Selznick's THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER is an extremely faithful version of the famous Mark Twain story, generally well acted and cast with the kind of precision the producer was famous for.
TOMMY KELLY, despite some drawbacks in his acting, makes an almost perfect Tom Sawyer. He's a bit too quick in flashing the full smile, the nervous sideways glances, the hesitant speech pattern when confronting strict adults--but then, in the '30s there was no HALEY JOEL OSMENT or DANIEL RADCLIFFE to fulfill requirements for more natural acting.
Likewise, ANN GILLIS is a bit too coy as Becky Thatcher and even VICTOR JORY is a bit too melodramatic as Injun Joe. MAY ROBSON makes a wonderful Aunt Polly, stern but all the time showing that beneath the gruff exterior she's got a warm spot for her troublesome Tom. The final scene, where she slaps Sid in the face, is priceless.
William Cameron Menzies created some wonderful effects for the cave sequence that he designed and the early Technicolor does justice to all the sets and costumes, giving the film the look of an illustrated children's version of the classic novel.
Well worth viewing, although it may not be fast paced enough to suit today's children used to more fast-moving stories.
Trivia note: Both TOMMY KELLY and JACKIE MORAN (in a small role as Huck Finn) had bits in Selznick's GONE WITH THE WIND the following year--and both were featured in the Gettysburg battle death announcements, Kelly as a member of the band with tears in his eyes and Moran as Phil Meade.
TOMMY KELLY, despite some drawbacks in his acting, makes an almost perfect Tom Sawyer. He's a bit too quick in flashing the full smile, the nervous sideways glances, the hesitant speech pattern when confronting strict adults--but then, in the '30s there was no HALEY JOEL OSMENT or DANIEL RADCLIFFE to fulfill requirements for more natural acting.
Likewise, ANN GILLIS is a bit too coy as Becky Thatcher and even VICTOR JORY is a bit too melodramatic as Injun Joe. MAY ROBSON makes a wonderful Aunt Polly, stern but all the time showing that beneath the gruff exterior she's got a warm spot for her troublesome Tom. The final scene, where she slaps Sid in the face, is priceless.
William Cameron Menzies created some wonderful effects for the cave sequence that he designed and the early Technicolor does justice to all the sets and costumes, giving the film the look of an illustrated children's version of the classic novel.
Well worth viewing, although it may not be fast paced enough to suit today's children used to more fast-moving stories.
Trivia note: Both TOMMY KELLY and JACKIE MORAN (in a small role as Huck Finn) had bits in Selznick's GONE WITH THE WIND the following year--and both were featured in the Gettysburg battle death announcements, Kelly as a member of the band with tears in his eyes and Moran as Phil Meade.