The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Nicolas Gessner

Writers:

Laird Koenig (novel)
Laird Koenig (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 1976 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Ask Her No Questions And Nobody Dies.

Plot:

A lone 13-year-old resorts to murder to protect her haven.

Plot Keywords:

Father | House | Landlady | Murder | Alone

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jodie Foster	...	Rynn
Martin Sheen	...	Frank Hallet
Alexis Smith	...	Mrs. Hallet
Mort Shuman	...	Miglioriti
Scott Jacoby	...	Mario
Dorothy Davis	...	Town Hall Clerk
Clesson Goodhue	...	Bank Manager
Hubert Noël	...	Bank Clerk
Jacques Famery	...	Bank Clerk
Mary Morter	...	Teller
Julie Wildman	...	Teller

Also Known As:

La petite fille au bout du chemin (France)

Runtime:

100 min | USA:91 min

Country:

Canada | USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA (1976) | Germany:16 | UK:15 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Knowlton, Québec, Canada

Company:

Braun Entertainment Group

Trivia:

In interviews, Jodie Foster usually refrains from saying which of her films are her least favorites, but she has let it slip that this movie isn't one she is fond of, explaining, "When people are there to simply do a job they don't have any passion for, those are nearly always bad films."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Rynn and Mario go in the house after burying the bodies in the rain, as Mario walks in the door, there is a clean-shaven, bushy haired man in the house wearing a short sleeve shirt.

Movie Connections:

References Mary Poppins (1964)

Soundtrack:

Piano Concerto No. 1 E-Minor

Due for re-release

There are some films which strike a chord immediately upon seeing, and stay in one's mind over many years. They act as a reference point for your life and experiences.

For me, this film was one such. I saw this about 4 times when it was released. I was aged 14. Jodie Foster played Rynn, a 13 year old in the film. I was an only child. Rynn was an only child.

(I think this was the first and only time I had a crush on a fictional character - the shots of the birthday cake with facial close-ups are still vivid. The - at the time - exotic kaftans added to the ambience.)

The murders and threatened child abuse aside (!), this is a story of survival, of independence, and of a growing realisation of a need for others.

There are many levels to this movie, and I would love to see this again. Perhaps a DVD release is overdue - even if only to satisfy my own nostalgia.