A Book and movie that captured me..."The Little Prince"  The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery Did you ever read a book or watch a movie that captured you in such a way that you needed to read or watch it over and over again? Recently, I watched something on Netflix while preparing dinner. I often watch something on my iPad while cooking. I scrolled through the movies and came across a 1974 movie called "The Little Prince." Based on a book of the same name, written by pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the book is a fable about "a PILOT who crash-lands in the Sahara Desert in the 1940's and crawls out of the wreckage quite alive. He sets about fixing his engine, when a child, dressed like a prince, suddenly appears. The little prince is from a distant asteroid, no bigger than a house, and has been moved by the beauty of a rose to travel the universe in search of the important things in life. So goes the surreal tale of ''The Little Prince,'' who finally has the secret of life revealed to him by a wise brown fox. The prince shares that secret with the pilot. The other secret that many Long Island residents"... (me included)... "may not know is that Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French writer, aviator and visionary, wrote ''The Little Prince,'' his most famous book, in the Village of Asharoken in 1943, perhaps looking up now and then to stare out the parlor window of the Bevin House, a local landmark, at a lawn that slopes down to Duck Island Bay"1... right near our home on Long Island. I've since learned that Saint-Exupery wasn't too happy about moving out to Asharoken. Having lived in NYC for a while he and his wife weren't thrilled with the hustle and bustle of Manhattan so friends of his had him travel out to Long Island where he would get some peace and quiet. At first he thought that he was going to live in a small cottage. As it turned out the Bevon House was a mansion! "A big white house, built in the French Second Empire style, which sits nearly hidden behind a cluster of tall trees at the tip of Bevin Road." Over time, he grew to love the place especially the sunsets over Duck Island Bay and the Long Island Sound. He wrote mostly at night and called many of his friends sharing with them what he had written. What delighted me was that he illustrated the book too. Explained in a New York Times article written in 2000: "When the sun came up in the morning, Saint-Exupery kept an easel in the library and would work on sketches and watercolors,'' quoting from an interview with May Cornell Bevin, who owned the house while Saint-Exupery and his wife were guests. ''As the sun moved across the sky, he'd move with the sun toward the parlor, where there was light. Then he'd write in there.''2 In the book''The Little Prince,'' the boy's asteroid home is so small that he can see the sun set 44 times in a single day. ''But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps,'' the pilot says in the book. ''You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like.'' When Saint-Exupery lived in Asharoken, he hired Adele Breaux, who taught French at Northport High School, to tutor him in English. He described the Bevin House to her as ''a haven for writing, the best place I have ever had anywhere in my life,'' Ms. Breaux wrote in her memoir of the experience (the book is available at the Northport Public Library)." But, Saint-Exupery's stay at the Bevon House was kept secret by the War Department. ''He fled France because of the German occupation and came to New York under a veil of secrecy,'' said Ed Carr, the author of ''Faded Laurels,'' a history of Asharoken and Eatons Neck. ''It wasn't known to many people that he was here, and he left the same way.'' The book is written in over 250 languages and only second in sales to the Bible. It's a classic! I purchased the book after I saw the movie. I just had to read his words and see his illustrations. The first time I watched the movie, I thought that it was kind of bazaar. It didn't seem to make much sense to me. I guess I wasn't watching and was spending more time preparing dinner. I wasn't going to watch it again, but I felt that there were some messages that were expressed in the movie. So, I watched it again when I had time to REALLY absorb it. I was hooked on all of the symbolism and lessons that are timeless. The 1974 movie version is a musical with Richard Kiley as the pilot, Steven Warner as the Little Prince, Gene Wilder as the Fox and Bob Fosse as the Snake. The screenplay and lyrics are by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, arranged and orchestrated by Angela Morley. The second time I watched the movie I was moved to learn that it was about hope, kindness, friendship, responsibility for those you love, loneliness, loss, caring for the environment, and rebirth. The Fox in the book and movie says after the Little Prince tames him that "It is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." In saying this, he's telling the little prince that our eyes often miss what is important but our hearts can always see the truth." I highly recommend that you watch this classic. If you do, please let me know what you think and what lessons (if any) you take away from it. According to a Wikipedia account Saint-Exupery " disappeared near the end of the Second World War some 15 months after his fable was first published." It is assumed that "he returned to France after finishing ''The Little Prince'' and joined the Allied war effort as a pilot. He was reported missing in action on July 31, 1944. It is believed that he was shot down during a reconnaissance flight over southern France." I only wish I had a moment to talk to him about the lessons, symbols and illustrations he used in his book... A Children's Book that I feel is mainly for grown ups! Be well everyone and take a little time to reach out to someone in need.
xoxo Happy Tales to you, Yvonne
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