Tom Sawyer
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Movie Reviews of Tom Sawyer
Movie Review: Tom Sawyer
Summary: 5 Stars
Received in great condition. Great movie, took me back. Jodie Foster is like 10!Movie Review: Tom Sawyer
Summary: 5 Stars
Wonderful. We viewed the dvd at our school and the kids loved it!Movie Review: Take a Gander as Tom Sawyer Sings
Summary: 4 Stars
I hadn't heard of this 1973 movie version of the classic Mark Twain story until recently, but I absolutely had to see it. After all, it had music by the Sherman Brothers (best known for their work in Mary Poppins). And I love a good musical.
The book stays very true to the novel. Tom Sawyer (Johnny Whitaker) is a young boy growing up in 1840's Hannibal, Missouri. An orphan, he's being raised by his Aunt Polly (Celeste Holm). And he is quite the handful. He regularly plays hooky to fish and swim with best pal Huckleberry Finn (Jeff East). He constantly lies to get out of trouble, too.
Through this movie, we watch as Tom struggles with his conscience after witnessing a murder in the cemetery. He tricks the boys in town to white washing the fence for him. And he develops a crush on new girl Becky Thatcher (a young Jodie Foster). But will Injun Joe (Kunu Hank) get his sworn revenge on the boy?
This movie is extremely faithful to the book, hitting all the highlights of the classic. Frankly, that was a problem for me since it took a little while to get going. Once I got into the story, I was hooked and really began to enjoy the tale. The scenery and costumes recreate the times well. And the acting was pretty good.
Unfortunately, I found the songs disappointing. They weren't bad, but they weren't good either. They aren't especially memorable or singable, and they don't really advance the story. I would rather rewatch this movie for the characters and adventures then the songs.
Despite that rather major flaw for a musical, I must admit to enjoying it. It has a sweetness and innocence that I enjoyed. And the songs are easy to overlook since they aren't a major part of the movie. So if you are looking for a fun version of the classic tale, you can do much worse than this one.
Movie Review: As a musical version - - - four stars
Summary: 4 Stars
Granted, this film diverts from Mark Twain's classic novel more often than it should.
However, this is a musical.... and I hope will be judged as such.
I was disappointed in the fact that the original story is quite diluted.... even to the point of having only two boys (Tom and Huck) run away to Jackson's Island, with no Joe Harper in sight.
Yet I still enjoyed this film. The songs were fun and original, and admittedly, I'm a bit partial to musical productions anyway.
Johnny Whitaker plays a believable "Tom", and Jeff East is well cast as the rugged "Huck". With a very young Jody Foster in the role of Tom's "Becky", the casting was above par.
And although many aspects & elements of Twain's classic novel are missing from this rendition..... Tom is still that barefooted, mop-headed youngster - - full of mischief and quick to gain sympathy from even the most hard-hearted of souls... and this is the true character of a young Tom Sawyer.... whom even Samuel Clemens could not deny as an epitome of the semi-autobiographical boyhood novel he chose to create.
Movie Review: Tom Sawyer-Childhood Memories
Summary: 4 Stars
In searching to purchase this video, I read the reviews on amazon.com of Tom Sawyer on DVD and I was confused. The reviews went from 5-star to 1-star. But I haven't seen the movie in about 30 years and wanted to see it again so I went ahead and ordered it. I have to say I am so glad I did. From the moment I put it on I was transformed back to Radio City Music Hall where I saw it for the first time. I even remembered a lot of the songs, they just came back to me, and back in the day we didn't get to see the movies over and over again where we could memorize the songs. I didn't encounter some of the visual problems that other reviewers had. It may be a little dark in a few scenes, but I could overlook that for a trip down memory lane. Definitely worth it if you were a fan in the 70s.Tom Sawyer