THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

US, 1999, 125 minutes, Colour.
Toby Maguire, Charlize Theron, Michael Caine, Delroy Lindo, Jane Alexander, Kathy Baker, Kieran Culkin, J.K. Simmons, Paul Rudd, Kate Nelligan.
Directed by Lasse Halstrom.

It is 1943, and Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) runs St. Cloud’s Orphanage in Maine. He assists in the birth of unwanted children, and he also performs abortions, which he knows are illegal, so women will not have to have back-alley abortions. He is also addicted to ether. He and his nurses care for the orphans with dedication and love. Dr. Larch trains one of them, Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), as an ob-gyn assistant. Homer was adopted twice and returned to the orphanage both times, and Dr. Larch has become very fond of him. Homer will deliver babies, but he is opposed to abortion.

One day, a young woman named Candy (Charlize Theron) arrives with her boyfriend, Captain Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd), for an abortion. Homer is attracted to their sense of freedom and decides to leave the orphanage with them to see the world. He gets a job as a migrant worker at the Worthington orchard and enjoys his freedom. When Walter returns to the war, Homer and Candy begin a relationship. After the apple crop is in, Homer works the lobster boats for Candy’s father.

Meanwhile, the Board of the orphanage wants a new doctor to join the staff at St. Cloud’s. Dr. Larch falsifies his own resume and diplomas in favor of Homer and promotes him as the new doctor even though Homer has never even been to high school.

A year passes. When the migrant workers return, it is obvious that the young woman Rose (Erykah Badu) is not well. Homer discovers she is pregnant, and then Rose tells Candy that her own father, Arthur (Delroy Lindo), is the father of the baby. Homer offers to take Rose to the orphanage or to help in any way he can. She refuses to go, and he performs an abortion for her.

They receive word that Wally is paralyzed from the waist down because of encephalitis B, which he got after his plane crashed. Candy and Homer end their relationship. Rose runs away, and she knifes her father, thinking he is about to attack her again. In the meantime, Dr. Larch dies from an accidental overdose of ether. Homer decides to return to the institute to take the doctor’s place.

John Irving (The World According to Garp, The Hotel New Hampshire) adapted his novel, The Cider House Rules, for the screen, recreating an idealistic image of a 1940s New England orphanage.

Tobey Maguire (The Ice Storm, Pleasantville, Ride with the Devil, The Wonder Boys, Spider-Man?, Seabiscuit, Spider-Man? 2) creates the shy, earnest, devoted Homer who has yet to discover a world beyond the orphanage. Michael Caine received a second Oscar for his performance as Dr. Larch.

The film captures the seasons of Maine with its scenes set at the wintry orphanage and its rendition of the spring and summer of orchards and the coast. Swedish director Lasse Halstrom is skilled in making evocative movies against striking landscapes, such as My Life as a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat, and The Shipping News.

The movie caused some controversy on its release because of its stance on abortion. The debate became more heated when the film received so many Oscar nominations, including those for Best Picture and Best Director, and when it won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving and Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. Pro-lifers protested the film.

The novel and the movie both raise serious questions about the social, ethical, and moral dilemmas surrounding abortion in the context of the 1940s as well as in our own times. It tells the troubled stories women who choose abortion, dramatizes the dangers and the risks, and shows a concerned doctor and nurses.

The Cider House Rules takes great pains to show the humanity of those who care for the less fortunate, like orphans. It shows the plight of the victims of incest, the war-wounded, and the workers on the margins of society. It is in this context that the film dramatizes the moral dilemma presented by abortion as an option to solve real problems for real people—but without any sense of transcendence beyond this world or objective morality. The stance of writer John Irving is obviously pro-choice. The movie does offer, however, an opportunity for reflection on the meaning of morality, the nature of the fifth commandment, and the pastoral care of those involved in abortion.

1. The movie dramatizes the oft repeated case for abortion: better to have abortions that are done professionally than by a back-alley practitioner. Candy, the pregnant girl friend, and Rose, the victim of incest, give a human face to the situations in which women find themselves. The legal aspects of the drama concern illegal operations in the context of 1943. Does the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legitimized abortions in the U.S alter the moral issues surrounding abortion? Why or why not? Are abortions ever safe? The film fails to address the physical, psychological, and spiritual consequences of abortion, but merely states that the doctor provides what women want. What name is given to this kind of morality? (Relativism and/or nihilism.) What is a Christian response to abortion providers and to the men and women involved, including mothers, fathers, and society as a whole? How do believers in human life from conception to natural death create a dialogue with those who believe that abortion is a right choice? How does the film Vera Drake compare to Cider House Rules?


2. Dr. Larch delivering babies, mothers not wanting to see their babies, the young girl who attempted an abortion and who died; Larch’s attitude toward abortion and the children; Homer’s view and that of the nurses; life in the orphanage; the children wanting to be adopted; those who remain; the meals, the movies, the good night in the dormitories; Dr. Larch’s addiction. Its view of the human person is ambiguous—much like the view expressed in The Cider House Rules. How does Dr. Larch view the human person? How does he view unborn children? What was the meaning of his drug use? Does this film reflect contemporary society? Why or why not? How is the Christian view of the human person best expressed? What is the culture of life? What place does artificial contraception have in the culture of life? What does this culture of life involve, and what role does philosophy play in creating a consistent culture of life?

3. What were the “cider house rules”? What kind of morality was expressed by the migrant crew? What is Gospel morality, and what are ethics? How are they the same or different? Think about each of the main characters in the film and their approach to morality and decision-making in their lives: Dr. Larch, Homer, Candy, Wally, Rose, Arthur, the nurses, Jack. How is freedom expressed in the film? Are any of the characters truly free? Which ones and why? Do you think that the prayers of the doctor, nurses, and Homer at the orphanage are sincere? How do believers communicate a culture of life in a culture that does not hold the same values? What is a pastoral approach to people considering abortion or to people who have had one? How are charity and truth, freedom, and responsibility balanced in God’s love?

4. Candy and Wally and the reasons for their decision to have an abortion; the procedure and the after-effects; Homer's decision to leave the orphanage to find the freedom of the outside world; getting a job at the orchard and falling in love with Candy.

5. Rose’s situation, Homer's diagnosis; Candy talking to Rose and finding out about the incest; Homer's decision to do the abortion and his reasons; the abortion, Mr. Rose's death, Dr. Larch's death and Homer's return to the orphanage