Mending Fences

*Mending Fences*
Mending Fences
Genre	Drama
Written by	Donald Martin; Mitchell Gabourie
Directed by	Stephen Bridgewater
Starring	Laura Leighton; Angie Dickinson; Shanley Caswell
Theme music composer	Tom Strahle
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Kevin Bocarde; Kyle A. Clark; Stephen Niver
Cinematography	Dane Peterson
Running time	120 minutes
Production company	Larry Levinson Productions
Original release
Network	Hallmark Channel
Release	July 18, 2009

Mending Fences (working titles The View From Here^[2] and Prosper's Last Stand^[3]) is a television film premiered in Hallmark Channel on July 18, 2009. It stars Laura Leighton and Angie Dickinson (in her final film role).^[1]

Plot

Kelly Faraday (Laura Leighton) is a television reporter who goes back to her hometown of Prosper, Nevada with her teenage daughter Kamilla (Shanley Caswell). Upon her arrival she finds that the town is in the middle of a drought. Kelly's mother Ruth (Angie Dickinson) must move forward from their estrangement to work together in stopping the casino developments which threaten the town's water supply.

Cast

Laura Leighton - Kelly Faraday
Angie Dickinson - Ruth Hanson
Shanley Caswell - Kamilla Faraday
David Lee Smith - Walt Mitchell
Ryan Kelley - Chuck Bentley
Pat Crawford Brown - County Clerk
Peter Jason - Hank Bentley
Joel Murray - Sam Bridgewater
Jeff Kober - Jack Norris Jr.

Production

On November 18, 2008, it was announced Laura Leighton and Angie Dickinson were set to star in a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, The View From Here.^[2] For Leighton, it was her second Hallmark Channel Original Movie, the first being Daniel's Daughter (2008). She took the role because of the 'humanity' of the story.^[4]

Reception

The film did well for the network on the night of its premiere, ranking as the second-highest-rated ad-supported cable movie of the week with a 1.8 household rating. It garnered over 2 million total viewers and 2.9 million unduplicated viewers.^[5]

The New York Times reviewed the film, saying,

This made-for-television movie is plodding and predictable, but Ms. Dickinson is anything but. At 78 she still has an odd and beguiling incongruity — a seductress with an enigmatic, ladylike reserve.^[6]

The focus remained on Dickinson's performance, as the review continued, "Even as a cranky, elderly rancher fighting off casino developers, she has feminine allure. There is no mystery to Mending Fences, but Ms. Dickinson adds a little mystique."^[6]

Filming locations

Although the film takes place in Nevada, filming of the ranch took place in Thousand Oaks, California.^[7] Other filming took place in and around Santa Ynez, California.^[8]