The Yearling (1946)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Paul Osborn (screenplay)
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (novel)

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

THRILLS! DRAMA! HEART-THROBS! (reissue print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Jody convinces his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves ?

Plot Keywords:

Deer | Pet | Boy | Death | Farmer

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Ezra 'Penny' Baxter
Jane Wyman	...	Orry Baxter
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Jody
Chill Wills	...	Buck Forrester
Clem Bevans	...	Pa Forrester
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Forrester
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Boyles
Forrest Tucker	...	Lem Forrester
Donn Gift	...	Fodderwing

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | South Korea:All | USA:Approved (certificate #11549) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1971) | Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:6 (nf) | Finland:K-10

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

During the ten months of filming, 32 trained animals were used, including five fawns. The fawns needed to be replaced as they aged in order to conform to the description of the title animal. The fawn found by Jody, as he pulls back the foliage, was three days old and had been rescued from a forest fire. Other animals used in filming included 126 deer, 9 black bears, 37 dogs, 53 wild birds, 17 buzzards, 1 owl, 83 chickens, 36 pigs, 8 rattlesnakes, 18 squirrels, 4 horses and 17 raccoons.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jody runs away from home, he is barefoot. While trudging through the swamp, however, he is shown wearing dark sneakers (perhaps for actual protection during filming). Later scenes show him to be barefoot again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 10 Items or Less (2006)

Visually beautiful family film with a big heart

Rightfully considered to be one of the premiere family films of all time, this is a handsome adaptation of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book about a Florida farm family surviving day-to-day hardships. Superbly directed by Clarence Brown, who brings the same "children's book" ambiance to the project as he did with "National Velvet". Well-acted and stunningly photographed on location (by Leonard Smith and Charles Rosher, who won Oscars). Young Claude Jarman, Jr. becomes attached to a troublesome baby deer, and his teary devotion is quite heart-rending. Some of the dialogue is fearsome, and, yes, it's a corny picture in an old-fashioned vein, however it is certainly worth-seeing, even for cynics. *** from ****