gehewe The Christmas Box is one of our favorites and scores a perfect 10. The Timepiece was also a Hallmark Hall of Fame and aired the following year 1996. The Timepiece follows the youth of Mary Parkin who is the old woman in the Christmas Box. The Timepiece shows us where the "Christmas Box" came from.The Timepiece is an excellent movie in its own right. The IMDB description is as follows and really does not describe the movie. "Set in the 1940's, James Earl Jones as an an old clockmaker faces racism and is tried for murder when the racist is killed." The trial is a very minor but essential part of the story and he didn't really face racism.Naomi Watts is lovely as Mary and Kevin Kilner as David. We have a great actor James Earl Jones as the clock repairman and Ellen Burstyn as Maude. All four are great. A nice story of forgiveness is woven into it.

Tim Timepiece is one of those movies that you get hooked into.The follow-up to The Christmas Box TV-movie does not disappoint, Timepiece is a gentle but powerful story. Has a great cast with James Earl Jones leading the way.. A must see during the holiday season!!!!

helpless_dancer Good prequel to "Christmas Box": takes us back to WW2 and shows how Mrs. Parkin met her mate and came to own a special timepiece which is handed down to her 'heirs'. I wanted to know more about the watch before it came into Lawrence's hands and, also, what became of Mr. Parkin. This is a real 2 hanky flic and could have been beefed up a tad more, but was still a winner.

ffordegroupie *****WARNING. MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW*****The follow-up to the Christmas Box TV-movie does not disappoint--my only disappointment is that this unknown gem is not on video. It should be!Kevin Kilner stars as the cynical businessman David Parkin who is warmed by the presence of his new English secretary Mary Anne Chandler (who later is the endearing widow of "Christmas Box"). Though he asks her to marry him, there is a problem: She's pregnant. Regardless, the two manage to overcome their obstacles, only to be hit by something terrible.Mary and David are the perfect couple, loving and tender and totally believable. I've only seen Kilner in one other role--that of the first lead on Earth: Final Conflict--and was not impressed by his acting abilities. This movie, however, lets him shine. Watts is excellent as the woman whose hardships forge her into a much stronger person.James Earl Jones is a jewel as Lawrence Flynn, an elderly black man who forges fearlessly through the prejudice of some of the town's residents, alongside his friend, Miss Maud Gannon. Richard Thomas doesn't really star--he's in a cameo, at best, artificially aged, but it's a good cameo that sets up the whole movie. The girl playing little Andrea Parkin is pretty good for a child actor, but not stellar.Like "Box," this movie has some drastic differences from the book, but in a good way--it's more suited for television, while Evans' books are best suited for, well, books.If this movie airs where you live, be certain to watch it. Touching, romantic, sweet, funny, tragic, it's a movie that opens your heart.