Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
by David Swift
List Price:
Our Price: $5.91
You Save: $9.08 (61%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Hayley Mills, James Drury, Jane Wyman, Nancy Olson, Reta ShawDirector: David Swift
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.75:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Hayley Mills received a special Academy Award for her performance as Pollyanna in this timeless Walt Disney tapestry of small-town Americana. Featuring an impressive all-star cast and a story filled with fun, laughter, and tears, Pollyanna will inspire your entire family and prove that the art of positive thinking is just as delightful today as it was at the turn of the century! System Requirem
Movie Reviews of Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
Movie Review: A Disney and Hayley Mills Great
Summary: 5 Stars
"Pollyanna" was the first and, in my opinion, the best of the first six movies that Hayley Mills starred in for Disney, the others being "The Parent Trap" in 1961, "In Search of the Castaways" in 1962, "Summer Magic" in 1963, "The Moon-Spinners" in 1964, and "That Darn Cat" in 1965. While all six of the movies are enjoyable family fare, this movie has a depth and complexity approached only in "Summer Magic."
In the first thirty minutes a wide-eyed Pollyanna is witness to the power her Aunt Polly wields in her town, named Harrington after her family. Pollyanna also quickly begins to learn that there are numerous stories in her town, which she learns throughout the movie piece by piece, ultimately giving her a power different from her aunt's.
This movie takes place in the early part of the twentieth century. Aunt Polly's genteel and Victorian behavior, even if a little stereotypical, has a feel to it that we often attribute to that era. At one point Aunt Polly all but uses the term "noblesse oblige," which is how wealthy people often considered their obligation to society. The clothing and sets all appear to be realistic, enhancing the period believability. The quality of the costumes and the sets is but one of the remarkable features of this movie.
The background stories provide a field of torment and pain to enhance Pollyanna's consistently "glad" outlook on the world. It is Pollyanna's attitude toward life that slowly changes the lives of everyone in Harrington, one person at a time. Even better, Pollyanna teaches those she meets that it is okay to feel good, and to make others feel good. Even more importantly, she teaches people to feel from the heart, which in many cases leads to love. Hayley Mills was so skilled in this role that she was awarded a special Academy Award for most outstanding juvenile performance of 1960, the last such award given.
The supporting cast for this movie can truly be said to be all-star. Jane Wyman, who was nearing the end of a career spanning fifty years, is Pollyanna's initially grim Aunt Polly, who eventually learns that she should do things because she cares, not because of the obligation of the rich. Agnes Moorehead, a veteran of more than 70 movies and a recurring character on the popular 60s television show "Bewitched," is Mrs. Snow, a grumpy hypochondriac who has one foot in her casket, though there is actually nothing wrong with her.
Karl Malden is fire and brimstone Reverend Paul Ford who manages to keep many of the faithful wide-eyed on Sunday; he is also under Aunt Polly's control. Malden had just finished "The Hanging Tree" with Gary Cooper, and there is irony in that the character in this movie is almost completely opposite that of the role he had just played. Veteran Disney child star Kevin Corcoran plays mischievous orphan Jimmy Bean, who helps Mr. Pendegast, the town hermit, break out of his self-imposed shell. Adolphe Menjou played Mr. Pendegast in the last movie role of his 150 movie career. James Drury of television's "The Virginian" plays George Dodd, who is the love interest of Nancy Furman, Aunt Polly's maid, and Aunt Polly does not approve of the relationship. Nancy Olson was also in a number of other Disney movies, including "The Absent Minded Professor" and "Son of Flubber," with an uncredited cameo in 1997's "Flubber."
This movie benefits from an excellent transfer to DVD and a move to a widescreen format. I recommend purchasing this movie in this format if you currently have the movie only on VHS or have yet to purchase it. There are additional extras that viewers with interest in the era and how the movie was made may find enjoyable.
The movie drives its point home at the end, when Pollyanna is depressed following an accident and needs support herself. The support she receives from the townspeople is a testament to the power of Pollyanna's selfless love, which touches the hearts not only of the fictional town, but those of viewers.
This heartwarming movie is more than an excellent family film, more than an excellent Hayley Mills film and more than an excellent period movie; it is a great Disney movie at an artistic peak of the Walt Disney Company.
Summary of Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
POLLYANNA - DVD MovieSimilar DVD Movies
Old Yeller 2-Movie Collection (Old Yeller/ Savage Sam)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-11-15; DVD
Best price: $5.79
Price in other shops:
That Darn Cat!Walt Disney Home Entertainment; Release date: 2005-05-03; DVD
Best price: $5.91
Price in other shops:
The Trouble with AngelsSony; Release date: 2003-11-11; Published: 2003-11-01; DVD
Best price: $5.05
Price in other shops:
Toby TylerBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-08-02; DVD
Best price: $3.73
Price in other shops:
In Search of the CastawaysBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-05-03; DVD
Best price: $5.30
Price in other shops:
The Three Lives of ThomasinaBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $5.67
Price in other shops:
The Moon-SpinnersBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2003-01-14; DVD
Best price: $5.53
Price in other shops:
Summer MagicWalt Disney Home Entertainment; Release date: 2005-05-03; DVD
Best price: $4.96
Price in other shops:
The Parent Trap Two-Movie Collection (The Parent Trap / The Parent Trap II)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-09-27; DVD
Best price: $5.79
Price in other shops:
Swiss Family Robinson (Vault Disney Collection)Walt Disney Video; Release date: 2002-05-07; Published: 2002-05-01; DVD
Best price: $9.84
Price in other shops: