Heading for the big screen

Willy Bearden and I began writing the film One Came Home in August 2008. It went through approximately twelve drafts before being finished in early spring 2009. And, from there it went into the hands of some of the area's finest acting talent who put their own spin on the story and their characters. After six weeks of table reads, we began filming on Monday, July 20, using one of the finest crews ever assembled for a Memphis-based film production.

Over the next several months, until the actual premiere of the film, Willy and I, along with several cast and crew members, will share our insights and thoughts about the making of One Came Home. Each installment of this blog/memoir/journal reflects our passion and belief in the story and the people behind the film.

Bookmark this site if you want to follow along. And, join us on our Facebook Fan Page: One Came Home.

One Came Home Synopsis

It was a different world in 1946. The war had ended. The nation was staggering under new economic pressures. There was a new world order. And, people grieved for those they had lost.

One Came Home presents a story of a New York con man who brings a nefarious scheme to the heart of Mississippi. Pretending to be a friend of fallen soldier Murphy Hodges, John Mazilli presents himself to the the Hodges family and to the people of Magnolia, Mississippi as a man on a mission. He is committed to honoring his fallen comrades by raising money to build a monument to their memory in Washington, D.C. In an age before the instant communication of computers, television and cell phones, and in a place removed from big-city ideas, the people of Magnolia accept his story with faith and love. They welcome John Mazilli and embrace his mission as their own.

As John Mazilli's message spreads through the town, the town's own message of acceptance and love gradually washes over him. He is no longer an outsider come to take the money and run, he has become part of lives in a way that he could never have imagined. Mazilli's personal passage through Magnolia, Mississippi and the Hodges family brings a story of deliverance and hope to everyone but himself, and it is only through his own baptism of life that he comes to understand himself at a deeper level. He brings salvation to a small town and faces his own dark night in the process.

One Came Home is a realistic story of deliverance and redemption. It is a simple story of 1946 Mississippi. It is a story of real people.