katzinoire
This movie burned and stayed in my memory for years, the haunting melody of the music box was amzaing-I spent years asking people at various music box stores where I could get it. They must have thought I was NUTS, this 8 year old demanding a song that didn't exist. I suppose nowadays, if I had a recording of it I suppose I could have a music box custom made of it (well, the recording and a ton of cash!).Disney's version was nice, but lacking the magical mystery of the original film. But it wasn't horrible. It was New Coke to Old Coke, I was expecting something more of the original and it just wasn't it.The turtle at the end, apparently having lived with Winnie all her life, was kinda a nice touch-my guess is that they used a turtle as opposed to a frog because a frog would have taken off :o) The only reason this doesn't get a 10 out of 10 is that as much as I loved Jesse, he kinda creeped me out wandering around the merry-go-round at the end, granted he was still 17, but even a 17 year old attracted to a 10 year old? NOT good.
Sturgeon54
Accepted on its own terms, without all the excess baggage inherent in comparing this film to the famous children's book on which it is based, or the recent all-star Hollywood adaptation, this is in fact a beautifully produced low-budget independent film fable. I have not read the original book, nor does that even matter, as any film should stand on its own merit. For a cast of non-professional actors, virtually all the performances are capable here, with the director's father Fred Keller notable as the Tuck family patriarch. The story is naturally compelling, and I appreciated the director's visual sense, focusing a great deal on the faces of the characters in order to foster a sense of intimacy with the audience. The folk instrumental soundtrack adds additional authenticity. It is obvious that the filmmakers of this now-forgotten film put their heart into the production.
aquakingman
I don't care if you like it or not this is one of the best movies you will ever see that was made in the early 80s. I think this is the greatest movie I have ever seen because at the end of the movie when time has passed they show a clip of them driving down downtown Medina NY and that is so frickin awesome you could alway go to Medina and check out the location it has changed sense then but that napa store is definitely still there also you could stop at the local library and check out the movie yourself as long as it is in (vhs only). The new movie doesn't compare to this classic they were made in two different states for Christ sakes.
oleander-3
This movie is like a wonderful daydream, with beautiful scenery, and lovely music. It's set in the early 20th century, I think, and it's about a lonely, over-protected girl, named Winnie Foster (in the book she's supposed to be ten years old), who one day decides to take a walk in the woods. There she meets a boy of seventeen, Jesse Tuck, who immediately takes a liking to her. Soon she is drawn into the Tuck family's fantastic (and in a way horrible) secret, and must protect them from a man who's after them. I almost can't explain how magical this movie is. My favourite character was Jesse and I wish the actor (Paul Flessa) had been in other movies. I think almost my favourite thing about this movie, though, was the music. It's written by Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larsen, who are both exceptional at the instruments they play (the flute, the hammered dulcimer(?), and others). The music sounds rather like a waterfall, and a soundtrack would be amazing, though I realize it's not a popular enough movie to have one. If you love children's novels, you should definitely see this incredible movie.
AD
