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The wolf howled...and danced in the moonlight. The raven watched...enraptured...by his grand display of gallantry. Many winters ago, a young Winomish Indian maiden was picking wildflowers in an open thicket near her village. Suddenly, out of the corners of her magnificent brown eyes, a sudden movement caused her heart to almost cease beating. She stood motionless, shaking violently with fear, as a huge wolf with steely green-gold eyes, slowly walked within a few feet of her basket. Catching her scent on the gentle breeze, the wolf edged closer and closer. The maiden's pounding heart suddenly skipped a beat, as the wolf was abruptly distracted by a sleek black raven, who flew teasingly close, then quickly retreated to a nearby tree branch. The raven glided toward the wolf once more. She was wild and unpredictable. The wolf curiously watched her with calculating eyes. The maiden held her breath, as the wolf stretched out his long gray body upon the soft mossy grasses...and cupped his large head between his paws. The raven, unwilling to go unnoticed, fluttered brazenly close to the wolf, then gently came to rest on his soft gray shoulder...and they would lie together...wolf and raven...drawing around themselves...the sleek blackness of the raven's mystery...and the unexpected gallantry of the lone wolf. Many winters passed, and the young maiden was now an old Indian squaw, playing in the open thicket with her only granddaughter. She would smile when she looked into the dark mysterious eyes of this half-breed child. The girl was unusually beautiful and as bewitching as the white man who had fathered her. The old woman had named her Hannah Raven, for the two cultures she espoused. Looking out onto the mossy grasses, the old woman told the girl of the Legend Of The Wolf And Raven. It was the child's favorite story. Each time she heard it, she would smile, and stare off into the forest. She knew...he would come for her...so she watched...and waited. Dane Corvin came to Raven's Mountain unexpectedly. He was tall and handsome, exuding the appealing strength of a rugged outdoors-man. His favorite uncle had raised him, and the magnificent beauty of the Puget Sound and its breathtaking mountains and forests, had always lured Dane's lonely heart back to the roots of his childhood. The Indians took to him immediately. He fit right in with their passions and pastimes. Hannah quietly observed this long-awaited stranger. She was particularly fascinated with his steely green-gold eyes, and captivated by his strength, and unexpected gallantry. Her brother was wary, even suspicious of the new-comer to the Mountain; but Hannah had recognized him immediately. He was her wolf! The Winomish Indians had always fished the waters of The Sound. Federal laws had deemed their practices illegal, but for many moons it had been a tribal tradition. It had finally become necessary to send a Federal Game Agent to investigate their illegal poaching and selling of salmon. While Dane kept busy gathering evidence from the unsuspecting Indians, Hannah quietly observed. Dane had noticed the beautiful bohemian maiden immediately. He was attracted to her earthy, sensual beauty, and her artistic flare. Dane enjoyed being in her presence, and the mysterious, unpredictable Hannah took every opportunity to walk and talk with the handsome stranger. One night she led him to her "secret place" deep in the mountains. Away from the watchful eyes of the tribe, Dane and Hannah fell deeply in love, and began a secret and passionate love affair. When Dane's investigation suddenly turned dangerous, and Hannah's brother was arrested and sent to prison, Hannah learned that Dane was a Federal Agent. Feeling betrayed, she told him to leave, and never come back! The broken-hearted wolf reacted to his pain by retreating from Raven's Mountain for twenty long winters. When he finally returned to be with his dying uncle, he is faced with the fall-out of his love, and the passionate moments he shared with the beautiful Hannah Raven. Dane now has to deal with...hidden revelations...of all that has happened during...All The Winters That Have Been. Richard Chamberlain and Karen Allen starred in this sensual and passionate love story. Karen Allen was brilliant as the bohemian artist, and beautiful, earthy Hannah Raven. The character of Dane Corvin was a perfect fit for Richard Chamberlain. It was as if he slipped into a very real part of himself. I found this character to be unusually calm, centered, and most captivating. It was difficult to decipher where Richard Chamberlain the actor began, and Dane Corvin the character ended. I believe that is called...magnificent acting. He and Karen Allen had dazzling on-screen chemistry, and the sexual tension was electrifying! Martin Rabbett brilliantly directed this magnificent film, slowly and visually capturing his audience's attention and sustaining it's interest from beginning to end. After reading the novel, which I felt was somewhat trite, the film was even more impressive. It was amazing to see the depths, to which the director and actors took this poignant love story. This was an extraordinary achievement for Martin Rabbett, and definitely one of Richard Chamberlain's finest performances ever! by Judith Crocker Review 2 - NEW! The character of Dane Corvin is written as someone who is mellow, centered, and calm, and he seems a perfect and effortless fit for Richard. I am certain Richard worked on his interpretation of this role as intensely as he always does, but his delivery is so quiet and natural, that he appears to effortlessly mesh his own reserved persona with that of the person he is portraying....................................the result is a very wonderful and believable performance. The love story covers the span of 20 years during which time Dane and Hannah have remained apart. My favorite sequence in the film is when Dane, at long last, has returned to Raven Island, and is trying to regain Hannah's trust. She keeps pushing him away, still angry at him for his past mistakes, and Dane appears resigned to the fact that she will never forgive him. Several misunderstandings are eventually resolved between them, and the lovers reconnect, only to be ripped apart again by the revelation of a secret that has been hidden away for 20 years. This movie is beautifully produced, as are all Richard's projects that Martin has a hand in, with spectacular scenery, and a superb supporting cast. Hal Holbrook plays Ren Corvin, the uncle who raised Dane, and he is dying of cancer. The movie includes a scene where Uncle Ren is on his deathbed, attended to by his nephew, Dane, as he passes. This death scene is the type that can easily be overacted, and overplayed by actors trying to wring every last emotion from their audience, but fortunately, neither Richard nor Hal fall into this`irritating pattern. Rather, the scene is played quietly by both, and with temperate emotion, making the scene more believable and touching. There is also a terrific performance by a young actor named Chris Martin, who plays the pivotal role of Gabe, an important link in the 20 year relationship between Dane and Hannah. "All The Winters That Have Been" is one of Richard's later projects, having been filmed in 1997, and is arguably the best performance he has given in the later years of his career. I am also very fond of "Aftermath," which was also filmed in the 90's, but that subject matter is quite intense and "heavy," so I find myself enjoying this film, with its theme of long lasting love between two mature and likeable characters, more then I do the latter. By Polly Moreno
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"All The Winters That Have Been" is a "grown-up" love story......................a story that builds its heart around a middle aged couple, and their decades long romance. It is a unique and unusual love story, centered around Dane Corvin (Richard Chamberlain) and the only love of his life, Hannah Raven, played perfectly by Karen Allen.