tenderly crafted by Nick Cassavetes, Gena Rowland's son, the film depicts both the young sweethearts and the aging lovers with attentive detail. Each of the four main leads, Ryan Gosling/James Garner as Noah Calhoun and Rachel McAdams/Gena Rowlands as Allie Hamilton Calhoun, turns in stellar, remarkably endearing performances. The reckless, risk-taking young couple wins over the audience to such an extent that one is able to suspend disbelief that the aged Duke and Ms. Hamilton are indeed those same brash lovers, only now, as Noah says, “just undergoing a general wearing out process.” Given these charms, it is not a movie the reviewer would outright reject. The movie deals with critical life issues including aging, dying, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and love. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)