Johnson brought the project to Alcon Entertainment, a newly established production company which sought to establish a foothold with just such a niche movie.

"We had been looking a long time for a special project like this, something that dealt with Americana that would be embraced by families, kids, everyone," says Alcon co-founder and co-president Andrew Kosove, who serves as a producer of the film. "The film is set in the early 1940s, but the basic human emotions -- friendship, love, suffering, pain --and the power of memory remain universal."

Partner and producer Broderick Johnson echoes the sentiment. "Part of our responsibility in the movie business is to make not just entertaining films, but responsible ones. This movie is a family film in the best possible sense," he says.

For Willie Morris, time and place were essential elements to the tale. "It’s important that audiences get a sense of the reality of those years, which were molded by the mission of World War II. I’m grateful that the producers paid zealous attention to the spirit of those years in making the details authentic," says Morris. "I always like to tell outsiders that Mississippi is America’s Ireland -- the beautiful landscape, the poetic writing, a sense of loss, the proclivity for using the language and telling stories. Southern writers are deeply immersed in a feeling for place. This movie had to be shot in Mississippi."

Says Mark Johnson, "The background houses, the countryside, even the extras all give a sense of authenticity to the movie."