Rating: 
Summary: Director Clarence Brown's best movie.
Review: "The Yearling" is a 1946 family classic with Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, and Claude Jarman, Jr. It's also a movie that has grown on me each time I have watched it. Of all of director Clarence Brown's films, including "National Velvet", "The Yearling" has the most chock-full of enjoyable and memorable scenes. Even though the story is centered around Jody (Jarman, Jr.) and his pet fawn Flag, for me it's more about Jody and his father Penny Baxter (Peck). Their relationship is the best father-son relationship I've seen in a film. Gregory Peck can play fathers in movies better than most actors because his characters always listen to their children. Claude Jarman, Jr. received a special Academy Award for this film, and deserved it. During the last half of this movie, I was so amazed by how well he could cry. His performance ranks among the very best performances from child actors in movies. The ending both breaks my heart and fills me with hope, when the father tells Jody about life and when the mother (Wyman) finally opens up her love to Jody. This is what quality family entertainment used to be, and I love it.
Rating:
Summary: Director Clarence Brown's best movie.
Review: "The Yearling" is a 1946 family classic with Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, and Claude Jarman, Jr. It's also a movie that has grown on me each time I have watched it. Of all of director Clarence Brown's films, including "National Velvet", "The Yearling" has the most chock-full of enjoyable and memorable scenes. Even though the story is centered around Jody (Jarman, Jr.) and his pet fawn Flag, for me it's more about Jody and his father Penny Baxter (Peck). Their relationship is the best father-son relationship I've seen in a film. Gregory Peck can play fathers in movies better than most actors because his characters always listen to their children. Claude Jarman, Jr. received a special Academy Award for this film, and deserved it. During the last half of this movie, I was so amazed by how well he could cry. His performance ranks among the very best performances from child actors in movies. The ending both breaks my heart and fills me with hope, when the father tells Jody about life and when the mother (Wyman) finally opens up her love to Jody. This is what quality family entertainment used to be, and I love it.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but read the book
Review: First, this is not an easy movie or one that you would want to pop in the vid and let the kids veg out to...it is too good for that. Better yet - wait till your kids are 10 or older, and let them read the book....that is the best option. The movie, not as good as the book ( is it ever?) still, is 10X better than kiddie fare such as The Land Before Time and other drek out there. Themes are teen/pre-teen: death - a friend, parent, pet or a peer; the meaning of life; the mortality/fallability of parents, etc. Will disturb children under emotional age of 8 or 9.
From other reviews, a few misconceptions: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who wrote the book, did not grow up in Florida, and the book is not set in the Everglades, but rather in the rough neighborhood of 1870's East Central Florida. Check out the map for Volusia (actually, now known as Astor,FL) and the rest of the place names pretty well remain the same. Baxter's Island is based on Pat's Island.
I live very near the places the novel is set; love the book, just re-read it with my 10 year old son.
Magic, for free. Make the time: movie AND book.
Rating: 
Summary: Everybody Dies
Review: I find it refreshing and wonderful that Warner Brothers is choosing to give new life to a classic movie.
However, the cover has me puzzled. The story is set in Florida. I have lived in Florida all my life and have traveled from one end of the state to the other. I would say I have a fairly comprehensive understanding of the geography of my home state.
However, much to my disappointment I was unable to locate the beautiful snow-capped Florida mountains that are present on the DVD cover. Perhaps the general lay of the land has changed since 1870 and Warner Brothers was just trying to be accurate to the period in their design of the DVD cover.
Or perhaps no one at Warner Brothers has ever visited the state of Florida.
Who am I to judge?
Rating:
Summary: Tearful Rite of Passage
Review: I had been under the opinion that I had seen this movie some years ago. After watching it last night, I realized that either I was mistaken or I wasn't paying attention at the time because this is a movie that will always stay vivid in my heart and mind. This is one of the most heart-rendering movies that I have ever seen and it is assembled in every way to help bring out the emotion of its' message. The message is one of life's difficult lesson's: growing up eventually means discovering that not everything has a happy ending. It is an important movie for families to share yet some may feel that the impact of the message is too strong for younger children. That may well be true. I would suggest that it is an appropriate movie for those who are at least in the 11-13 year old age group portrayed by the child in "The Yearling".
This is the story of a subsistance farm family in remote rural Florida in the early to mid 1800's. The opening scenes show us a virtual Garden of Eden but we soon come to realize that life on the land was not necessarily paradise. We quickly become acquainted with the father, mother, and the 11-year old son, Jody. We discover a somber and stern mother and realize why as she visits the graves of her three other children who died at early ages in this beautiful but challenging land. We actually spend a bit too much time before we get to the heart and soul of the movie. We meet a few too many characters and work our way through a few too many incidents. The movie would have been just as impressive if the first half of it were 15-20 minutes shorter.
We are already pretty involved with this family when Jody gets his wish to take an orphan fawn as his own pet. The joy they have together is shown in a series of heart-warming snippets. Troubles starts to brew and the scenes of frollick turn into those of stress and strain. I won't let on how this movie ends but it is a real emotional roller coaster that will start to choke even the toughest heart. In the end, important lessons are learned by all and we are reminded how tough it is to grow up.
The acting in this movie is superb although the characters seem to go a bit too far with the backwoods slang. Somehow "Ma, the boy done come home!" takes a bit away from the emotion of the moment. It's theatrically possible to talk the talk and give the proper flavor without going as far as they did in "The Yearling". That aside, Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman give excellent performances as the father and mother. You'll be surprized to see a young and slim Chill Wills and I didn't even realize that it was Forest Tucker in one of the roles until I was watching the cast and credits at the end. However, the outstanding performance of the movie was that of Claude Jarman Jr. as Jody. This kid (and his pet deer) stole the show and bent our emotions in the process.
"The Yearling" is a sort of "Old Yeller" and "The Wizard of Oz" rolled up into one. If you didn't like those movies, you might want to pass on this one. Otherwise you need to see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: In my opinion, one of the ten best movies ever made!
Review: I have often thought of this movie as the best movie ever filmed. From its opening scene it draws you into the life of a family struggling for its existence against the forces of nature.But it is the actors that make this film memorable, especially the two boys who are growing into maturity. Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman portray parents who have had misfortunes and love their son deeply. The father-son relationship between Peck and Jarman is particularly touching. The relationship between Fodderwing (sp?) and Jarman is remarkable in its realistic portrayal of their close association. These two young actors deserve applause for their excellent job! The main events which spur the spiritual growth of Jarman are associated with his taking of a fawn for a pet. The scene in which Fodderwing's name for the pet is given to Jarman is one of the most touching I have seen on the screen. This is a movie I will always treasure.
Rating:
Summary: En-deering!
Review: I read the book last year for school. I flipped through it cover to cover in three days, and after finishing this wonderful novel, I had grown up a little more. So, when catching this movie version on television recently, I was glad that they remained loyal to the book. The kid who plays Jodie, a young boy enthralled with his youth, gives a good performance that truly captures the real character. He, as everyone knows, finds a fawn, names it "Flag", and grows to love it like a brother. Gregory Peck plays Jodie's father, Penny, a decent, dignified man/father/husband who looks on his son with soft eyes. Other supporting actors deliver their purpose well. I found that at the end of the movie, Jodie's coming of age was just as real, and maybe more, as in the book. I don't know any other way to say it: I loved this movie. The photography is as fresh as newly picked memories, and the music as dramatic as Jodie's adolescent feelings. This movie drives a stake through your heart, and never leaves you quite the same. Develop your own opinion and come back and give a review. And although I've said them many times, here are three reasons to buy this film: 1. It delivers plots and characters very similar to the ones in the book. 2. The actors give stirring performances and resemble the characters almost frighteningly. 3. This story is great. The book won the Pulitzer in 1938. The movie is oscar worthy. It has remained a literal treasure for over sixty years. And It will remain a classic forever as long.
Rating:
Summary: Not much plot, bad acting
Review: I saw this movie on one of our TV movie stations about a month ago. I don't know why I watched it, it was a waste of time. There didn't seem to be much of a plot and the boy was an absolute horrible actor.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, touching, wonderful
Review: I saw this movie when I was a child, and just recently watched it again. And again! I think it is one of the best movies ever made. The most touching scenes are when Jody first rescues the little fawn, and the scenes with Fodderwing. The Forrester Family is hilarious (when Pa swaps the dog for the rifle). The opening scene with Peck narrating is excellent. The scenery throughout the film is beautiful, and Claude Jarman Jr. is an absolute delight. It is definitely one of America's finest films!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie
Review: I saw this movie when I was a child, and just recently watched it again. And again! I think it is one of the best movies ever made. The most touching scenes are when Jody first rescues the little fawn, and the scenes with Fodderwing. The Forrester Family is hilarious (when Pa swaps the dog for the rifle). The opening scene with Peck narrating is excellent. The scenery throughout the film is beautiful, and Claude Jarman Jr. is an absolute delight. It is definitely one of America's finest films!
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